Is it time Today FM got rid of Matt Cooper

por · 20-08-2004 1:26pm #1

For the past 2 weeks Matt Cooper has been on holiday and 2 guest presenters (some one from the Irish Times and another from the Indo) have presented the Last Word in his absence.

It was so refreshing to listen to them, the people being interview got a chance to talk and make their points without Cooper butting in with stupid one line rebuttals. It's painful to listen to Cooper now that he is back from holiday and 2 great weeks prior to that.

And now the that the JNLR/MRBI figures are out with the Last Word loosing 24,000 listeners in 12 months don’t you think it's time they got rid of Cooper.

robbie1876 · 20-08-2004 1:31pm

Personally, I like Cooper, certainly compared to Dunphy. Cooper always seems to ask the questions I would like to be asked, so that keeps me happy. The only person I think would be better in that slot than Cooper would be David McWilliams, especially now that he's been bumped out of 106 by Dunphy.

flogen · 20-08-2004 1:49pm

McWilliams would be a brilliant person for the job.
Matt Cooper is a good journalist, I just dont think he has what it takes to present a show.
This would be the perfect place for McWillaims to go, prime time, perfectly suited to his style and knowledge, and he'd be back on the airwaves!

flogen

John R · 20-08-2004 3:23pm

He is a dreadful interviewer, I can't listen to him at all.
McWilliams would be a huge improvement, the only person in Irish broadcasting that can do a decent interview.

BaZmO* · 20-08-2004 3:28pm

robbie1876 wrote:

Personally, I like Cooper, certainly compared to Dunphy. Cooper always seems to ask the questions I would like to be asked, so that keeps me happy. The only person I think would be better in that slot than Cooper would be David McWilliams, especially now that he's been bumped out of 106 by Dunphy.

Yeah, have to agree totally there.

Badabing · 20-08-2004 3:37pm

I think in the last six months the show has really improved,he has the best contributors like robert fisk and the last word on sport on fridays is excellant

dublinario · 20-08-2004 3:41pm

I am delighted Cooper is back at the helm. I think he is by far the best anchor of any current affairs programme on the radio. There are some good presenters on RTE, and MacWilliams is a very strong presenter too, but I think Cooper wipes the floor with the lot of them. He is razor sharp, well informed, fluid and articulate in speech, and very aggressive when the need arises. Whilst the journalists that temp for him in his absence are ok, I think 'The Last Word' is much poorer without him.

I find it interesting that people are dissing him on this thread when there are other anchors who are so much worse. For example, Dunphy is taking over soon from David MacWilliams on Newstalk. I used to like Dunphy, and it was he who originally attracted me to 'The Last Word'. But when Cooper took over it really just highlighted how crappy Dunphy was, as he paled in comparison to his successor.

I think George Hook is by far the worst of the bunch. He may be affable, and sporadically amusing, but he talks at about 1 mph. It is painful to listen to. His monotonous, excruciatingly slow speech blends perfectly with the crawling Dublin traffic, making the whole journey home seem to be occuring in slow motion.

Eurorunner · 20-08-2004 5:24pm

Well, i liked the Last Word with Dunphy and now with Cooper. Some of the stand-ins have been a bit weak.
Its a great radio show for the most part - esp. the sports coverage..
Only criticism - Shane Ross - send him back to the Seanad/Irish Independent.

mike65 · 20-08-2004 6:12pm

Matt Cooper increasingly drives me nuts and not just cos of his Cork use of the English language (widge etc). I find his world-view too similair to Dunphy and I would prefere to have someone who is more sceptical of the usual soft-left politics which dominate political discourse on the airwaves. Huge Linnehan who sat in is better for me. I'd like to hear George Hook go nationwide myself!

Mike.

por · 21-08-2004 10:51am

Why has the show lost 15% of it's listeners in 12 months ?, it's not due to the Dunphy departure as he has been gone for the guts of 2 years. It has to be something to do with Cooper, it's a good show , the Last Word on Sport on a Friday is very good, but Cooper just gets to me, the same way as 'mike65' describes above

veryangryman · 04-03-2009 2:38pm

I think Matt is good for asking the tough questions. His anti FF attitude isn't helpful though, but i guess you have to talk for the masses who are currently frying them