Breakfast with Ray (Foley) and Jay [Cork's Red FM, 6am-9am]

Loughc

IUA14 wrote: »

No Listen Back on 98FM.com this week again...annoying!

How was the show with the two of them?

Muireann was really strong fronting the show. There wasn't as much banter as there'd be normally with Ray but it was good.

Euphoria Intensifies

Opinion on the 2016 predictions thread seems to be that The Ray Foley Show on 98 breakfast will be no more this time next year. I'm afraid I have to agree with that opinion. What do you guys think? Obviously most of us posting in this thread are fans of the show and the team and would love if they'd stay on, and especially if they could just go with the flow and loosen the format. But I just can't see that happening on a local radio breakfast show.

IUA14

We have had this conversation many times above with ratings and stuff and many would agree but tired of it at this stage so what will be will be haha. Love the lads but not doing well in format or ratings wise is the general consensus I think?!

Euphoria Intensifies

I agree with you IUA14, this convo has been had in here what feels like a hundred times. But the reason I brought it back up is that it's been 3 years of the show now and I think it really is make or break time now. I guess what I'm mostly wondering about as well is where do people see Ray and JP going if they lose the breakfast slot? I think if Matt Cooper moves to Newstalk, then they could do a really good drive time show on Today FM. Only thing is that would impact on Ray's TV3 presenting gigs.

jimceart

Actually never heard his show- shame on me.

IUA14

Start to the show was brilliant ripping the piss out of Muireann and her smell, the Syria joke was a bit risky for breakfast tho but made me laugh.

corcaigh_abu

Thank F the secret sound is over. It's the worst radio bit and completely against what the lads used to stand for Today FM. Imagine what their response would have been 5 years ago if they were told to do that.

Like what appears to be many others, I still listen to the old podcasts and Ray was such a different character. I used to love his arrogance and self-confidence. Do people think he's just matured or is it because the dublin audience just wouldn't 'get it' as he said on his last day before moving to 98.

AlsoI'm disappointed with the lack of content Muireann has brought to the show. She reads some gossip, agrees with what the lads say and that's about it. There's definitely more music being played recently which I thought would be the opposite of what her effect on the show would be.

Finally, Ray's doing a 3rd level course? Sounds like someone is trying to beef up their CV before moving....

corcaigh_abu

Oh and will people email, tweet or text in asking for some Podcast only material? The last time they started doing it Ray said it was because someone asked. If enough people do it then maybe they'll start up again.

IUA14

I think in terms of Muireann, she is entertaining and compliments the lads well but I think recent JNLR figures led them to make changes and have more music in the times when there was a noticeable drop off in audience, namely the start of the 8 and 9 hours.

Anyways, I see Foley changed the photos on all social media accounts and the 98FM cover on Facebook for the festive season, he has lost some amount of weight!

soc160

corcaigh_abu wrote: »

Thank F the secret sound is over. It's the worst radio bit and completely against what the lads used to stand for Today FM. Imagine what their response would have been 5 years ago if they were told to do that.

Like what appears to be many others, I still listen to the old podcasts and Ray was such a different character. I used to love his arrogance and self-confidence. Do people think he's just matured or is it because the dublin audience just wouldn't 'get it' as he said on his last day before moving to 98.

AlsoI'm disappointed with the lack of content Muireann has brought to the show. She reads some gossip, agrees with what the lads say and that's about it. There's definitely more music being played recently which I thought would be the opposite of what her effect on the show would be.

Finally, Ray's doing a 3rd level course? Sounds like someone is trying to beef up their CV before moving....

When they launched the Secret Sound, they made an announcement on air, as if it was a big thing, seemed like a pointless feature to add, amother competition for nothing content, what was more shocking was Ray saying that when they moved to 98, he really wanted to do The Fugitive and The Secret Sound. That is the kind of thing he'd be slagging Dermot and Dave for. It's only on for a minute or two and generates some listener interaction but they seemed to think it was something people cared about, the prize money is quite low to start with, especially compared to the fact they give away a grand in the Free Money Minute.

Obrieski

What was the winning sound then? It has been annoying me. Glad the feature is over though

DopeTech

Obrieski wrote: »

What was the winning sound then? It has been annoying me. Glad the feature is over though

Was ray breaking some McDonnells noodles.

wnolan1992

Secret Sound is fine if:

a) The prize fund increases by a meaningful amount each day (€20 should be the minimum so that it's €100 per week)
b) The sound is actually fairly guessable so that you don't end up in a situation where the same sound goes on for months

Going up by a tenner each week, and the fact that there's only been like 2 sounds since they started the feature made it so dull. I know it's easy to sit here and say this, but it just felt lazy from day one and, as others have said, it's EXACTLY the type of feature Ray has professed to hate in the past because it's so standard

IUA14

It went up by €10 each day, not week, but with regards to the feature itself, I think the whole point is that it annoys people, €2,500 isn't too shabby of a prize...if they increased it they could find themselves in a situation where they give away €10,000 grand some morning...which would be a couple of months budgets gone. That said, glad its done for a while, would much prefer them doing The Fugitive, they did something similar on TodayFM with the kit-kat man I think and that was good if memory serves!

Definitely a more music driven show at the moment, just look a the Monday mix, gone from 3 songs to like 6/7. Nice shout out to Phil this morning and the listener texting in to moan about the Strictly spoiler...she got taken down a peg or two by Foley...delighted!

wnolan1992

Sorry, the "tenner each week" was a typo. I think €10 a day just makes it interminable to listen to. "Call in now and you can win €1,260! [later] Call in tomorrow and you can win €1,270!". Even if they made it a station wide competition, each show before 7 has people on, a fiver added each time, you're talking 20 quid extra a day. It was never branded as a Foley show game like.

And I'm sorry, I just don't buy in to this whole "Let's get something that'll annoy the listener into listening!" schtick that goes with the secret sound. To me, it's on the ladder of things in radio I despise, right above psychics and just below call in shows where callers shout at each other for 18 hours a day.

At least vet the callers beforehand and try and get new guesses all the time. This "Is it X?", "No, we've had that a few times now, sorry!" is just infuriating.

But hey, what do I know. It obviously must work since it's a stalwart of most breakfast shows. I dunno, it just sort of felt like they were making progress into turning it into a unique breakfast show when they got rid of the obligatory kids bit, then they just replaced it with another cliched radio feature.

I mean, Lazy Radio was lazy but entertaining, Secret Sound is just plain lazy. IMO.

buster180

Looks like the breakfast show is over, Hope they are getting an afternoon show instead.

Itssoeasy

Ray Foley ‏@rayfoleyshow 3m3 minutes ago
Happy & sad to say we're leaving 98 early mornings from January. We can FINALLY talk about it tomorrow morning, but it's all good!

Well lads the prediction thread was right.

IUA14

I has a feeling the last little while, especially with the branding changes on Twitter and especially Facebook which has been the same for 3 years.

Wording of the tweet is interesting... "leaving 98 early mornings" what do we think? Leaving the station all together or a schedule jig around? I doubt he would have sent those tweets out if it was just a timeslot change?

Itssoeasy

IUA14 wrote: »

I has a feeling the last little while, especially with the branding changes on Twitter and especially Facebook which has been the same for 3 years.

Wording of the tweet is interesting... "leaving 98 early mornings" what do we think? Leaving the station all together or a schedule jig around? I doubt he would have sent those tweets out if it was just a timeslot change?

Christ it's not just me that was wondering about the wording. If he and JP are leaving the station where exactly will they go ?

And the one about the JP is worrying. Surely they wouldn't split up would they ?

IUA14

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Christ it's not just me that was wondering about the wording. If he and JP are leaving the station where exactly will they go ?

And the one about the JP is worrying. Surely they wouldn't split up would they ?

I think they are staying together given he said "we're leaving" but the wording is really up in the air, glad they will address it in the morning.

I'm both happy and sad about it...I think the early mornings were killing the lads and the show format stifled them but I am hoping they have something lined up. "But its all good" would imply they do?

Saw the article with Newstalk denying Kenny was leaving today...Matt Cooper has been long tipped to move over to Newstalk, and having listened last week to Trading Places on TodayFM, if he was ever to move could you see Dempsey slotting right in to take his place? Maybe the lads back to do breakfast there...havent slagged TodayFM off in a long while actually! :roll eyes:

Brian Maher just tweeted crying faces...that would imply leaving 98 I guess?

IUA14

Ah BALLS! Can answer my own question...leaving 98FM completely and last show is Thursday morning! 98FM's Big Breakfast being launched in January and looks like Foley may be off the radio with nothing lined up...

http://vipmagazine.ie/radio-star-ray-foley-shocks-listeners-with-a-big-announcement/?platform=hootsuite

elmoslats

IUA14 wrote: »

Ah BALLS! Can answer my own question...leaving 98FM completely and last show is tomorrow morning! 98FM's Big Breakfast being launched in January and looks like Foley may be off the radio with nothing lined up...

http://vipmagazine.ie/radio-star-ray-foley-shocks-listeners-with-a-big-announcement/?platform=hootsuite

Article says last show Christmas eve.
I think it's possible they don't have anything lined up.

Ray has reminisced a few times over the last few weeks about how long him and JP have worked together. That might suggest they won't be working together anymore.

IUA14

98FM just tweeted and said he leaves the station to concentrate on TV work...no mention of JP or Muireann...would appear The Ray Foley Show is done for now...devastated if thats the case!

Atlantic Dawn

Will he be on gardening leave or can he start somewhere else straight away? Strange they are letting him on air tomorrow if he's leaving.

IUA14

It seems like it was a mutual thing, and if as has been suggested here before they had a 3 year contract when they joined which would have brought them to the end of November then maybe they just agreed to work out the year to give the station time to plan.

elmoslats

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Will he be on gardening leave or can he start somewhere else straight away? Strange they are letting him on air tomorrow if he's leaving.

Don't think it's strange at all. Doesnt seem like he is leaving for another station.

wnolan1992

I've had a feeling ever since the 3 years passed in November that this was on the cards to be honest. Poor figures coupled with Foley doing more and more work for TV3, along with Foley doing a college course all pointed to this happening.

I think him and JP will split up to be honest. I think Muireann and JP might stay with 98 and Foley will go presenting on TV3 full time (perhaps him and Mairead Farrell will get a show?).

It's really sad that the breakfast show didn't work out. In the first two years I thought they were genuinely building something, but for the last 12 months it's been getting steadily staler IMO. Less and less creative features, more and more music - all just very "un-Foley" feeling for me.

I'd love Ray and JP to stay together and do more radio work, but whatever happens I hope it works out for all three of them.

hufpc8w3adnk65

Brian maher and Luke o faolain taking over brekkie on 98 after Xmas

IUA14

Agree its been in the cards and I think if they do move anywhere it will be back to the national airwaves were they are proven successes! More TV work has definitely been on the cards for Ray, he excels on The 7 O'Clock show so I suspect a light entertainment show may be on the cards.

Not so sure JP will stay at 98FM, I hope not because it would really kill any hope of a return to radio together a couple of months down the line. Muireann will either stay with the new breakfast show or go back to her evening show I suspect.

I hope they still podcast, maybe an NTN return? Ray loves radio so I can't see him taking that long of a break. And the 98FM statement says he wishes to focus on "TV work and other plans", maybe they just don't want to publicise any possible move by them elsewhere.

Itssoeasy

Well feck it this is **** news. The Ray foley show was the first radio show I listened to with any regularity and it then became a must for me. It helped me to become really interested in radio and how it worked and why. It's helped me through up and downs in life and made me laugh when I really didn't want to.

When they were allowed to be themselves and do what they wanted with very little structure or limits then Ray and JP were two of the best people on radio.

Then of course you had Adelle who lightened up as the years went on and made me enjoy the 98fm show when she was back on air recently as it was just the three lads ****ing on like the old days.

I hope it's not the end and that we see Ray and JP back on the airwaves soon.