Newstalk radio - opinions

ClubMan said:
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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what a pity, no more half hour rubbish on the back streets of phibsboro

overall its an ok station.

i enjoy off the ball and moncriff and at the weekend the wide angle is one of the best shows on radio.

its great now that i don't lose the signal in laois, i'm off to work in donegal tomorrow night and am looking forward to not having to change the station.

also for an alternative look at world politics listen in for michael graham on hook at 5.30 on a friday, one of the best parts of the week.

oh and i also enjoyed hidden dublin ( even as a bogger )

add to that i'm gonna spend my mornings pretending that claire byrne is doing the show in the nip......oh the thoughts
 
Ron Burgundy said:
i'm off to work in donegal tomorrow night and am looking forward to not having to change the station.
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Unfortunately you will... Newstalk has been virtually unlistenable this week in the Midlands/North Leinster/Ulster area as the live broadcasts have been regularly dubbed over for 60-90 second intervals with advertorial pre-recorded stuff featuring George Hook and others. Its a nightmare to listen to, and it happens even during the hourly news bulletins. I presume it is being used for some reason to test transmissions etc.
 

it was the radio re tuning to a stronger signal, the test singal on 107.2/4/6 depending on the area, you'll need to re tune your car stereo and you'll have it fine.

have a look at for further info.
 
Ron Burgundy said:
also for an alternative look at world politics listen in for michael graham on hook at 5.30 on a friday, one of the best parts of the week.
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Alternative is the word-caught that right wing loon last Friday for the first time. All I could do was laugh.
 
I thougth that I (in central Dublin) was getting interference during the news the other evening but it turns out to be their new music which the were playing in the background throughout the bulletin. Really irritating. Bring back the Bentley Rhythm Ace snippet at the start and stop trying to drown out the newsreader!
 
Michael Graham is always refreshing to listen to. There are two sides to every story and it is good to hear the viewpoint of the other side, as it were. Whether one agrees with Graham's views is another thing entirely.
 
Im also a fan of george hooks show he doesn't take himself too seriously even though you can detect he is a pretty smart guy, also he's funny. Matt cooper is dull although occasionally he has good guests. I thought Dunphy was good but had his pet subjects which i tired of after a while and was not as good as he was on the last word. I thoght Mcwilliams was their best presenter for the morning they made a big mistake getting rid of him. Orla Barry is useless
 
Caught a bit of Roisin Inglis this morning. She is a rubbish presenter. You think Orla Barry is bad - wait until you hear Ro Ro. Total drivel. Had to switch off after she said "Well, I have to say" for about the 40th time in about 20 mins.
 
brodiebabe said:
Caught a bit of Roisin Inglis this morning. She is a rubbish presenter.
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And how was Roisin Ingle ?
I listened to Dunphy when he started on Radio Ireland, and Hook when he started on Newstalk and they were pants on Day 1. Over time they got better.

It is unfair to judge on someone's first day in the job.

When Newstalk had David McWilliams handing over to Daire O'Brien, it was all essential listening. Then again maybe it's a generational thing as the things they were passionate about were also important to me.

More pony than phoney
 
That history show last night (Sunday) was a bit like an undergraduate college radio affair. Maybe they'll get better with experience. Sunday with Norris (?) forced me to switch off as I could not stomach the luvviness between the presenter and Brendan Kennelly.
 
TarfHead said:
When Newstalk had David McWilliams handing over to Daire O'Brien, it was all essential listening.
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I agree 100% - I think that McWilliams was the best they had - he did have his hobby horses of course but overall as a presenter and as someone who engages his audience I think he was the best.

Orla Barry is diabolical and I'm still unsure about Gilroy and "what's her face" in the morning; though their interview with P Rabbitte this morning wasn't bad but could have been a bit more cutting
 
At least Gilroy makes some attempt at conducting balanced and probing interviews with guests and asking decent questions unlike many others (e.g. Dunphy, Morning Ireland etc.)
 
gilroy is great, he is comfortable with sports and political journalism whish is rare in ireland.

orla barryis annoying but its fluff radio which a lot of stations need.

brenda power is a good signing and can slot in to most shows they have during holiday time.

moncriff is the star of the station for me, its rare i hear all of his show but when i do its a pleasure to listen to.

one thing, they have stopped announcing the cost of a text is 30 cent since going national, is the cost gone or are they just not informing the new national listeners.

oh drove to donegal from laois on sat and had a great reception the way up and down so its a plus for those of us who can't stand music based radio.
 
I tuned in for the first time in Kerry at the weekend (2pm -2.30pm Sunday) and all I could hear was a cacophony of various match commentaries over the last year. There was no breaks or any explanation. From what I could make out they were highlights of some Dublin GAA matches and Leinster Rugby matches. Perhaps it was a test transmission? Anyway it was truly terrible and I would be slow to tune in again.
 
Have to agree with you on all points above. In spite of myself I find Moncrieff very funny! Off The Ball is still my favourite. No matter what sport they cover I generally find the coverage interesting, entertaining and often humourous. I used to find the boys (especially Ken Early) a bit too world weary/sarky but I might have been taking them too seriously at the start. And the bit of humour and sometimes inanity that they inject into matters is just the ticket in preparation for switching over to Vincent Browne at 22:00 (especially if he has Dr. Bill Tormey or Arthur Morgan on)!
one thing, they have stopped announcing the cost of a text is 30 cent since going national, is the cost gone or are they just not informing the new national listeners.
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I seem to recall them mentioning that one of their numbers had changed with the national rollout so maybe that's significant?
 
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