Newstalk radio - opinions

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bogwarrior

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Hey Dublin dwellers - is Newstalk any good? I live outside the Pale and in the evenings usually tune into Matt 'the text messages are flooding in' Cooper on TodayFM but I'm getting tired of his show. He lets so many of his guests spout their agenda without ever really challenging them - unless they're Israelis when he goes in, studs first.
Some of the show is decent enough, but I'm looking forward to hearing what Newstalk is like when they start broadcasting nationwide. Is it more of the same or a decent alternative to TodayFM and RTE?
 
Yeah, Hooky is good - intelligent questioning, but he can have fun too.

On the odd occassion I've caught Moncrieff during holidays, his show sounds funny - quite mad - pretty much like other shows by Ray d'Arcy etc.

Their breakfast show has improved massively since Dunphy jumped ship.
 
Having been a fan of Matt Cooper originally, I have to say now that I rarely listen to him, or TodayFM, at all any more.

I love the Breakfast Show on Newstalk now that Eamonn Dunphy is gone. Just straightforward news and discussion now rather than crusades and creating/settling of grudges.

George Hook in the evenings is fantastic. Proper questioning of guests, and the "common touch" is welcoming.

As for the sports show from 7pm till 10pm on Newstalk, it's the best radio programme bar none in this country at the moment - though hopefully their irrational Dublin bias (what have Dublin GAA or Leinster rugby won lately) will go once they go national.
 
I find "Off the Ball" which is on after Hooky to be very good at sports coverage - I never get a chance to listen to the full programme but the 1st half hour where they run through the stories of the day is excellent - if only they weren't so biased in favour of the Dubs !!

Hooky is good as well even if he waffles on a bit on occassion - Moncrief is excellent, better than Ray Darcy in my opinion but I never get a chance to listen to him.

Ger Gilroy(?) on the breakfast show is ok but he says "..ehhhhh.." a lot which annoys me (it's the little things that niggle the most)
 
Sherman said:
Their breakfast show has improved massively since Dunphy jumped ship.
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I totally disagree. They need to get someone else in to do the morning show. I didn't always agree with him and sometimes grew quite tired of some of his beligerent rants, but at least he was entertaining.

Another missing presenter, has anyone any idea where Damien Kiebert is gone. He had a great lunchtime news show but he hasn't been on air for months now.

The replacements/stand ins for both shows are nowhere near as good as the originals that they are attempting to replace. As long as "Talk to Joe" stays where he is, but I understand that the "interest" that was allegedly being shown in him by Newstalk was all in his own mind and that of his agent when he was renegiotating his contract with RTE

Agree that Moncrief and Hook are worth listening to. By definition, I suppose that when the station goes nationwide that Newstalk will lose its Dublin bias and start to concentrate on things outside the Pale, as it is after all, at the moment a Dublin station.

I still havn't texted them since they started charging 30c per text and I think the station has gone downhill since then. I cannot see the logic of this. They are looking to milk the listener. I thought they were suppost to milk advertisers. Why should I as a listener pay a radio station to listen to what I have to say. Anyway, they probably ignore most of the texts.

On the whole IMO the station has gone down the pan in the past year or so and I have started to drift back to RTE and Today FM.


Murt
 

I agree - Off the ball is consistently excellent.

As for the bias, they are on record as saying that as long as they are a Dublin station they'll fly the flag for The Dubs and Leinster Rugby. When they go national, that will change.
 
Hey Murt10, I'm with you on the 30c texting! I think its outrageous that newstalk are charging so much for text messages while constantly requesting their users to text in about any topic they touch on. As far as I can tell all the other stations have normal prices for texting. I won't be texting them again until they drop the charge as it's a total rip-off, and really, if they are so reliant on listener participation they shouldn't be milking us like this. Having said that, I do like the station and think that Hooky's show is very good, though at seven each evening I'm off to Tom Dunne on Today fm!
 
Off the ball and Hookie are excellent, never hear any of the rest. Obviously going to be Dublin biased as it's a Dublin radio station, but I imagine that'll change with the move national.
The text charges are indeed a joke, but who'd be arsed anyway (i never feel the need to put my 2 cents into the public domain!
 
(i never feel the need to put my 2 cents into the public domain!
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Or 30 as the case maybe!!!
I am looking forward to getting this station down her in Cork as have felt that 5-7 live has gone downhill and Matt Cooper while often entertaining needs an alternative if the subject is boring as is often the case!
 
Best station ever!! If you have iTunes you can get the podcasts as a taster. Moncrieff rules. Hidden Dublin with Pat Liddy is very interesting. Dunphy was an idiot, but Minister McDowell kicking his backside was great entertainment.
 
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I still cant understand why they got rid of McWilliams for Dunphy in the first place for the breakfast show. Bring back Mc Williams to the breakfast show in my opinion.

Overall a very good station though, Hooky over Cooper in the evenings anyday.
 
Don't rate Hook at all. He doesn't have a grasp of what he is talking about a lot of the time. I find I listen to Matt Cooper in the evenings (especially when our own Brendan Burgess is on giving more free advice).
I like Moncrieff and thought Kiberd was very good. I was tired of Dunphy in the end and Ger Gilroy isn't bad instead, though he was better on the sports show.
 
Usually switch between newstalk and today fm between 4.30 and 7 or catch the shows on podcasts(this way you can fast forward to the stories you wanna hear about) . I like the breakfast show with dunphy and mcwilliams and have stopped listening since that gilroy fella took over, he's a bit too pompous at times for me among other things. ports show can be hit and miss at times but football show at 9pm is usually very good. Damien Kiebard hasnt been heard from since he was doing the business news in apparent distress around 9months ago and had to be cut off early. The 30cent text thing really annoyed me as they get so much show content from texts(particularly mondrieff as his show is often spontaneous and adlibbed), cant see people outside of dublin being any more eager to pay 30cents for the chance to get their comments heard, they'll either reduce the charge or offer the chance of winning a prize for every texter.
 
Off the Ball's news round up is excellent, great interaction with presenters... irreverent humour... lots of 'in' jokes for the benefit of frequent listeners... good indepth analysis of issues - I believe they were one of the first to break the Keane to Sunderland story...

Moncrieff - tends to drag the ar*e out of every topic (a la Gerry Ryan)

Hook - waffle, waffle, waffle, guffaw, waffle

Newstalk still has a bit to go before it can match the quality of the national broadcaster... IMO...
 
I thought Damien Kiberd got bumped upstairs into management? I think he was also the editor of the Sunday Business Post at one time.

I quite like Sean Moncrieff's show in the afternoon's. The worst show for me is Karen Coleman's 'The wide angle' at the weekend. She seems to keep interrupting her guests. Unfortunately, that weather forecaster is the only other option on TodayFM. Now, he is genuinely useless.
 
Brendan said:
I have deleted all posts which speculated on anyone's health. Such speculation is inappropriate.

Brendan
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Brendan what I said about someone's health this is something that I heard on newstalk when a listener texted in and asked where that person was, and the presenter said that he was out on sick leave, so if offence is caused sorry, but dont know how it could be
 
its gone national today, i'd be interested to hear what the rest of the nation thinks (those you didnt listen online that is) to it
 
Well Orla Barry is still crap if that's any use.

Is City Edition gone altogether? Shame if it means the loss of Hidden Dublin just because they have to cater for boggers now.
 
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