The Newstalk National Line-up - What do you think?

mike65

Clair Whatsit is barred from working for any other media outlet for the next 4 months or so I think (was'nt really listening).

Mike.

ronbyrne2005

White Horse wrote:

Yes, but to quote Teagasc "...when the low import content of agriculture and the low repatriation of profits are taken into account, the agri-food sector still accounts for around 25% of net foreign earnings"

In other words, many industrial exports include a large value of imported raw material in their production. In addition, as multi-national companies are common in industry many of the profits are dividended back to their foreign owners thus reducing the benefit of these exports to ireland. As a result, the effect of export of industrial product to net foreign earnings is overstated by just looking at the value of exports.

Agri-food on the other hand is produced almost entirely in ireland with little imports used in their production. In addition the profits are kept within Ireland to the benefit of the economy.

Consequently, agriculture disproportionally benefits the Irish economy.

I hope this clears this up for you.

That overstates the impact of agriculture on economy. What about the multiplier effect of massive employment in the non agri exporting sector? how many are employed directly and indirectly by multinationals and those in likes of IFSC. Im not saying agriculture is unimportant just not as important as the 25% figure would leave many people to beleive, how many tractors and farm machines are imported.

Crubeens

[PHP]Who do you think work in the agri-food sector? This is physical work and it is people in the 20-44 age group.

Is Newstalk is going to appeal to young people in rural Ireland, it will have to cater to the things that interest these young people.[/PHP]

I'm not disputing that young people work in this sector, my issue is with just how many work in it, and if that amount merits extensive airtime given to the issue.

OK, lets get this straight: How exactly would you like to see Newstalk cover agricultural issues? Would there be a daily half hour programme, regular slots on existing shows, or simply more news stories about it in the bulletins?

If you describe the ideal programme schedule I think it would help alot.

White Horse

ronbyrne2005 wrote:

That overstates the impact of agriculture on economy. What about the multiplier effect of massive employment in the non agri exporting sector? how many are employed directly and indirectly by multinationals and those in likes of IFSC. Im not saying agriculture is unimportant just not as important as the 25% figure would leave many people to beleive, how many tractors and farm machines are imported.

You may be correct. It is impossibale to put a definititive percentage on agri-business. It may not be 25%, it may be 20% or even 15%.

What is certain, however, is that it is very significant both in terms of value to the economy and the number of people involved.

There seems to be a view that Newstalk is a not a station for those people. They don't fit in to "modern, cosmopolitan, sub-urbanised" Ireland.

I'm putting forward a view that Newstalk needs to enagage these people if it is to be successful as a national station.

This needs to be done is a manner that doesn't bore non-rural people. However the opposite also applies, rural people don't want to hear endless discussions on traffic conjestion, gangland murders, house prices and the other factors that characterise Dublin life.

Striking that balance will not be easy and is one of the challenges facing Newstalk's decision to go national.

Dub13

White Horse wrote:

I'm putting forward a view that Newstalk needs to enagage these people if it is to be successful as a national station.

I understand your point but the fact is Newstalk does not need to engage agricultural issues,the simple fact is that there are the numbers living in city's/towns to make Newstalk a success without touching any agricultural issues.

mike65

Does Newstalk use the RTE transmitter network?

Mike.

Hornet

White Horse wrote:

There seems to be a view that Newstalk is a not a station for those people. They don't fit in to "modern, cosmopolitan, sub-urbanised" Ireland.

I'm putting forward a view that Newstalk needs to enagage these people if it is to be successful as a national station.

I fundamentally disagree! Newstalk should NOT offer specific agriculture programs or specific information for the farming business!

The way I read your description of rural listeners is like this: If you don't provide them prices for cattle or tractors, then they won't listen.

Sounds very narrow minded to me and my experience of rural people is quite different! I thought that they are interested in local matters and in job related matters, but not exclusively! ...and I am sure you did not want to express that they ARE that narrowminded that ONLY farming weather and milk quotas interest them.

If Newstalk (or any other station) would follow your suggestion then we would have to have a banker program, a software developer program, a property investor program, a taxi driver program and in a further consequence, you would have to ask for a Cork program, a Donegal program, an African immigrants program, a Chinese immigrants program, a Polish program, and I could continue and continue!

Newstalk will probably include more and more content that is more of interest to people in rural Ireland, but that could be a discussion about a City Centre development plan in Cork or a environmental issue in Sligo or a job crisis for farmers in the milk sector. And all these contents would be (and have to be) PART of the general and all-encompassing program schedule.

It does NOT make sense for a national station to have a 1 hour program that only takes about the issues that ONE marginal group wants to hea. Forgive me for calling farmers a "marginal" group, but in the totality of targetted listeners, they are that.

--Hornet

White Horse

Hornet wrote:

If Newstalk (or any other station) would follow your suggestion then we would have to have a banker program, a software developer program, a property investor program, a taxi driver program and in a further consequence, you would have to ask for a Cork program, a Donegal program, an African immigrants program, a Chinese immigrants program, a Polish program, and I could continue and continue!

--Hornet

I wasn't suggesting specialised programming. That is not the ethos of Newstalk. I was suggesting the necessity of covering rural topics in the existing format if rural listeners are to be engaged.

However, as some other posters have pointed out, Newstalk may be targeting the urban/sub-urban people of Ireland, rather than rural listeners.

This is a perfectly understandable marketing position for a commercial station.

DMC

I cant believe that everyone has missed this point...

How many ads for ringworm, mastitis, hoose and mange mite do you hear on the radio nowadays?

Its been a while since I heard Triple A Golden Maverick advertised on RTÉ Radio 1

murray sparkle

Is it just me or has National Newstalk proved to be a phenomenal let down. Ger Gilroy sounds well out of his depth on breakfast and it's 4 months (at least) before Claire Byrne gets back to work there. The only show that is half decent is Brendan O'Brien at lunchtime.

Gilroy this morning started an interview at 3 minutes to nine with Roisin Shortall and two questions into it cut it off - for five minutes before that he had been asking a Galway based reporter what was happening in Gort and all she could say was 'no one really knows'.

Bad planning. I'm surprised -Ian Noctor (ex Today FM and PD's ) is the producer.

Orla Barry makes me want to smoke crack - it's big mouthed sh1te

Our man in Havana

DMC wrote:

I cant believe that everyone has missed this point...

How many ads for ringworm, mastitis, hoose and mange mite do you hear on the radio nowadays?

Its been a while since I heard Triple A Golden Maverick advertised on RTÉ Radio 1

You need to listen around mart time on Radio1.

DMC

I do, bond, around Farm News on Drivetime, but I haven't heard a farm related ad there close to the timing of the bulletin.

As to murray's comments, yes... its a bit of a let down for me too, but for another reason. What we have here is an extension of the Dublin-only service of Newstalk. Its the same voices, and for a station going national, it needed at least one big name, a national figure. Its what advertisers will buy into. Someone that might draw in listeners. Dunphy was ideal, but we know thats gone now. People will say but they didn't need a big star from RTÉ, it should make its own; I think it is clear from the way it sounds after 2 weeks that it needed someone who is well known to the general public.

Someone the other day commented to me that it sounded as if it was done on the cheap. To an extent, it is, but if it doesnt sound professional, then a lot of people won't bother tuning in.

Stargal

Was I hearing things or was Leagues O'Toole doing a music show at the weekend around 10-11pm? Even if I misheard and it wasn't him, it was a great show. Thought it was a good idea to put it in instead of the usual repeats of the morning shows.

Also did anyone hear the history show yesterday evening, around 7 or 8pm? The presenter was discussing Oliver Cromwell with a panel. It was a bit odd, cos it's not the type of thing you usually hear on Irish radio, but it was interesting and I'll probably listen in again next week.

mike65

I started a thread about that show on History/Heritage forum. I was suprised when I heard the trailer for it, I listened for a while and it was quite good, my only grip is the obsession with allowing texts and such like, I know Newstalk practically lives off imput from de plain people but I could do with less from the great unwashed and more informed opinion!

Mike.

popebenny16

[QUOTEmy only grip is the obsession with allowing texts and such like][/QUOTE]

30c per text, dont forget!!

What we have here is an extension of the Dublin-only service of Newstalk.

Yes. Problem is that outside of Dublin all we got was Drivetime and Matt Cooper. I quite like Newstalks sports stuff after seven during the week and their Sunday shows as well. Hook has improved a lot since I moved out of Dublin and lost Newstalk and his interview with Mark O'Ourke was good last Friday. It suddenly reminded me of why sometimes Matt Cooper annoys me - they purposefully went from the long Dunphy style segmets to rapid fire stuff - and Hook seems to allow his pieces go on a lot longer.

As for RTE Drivetime, they had their chance last week with Bertiegate and blew it.

Liam Byrne

This is a strange thread.....if anyone else was to make the claim that all rural people were farmers, there would be war!

NewsTalk had my attention as an anorak for a day or two, but since then it doesn't even merit a preset, and that's despite the crap level of choice available here in the Mid-West.

I might tune in the odd time to Hook if there's a Munster rugby match coming up, but otherwise it's a dead loss....

mike65

Fair play to Newstalk today - they did'nt ditch or shorten any of thier normal programmes though a couple of presenters did duck out.

Today FM will have to sharpen up if they want Cooper to retain his audience share.

Mike.

Dub13

mike65 wrote:

Fair play to Newstalk today - they did'nt ditch or shorten any of thier normal programmes though a couple of presenters did duck out.

Yes its a good idea,I noticed Newstalk still running a normal schedule on Bank Holiday's a couple of years ago.Its a good idea with a lot of people traveling around the country.