Bye bye from Newstalk breakfast Ivan Yates, But will you be missed? (POLL ADDED)

Access

I have been a listener to Newstalk breakfast ever since the hay days and i think personally that the best presenters were Claire Byrne and Ger Gilroy back then. But when Ger left and Ivan took over... it was almost like Ivan was constantly talking over Claire and dismissing her views no matter what the subject... no wonder she left after a time! - it was simply cringe radio in the mornings.

Chris Donoghue is very good and keeps the show on the straight and narrow and tries to stop Ivans daily, almost scripted rants on the topic of the day and complaints about his wife!

Ivan to me just did not work all this time on the show... he never once gave any guest who deserved it a very hard time during interviews and always dismissed other opinions and views.

Dont get me wrong... i still tuned in as i find it is the best of the news breakfast shows out there and is part of my morning... but to me when Ivan goes within the next few weeks, i for one wont be missing him in the slightest.

Bard

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055236069&page=103

john kinsella

Totally agree with everything you have said.

It is still the best breakfast show on by a country mile so that just shows the quality of Irish radio

GSF

Ivan's the one who drove the ratings up. Watch them sink with Chris & Shane. Personality radio is what gets the average listener to comment. Even Ivan's haters (especially the haters perhaps?) listen avidly - how else can they denounce him online every day?

Bland & inoffensive = low ratings; controversy = listeners. Ignore the media studies graduates Newstalk and get some more presenters who have lived a bit on air even if they are rough diamonds and fluff their lines ocassionally.

MidlandsM

I'll miss Ivan from the show, his political insights and views were informed and interesting.

Access

Not an Ivan hater... but just found he never fitted right on the show personally for the above reasons.

Never said a bad word on boards before about Ivan either... just heard he was going this week and am hoping for a decent replacement for him.

I do agree with your point on Bland & inoffensive = low ratings; controversy = listeners... lets see what newstalk do.

For the love of god dont let Mary O'Rourke replace him!

MidlandsM

/\ - rubbish, Ivan was a perfect fit, NT will struggle to find someone as good.

Mr E

Ivan and Chris had great chemistry on the radio. They really bounced off each other and it made what could have been a drab current affairs news show much more entertaining.

He'll be missed (misogyny and all!)

yosser hughes

Access wrote: »

I have been a listener to Newstalk breakfast ever since the hay days and i think personally that the best presenters were Claire Byrne and Ger Gilroy back then. But when Ger left and Ivan took over... it was almost like Ivan was constantly talking over Claire and dismissing her views no matter what the subject... no wonder she left after a time! - it was simply cringe radio in the mornings.

Chris Donoghue is very good and keeps the show on the straight and narrow and tries to stop Ivans daily, almost scripted rants on the topic of the day and complaints about his wife!

Ivan to me just did not work all this time on the show... he never once gave any guest who deserved it a very hard time during interviews and always dismissed other opinions and views.

Dont get me wrong... i still tuned in as i find it is the best of the news breakfast shows out there and is part of my morning... but to me when Ivan goes within the next few weeks, i for one wont be missing him in the slightest.

Claire Byrne jumped ship in the same way any of them would if they could get a foot in the door of the gravy train that is RTE. Even with the cutbacks it's the holy grail for most of them. She was and is awful and lightweight and whether you like it or not Ivan increased the ratings. Chris Donoghue is as bland and boring as they come.I find it quite simply ridiculous that he actually was given the job.
I wasn't a big fan of Yates either but I am a realist and he was head and shoulders above his co-presenters.

constitutionus

jaysus the claire byrne ger gilroy period was the worst the show ever was and i put that purely down to the woeful claire !

mcwilliams and dunphy were leagues ahead.

i didnt know ivan was going this quickly but i suppose he does have , eh, pressing matters to attend to.

personally i never had a problem with him as its clearly an act but if you think ivans bad god help you because ive got two words for you .

shane. coleman.

joe duffy save us !

seamus

I stopped listening to Newstalk a few months after Claire left. It pretty much turned into the "Ivan's ill-informed and deliberately controversial statements show".

Since I was already listening to Hook in the evening, I didn't see any need to spend my entire time listening to the clueless rants of closed-minded and arrogant old men, so I went to Today FM. Ian Dempsey is irritating but at least he doesn't pretend to know anything about current affairs and just sticks with the light entertainment.

dRNk SAnTA

Are people for real here? Claire was awful on the show. It was good that she left. I don't tune in to Newstalk anymore it's gone so downhill. The glory period certainly WASN'T Claire and Ger Gilroy, it was before the station went national when they had McWilliams and to a lesser extent Dunphy. It's tabloid radio now.

Access

constitutionus wrote: »

personally i never had a problem with him as its clearly an act but if you think ivans bad god help you because ive got two words for you .

shane. coleman.

Shane is taking over? Jaysus! - Quick someone, whats Mary O'Rourke number?

:D:D

seachto7

Dunphy for the morning show!

greendom

Ivan was a bit like having to listen to a Daily Mail editorial every morning. It seemed that his main aim was to get Middle Ireland up in arms about something

Any chance David McWilliams coming back ? Those were the days.

todolist

Ivan is terrific.His political insight on the day to day happenings are very informative.I gave up listening to Pravda out in Donnybrook.They are hopelessly compromised because they depend on the might of the state to extract the Television Tax from the great unwashed.They can't be rigorous with their paymasters.God knows Newstalk isn't great but we need an alternative voice to Donnybrook Pravda.

ThisRegard

I'll miss him, his trolling and winding up of various groups was what made the show interesting. He had a unique insight into the machinations of Irish politics that most other commentators don't have.

As for Chris, he's fine but is not what has me tuning in, but Shane will stop me doing so.

Yakuza

Mr E wrote: »

Ivan and Chris had great chemistry on the radio. They really bounced off each other and it made what could have been a drab current affairs news show much more entertaining.

He'll be missed (misogyny and all!)

+1 NT is the only radio I can stomach between 9-10am. I wish him well.

DEFTLEFTHAND

GSF wrote: »

Ivan's the one who drove the ratings up. Watch them sink with Chris & Shane. Personality radio is what gets the average listener to comment. Even Ivan's haters (especially the haters perhaps?) listen avidly - how else can they denounce him online every day?

Bland & inoffensive = low ratings; controversy = listeners. Ignore the media studies graduates Newstalk and get some more presenters who have lived a bit on air even if they are rough diamonds and fluff their lines ocassionally.

Its very true, Howard Stern is a case in point. Controversy generates interest and debate, its all about getting a reaction, whether its positive or negative really doesn't matter. Its better to make a mark and be noticed than to wallow away in obscurity where listeners or indifferent to you. Tom Dunne case in point.:pac:

OddJobz

ivan will never see a poor day..all cash..meh

JonathanAnon

Poll seems to have come back to bite the OP in the ass.. personally I thought the combination of the two guys worked.. It certainly wasnt the smoothest or professional broadcast ever, but it was always generally interesting.. The bickering/banter between them, the contrast in their personalities.. I'm not even sure what it was tbh, but it worked for me and I enjoyed listening to the repeat of the show coming back from work late at night.

Imhof Tank

I have posted in support repeatedly on the Newstalk megathread so another vote for Ivan Im afraid OP. Looking like a landslide at this stage.

telekon

I think I'll be switching back to boring old Morning Ireland now. Can't stand Shane Coleman's blatant bias towards FF. Chris is alright but is a million times more interesting with Ivan at his side.

I'll miss Ivan's rants first thing in the morning, even though half the time they seemed to be an obvious wind up, purely for his own amusement...

Dirigent

Access wrote: »

For the love of god dont let Mary O'Rourke replace him!

Jaysus, I just finished my breakfast!

"Hello, Mammy here. Broadcasting from the bath, and talking through my ar$e at the same time"

mattser

I wont miss that condescending laugh/chuckle that Yates had.

telekon

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Poll seems to have come back to bite the OP in the ass..

I haven't seen a poll backfire this bad since Joe Duffy's attempts to show up Martin McGuinness' presidential bid on Liveline...

Oafley Jones

greendom wrote: »

Ivan was a bit like having to listen to a Daily Mail editorial every morning. It seemed that his main aim was to get Middle Ireland up in arms about something

Any chance David McWilliams coming back ? Those were the days.

Totally Agree. He's also a gamekeeper turned poacher. I remember a few weeks back if he asked Tom Dunne if he was still in receipt of grants/funding/tax breaks from being a artist, Tom replied that he was but "nothing compared to what you receive for your State's service". Surprised the story about his tax residence status didn't get more traction.

Bullseye1

Not a fan of the Chris guy. Too much of a mammy's boy IMO. But he does work with Ivan as they are both so different. I'd have no interest in listening to this show without Ivan even though alot of his views are out there.

Access

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Poll seems to have come back to bite the OP in the ass.. personally I thought the combination of the two guys worked.

In all fairness, that is not the case at all and why you would say something like that? Dont attack an opinion, but uphold/put forward your own if you so wish.

Everyone here has an opinion on the issue, mine was that i found yates annoying and would not be missing him when he goes, but to be neutral and see if he would be missed i added the poll.

Lapin

Access wrote: »

In all fairness, that is not the case at all and why you would say something like that? Dont attack an opinion, but uphold/put forward your own if you so wish.

Everyone here has an opinion on the issue, mine was that i found yates annoying and would not be missing him when he goes, but to be neutral and see if he would be missed i added the poll.

In all fairness, when you prefix a question with the word "but", it takes the element of neutrality out of the question.

As for Yates.

Yes. I'll miss him and his contrived rants designed to stir the pot.
I reckon he disagreed with himself much of the time, but the lure of devil's advocate was more appealing.

The banter or slagging between himself and O'Donaghue became too childish for me some time ago and forced me back to Morning Ireland.

But Newstalk Breakfast was inescapable and Yates made it his own.
It will be difficult to replace him with someone of similar gravitas.
Coleman and O'Donaghue don't have it.

JonathanAnon

Access wrote: »

In all fairness, that is not the case at all and why you would say something like that? Dont attack an opinion, but uphold/put forward your own if you so wish.

You are certainly entitled to your viewpoint. But I'm sure you predicted that the poll would substantiate your opinion, whereas it has substantiated the contrary viewpoint to a certain extent.. I was merely pointing out this fact, not attacking you personally.

I didnt particularly like your phrasing of the poll responses, which does nothing to serve the objectivity of the poll..

"No... Bye bye now Ivan... close the studio door behind you" .. Whatever you say about him, he's a decent guy who's under a LOT of stress both financially and personally.. He could probably do without your schadenfreude..

Diabhal Beag

I liked Ivan. He was entertaining at times but had some good opinions and even if he was on the opposite side of the spectrum to my opinion he made his point well.

The best part was the awful interactions he would have with Chris. It was so fake and cringey that I couldn't help enjoy it.

If Ger Gilroy comes back I'd rather shoot myself in the gut than hear his boring bland perspective on politics. I'm not lying when I say I'd rather hear Hector than Ger Gilroy.

Access

JonathanAnon wrote: »

I didnt particularly like your phrasing of the poll responses, which does nothing to serve the objectivity of the poll..

Fair point.

ANXIOUS

What day does he finish up? I must say that I like listening to him, he is very insightful with regards to politics.

fred funk }{

He'll be missed. The others are too light weight for me. Ivan has great knowledge of the ins and outs of the politics world that was very refreshing sometimes. The others are too "safe pair of hands" for me.

I also can't believe people rated Clair Byrne. I thought she was terrible. Bring back McWilliams anyone?

For Forks Sake

fred funk }{ wrote: »

Bring back McWilliams anyone?

Too many people looking back at McWilliams time in that slot with rose tinted glasses, he was bloody awful as a presenter. Fine on economics, but for the rest of the show on any other topic he was atrocious.

greendom

For Forks Sake wrote: »

Too many people looking back at McWilliams time in that slot with rose tinted glasses, he was bloody awful as a presenter. Fine on economics, but for the rest of the show on any other topic he was atrocious.

It was a while ago so maybe my memory is playing tricks with me but at least he didn't allow the show to be over-run by his own opinions.

I know Yates always let you know it was his own opinion he was providing but I prefer my presenters to show a little less bias.

Rebelheart

GSF wrote: »

Personality radio is what gets the average listener to comment.

The "average listener" is an idiot, then, if this is the sort of contrived, staged, vacuous tripe which stimulates him/her.

Genghis

Wil miss Yates. He definitely made Newstalk Breakfast for me, better than McWilliams, Gilroy and especially Byrne. Dunphy was good (while he lasted), but Yates for me grew to be better than Dunphy too.

I do remember distinctly not liking Ivan when he started filling in for certain shows - he really was a poor stand-in, but I guess 3 years in the role has helped him hone the art.

I had hoped when he moved to the UK he would audaciously host the show from a remote studio (as I think I heard Marion Finucane can do, albeit from lush Wicklow). Would like to hope he can come back, but no doubt someone else will be established in the slot when the time comes.

One week to go, wonder when we hear who will replace him?

mattser

What's wrong with hiring a younger man or woman with personality and a sharp brain. Oodles of them are taking the boat and plane.

That's what's wrong with this kip.

Ex politicians on fat pensions are sympathised with because they went over their head in business. Other presenters go into politics and jump out again and straight back to mammy when their ego is deflated.

The country needs a fresh start in broadcasting. Young bright people who will do it for a fraction of the cost of the present dinosaurs.

GSF

mattser wrote: »

The country needs a fresh start in broadcasting. Young bright people who will do it for a fraction of the cost of the present dinosaurs.

Well they have Chris Donoghue at 28 years old who fits your description to a tee and he isnt settling the world on fire.


PS With 100 votes in its 71% vs 29% saying they will miss Ivan!

moe_sizlak

i used to like yates but ive found him to be a sarcastic and snide a-hole of late , insufferabley smug and with a jaded repetoire of george hook jokes - jibes

that said , hes preferable to the personality free zone which is establishment boy shane coleman

Declan A Walsh

I think Ivan fitted in very well into the station. He brought a lot more to the table than he took off. I for one will miss him. He has the political knowledge and interest and was able to cover a broad range of topics besides. I also think there was great chemistry between Ivan and Chris Donoghue. Yes, he is opiniated, but it is definitely too simplistic to label him as a "blueshirt". Ivan is not averse towards criticising Fine Gael or the current Government.

On the subject of the other breakfast presenters on Newstalk, it seems that I am the only one who enjoyed the company of all of them to some extent (when I wasn't listening to Nova or Phantom!): David McWilliams, Eamon Dunphy, Ger Gilroy and Claire Byrne. I thought Claire was very good, by the way. I think there was better chemistry between her and Ger than there was between her and Ivan - perhaps he is a bit chauvinistic. I don't think Ger on his own worked quite as well and that he is probably better presenting sports if on his own.

I like Chris Donoghue - he has a good mix of interest, knowledge, enthusiasm and knows when to be serious and when to be lighthearted (in my opinion).

As regards Shane Coleman, again I seem to be in a minority. I think he is good, particularly on politics and current affairs. I have heard him plenty of times on Newstalk, since the demise of the Sunday Tribune. If he is not wearing his political editor's hat, he is standing in for one of the breakfast presenters or standing in for George Hook. He is also one of George's regular panelists on his Friday show. Over tbe last year, Shane has been getting plenty of broadcasting experience. Shane does have other interests besides politics, such as music. His personality is coming through increasingly as time goes on. Give him a chance. He could surprise everyone yet and be the permanent replacement for Ivan. Admittedly, Ivan will be a hard act to follow with his strong personality.

pc7

I'm really going to miss him on the show, I don't know where else to tune into I can't see Shane cutting it. I enjoyed the banter with Chris and I loved his insight on politics. Have to say I wish him well and listening to Chris saying goodbye to him there, he might be back yet.
Over the last 2 years I find myself turning newstalk off more and more.

mike65

Fair play, he didn't make anything of his exit just thanks and goodbye. With some it would have been a cheesy weepy speech and the whole production crew giving him a rouind of applause. You can tell a good Prod, we've no time for standing on emotional parade.

mrkr

Yates is a good broadcaster, I was very impressed by him filling in Vincent Browne a few weeks back, though I disagree with his tone and views generally, so generally avoid Newstalk breakfast. I think he's a significant loss for NT.

Mycroft H

Who on earth do I listen to in the morning now? I'll have to see if I can get BBC4 on the car radio now.

jimmyw

So is he finished now? I heard the goodbye this morning but I assumed he would be on tomorrow but maybe not.Wont be the same without him and especially with Coleman:rolleyes:.

L1011

Newstalk's website has already been changed to state that only Chris presents the show. That was quick!

mattser

Bye Bye Ivan. Wont miss your " heh heh heh heh heh " annoying chuckle.

Rebelheart

Won't miss your plebeian obsession with British soccer which destroyed your many positive and enlightening points.

A charmer, a plámáser, but a turn-off with that shíte about soccer as if we're all idiots.