'Off the Ball' quit Newstalk

.ak

In a week of 'drops', it appears the OTB team have been dropped from Newstalk as well, apparently over a disagreement? More here.

Pudsy33

Terrible news, it was a great show. Hopefully the lads stay together and move on to another station.

P_1

Saddened to see this happen, really enjoyed listening to them, suppose Talking Rugby needs to go daily now to bridge this new gap in the market :pac:

irishbucsfan

Newstalk have made a big mistake not moving them up in my opinion.

But sure good luck to them. Hopefully one of the other broadcasters will give them the opportunity to work in an earlier slot.

Howjoe1

there's one left?

peterako

Oh no

Certainly one of the best shows on any station inside and outside sports.

Will miss the guys.

But Ger and the crew will continue something similar.....

Time will tell.

opinionatedfan

gutted about the news..

jamiedav2011

Very disappointed with this, one of the shining lights of rugby coverage in an otherwise bleak landscape in Irish rugby media.

thomond2006

P_1 wrote: »

Saddened to see this happen, really enjoyed listening to them, suppose Talking Rugby needs to go daily now to bridge this new gap in the market :pac:

oh god no

Swiwi

P_1 wrote: »

Saddened to see this happen, really enjoyed listening to them, suppose Talking Rugby needs to go daily now to bridge this new gap in the market :pac:

In intense negotiations with Thomond to increase the (already lucrative) salary, and allow me to quit my day job...

duckysauce

Brilliant show shiite news

mfceiling

A small piece of me has died tonight.

My favourite radio show.......bar none.

Murph cracks me up and his banter with Eoin is class.....they bounce off each other so well.

Gilroy in fairness isn't bad on it but it'll never be the same now.

Sinbad_NI

Passed a couple of hours every morning listening to the recording.. . really hope they can stay as a team and go somewhere else.

spank_inferno

Shocked!

It was a fantastic show.

lologram

Just a horrendous move by Newstalk to let them go. Not just the best show on that station but the best on any station.

P_1

Sadly it seems that Newstalk is all about making money rather than making quality programs these days.

OTB is a great show by all accounts but it doesn't bring in as much ad money as other shows I believe.

danthefan

P_1 wrote: »

Sadly it seems that Newstalk is all about making money rather than making quality programs these days.

OTB is a great show by all accounts but it doesn't bring in as much ad money as other shows I believe.

They're a business, of course they're about making money. If they didn't make money they'd shut down.

P_1

danthefan wrote: »

They're a business, of course they're about making money. If they didn't make money they'd shut down.

Yeah but where do you draw the line? If you make rubbish programs by extension you won't make much ad money

durkadurka

I'm going to posit a theory. Audience drops off after drive time period ends at 7.

The lads are doing great but want more dosh to match an offer from RTE. Only way they can earn more money in Newstalk is by bringing in the ad revenue.
So they pitch for the lucrative 6-7 slot.

Newstalk rightly say that slot not right for laddish sports show.

So they say sod that we're off to RTE to do watered down version of the show.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Can't imagine the lads not been snapped up by amotgher broadcaster.

Worst part is Gilroy and Murtagh on 5 nights a week. Both horrible. I'm one listener who will be tuning away.

It kinda sums up Newstalk for a while now.
They keep losing some of their best presenters and replacing them badly. Dunne, Hook, Yates, now Gilroy.........

micar

Newstalk have made some very bad decisions in recent years.

I enjoyed Ger Gilroy and Claire Byrne in the mornings. He was treated very badly and was replaced and Claire decided to walk away. They got in Ivan Yeats who was just dreadful. Only spoke about business matters, farming and politics. Turned me immediately off. Just no craic with him and horrifically sexest.

Always enjoyed the lads on OFT. Will miss them!!!!!!

Don't mind Ger but I don't think he'll be presenting for too long. They'll slowly bring in some new guys.

Podge_irl

Newstalk have been going downhill ever since they went national.

danthefan

micar wrote: »

Newstalk have made some very bad decisions in recent years.

I enjoyed Ger Gilroy and Claire Byrne in the mornings. He was treated very badly and was replaced and Claire decided to walk away. They got in Ivan Yeats who was just dreadful. Only spoke about business matters, farming and politics. Turned me immediately off. Just no craic with him and horrifically sexest.

Always enjoyed the lads on OFT. Will miss them!!!!!!

Don't mind Ger but I don't think he'll be presenting for too long. They'll slowly bring in some new guys.

I much preferred the breakfast show with Yeates on tbh.

jamiedav2011

Kamryn Sparse Sty wrote: »

Can't imagine the lads not been snapped up by amotgher broadcaster.

Worst part is Gilroy and Murtagh on 5 nights a week. Both horrible. I'm one listener who will be tuning away.

It kinda sums up Newstalk for a while now.
They keep losing some of their best presenters and replacing them badly. Dunne, Hook, Yates, now Gilroy.........

Gilroy is an excellent presenter (who came up with the OTB concept btw). Superior knowledge and his weekend show is one of the best out there.

j8wk2feszrnpao

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

Gilroy is an excellent presenter (who came up with the OTB concept btw). Superior knowledge and his weekend show is one of the best out there.

He came up with the concept, and they stayed away from it.
Should keep taking his own advice.

jamiedav2011

Kamryn Sparse Sty wrote: »

He came up with the concept, and they stayed away from it.
Should keep taking his own advice.

'Stayed away' by presenting it and becoming Newstalk Sports editor you mean?
Come off it.

j8wk2feszrnpao

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

'Stayed away' by presenting it and becoming Newstalk Sports editor you mean?
Come off it.

No. "Stayed away" as in got a bunch of lads who knew what they were talking about and have the personality and knowledge to make the show a success.
Just because he's got the cash to produce and put himself in the seat doesn't mean much. But there's always some ......

opinionatedfan

Ger is fine but not as good as Eoin.

jamiedav2011

munstermagic11 wrote: »

No. "Stayed away" as in got a bunch of lads who knew what they were talking about and have the personality and knowledge to make the show a success.
Just because he's got the cash to produce and put himself in the seat doesn't mean much. But there's always some ......

Cash!
You should really listen to the weekend show.

Macy0161

Gilroy was presenting it for years, as well as coming up with the format, before he was moved to breakfast. Personally I thought all the banter had got too much in recent years, and took time away from the sport coverage. To keep in context of this forum, nothing lost on the rugby coverage tonight.

joebloggs32

Hope the lads are picked up soon. A great show that can be both fun and serious at other same time.

irishbucsfan

Rumour has it they're off to the state broadcaster

dekeed

Devastating news! Eoin, Ken and crew have been great company over the last ten years or so. Let's hope they bring back the OTB show on another national station.

Is there any further news as to why they walked?

mosstin

Macy0161 wrote: »

Gilroy was presenting it for years, as well as coming up with the format, before he was moved to breakfast. Personally I thought all the banter had got too much in recent years, and took time away from the sport coverage. To keep in context of this forum, nothing lost on the rugby coverage tonight.

100% agree with this. OTB whilst still featuring some great interviews had become the equivalent of listening into a conversation in a bedsit with a bunch of lads making fart jokes. They'd needed to change the formula for some time now. And I cannot figure out what the point of Ciaran Murphy is/was.

yosser hughes

P_1 wrote: »

Yeah but where do you draw the line? If you make rubbish programs by extension you won't make much ad money

They don't make money.newstalk operates at a loss. Never made a profit.
The programme will be fine with Ger Gilroy. The laddishness needs toning down anyway. I would though drop that guy McIntyre. He could really drive people away.

bamboozle

they'd be rubbish on RTE, they'd have marty morrissey and Des CAhill parachuted in to drone on about GAA non-stop.

sad news one of my favourite shows, they must have offers on the table if they walked en mass from Newstalk, between themselves, Keane, Yates, McWilliams, Dunphy all leaving...last one to leave newstalk turn off the lights.

Suasdaguna1

Tbh I'd get rid of des Cahill in a heart beat. Heard him talking to Wooden pat Kenny y'day and his dialogue, slurring, non interested in engaging in conversation re the Rog affair was embarrassing across the national airways.

irishbucsfan

If Off The Ball goes to RTE is there any chance they'd get involved with the TV coverage? Would Ryle allow it?

Edit: Well I suppose Off The Ball will stay where it is, I mean whatever they do next.

phog

Not sure what a radio programme has to with a rugby forum but there you go. I liked OTB but it had gone stale and at times the banter between presenters was cutting across their raison d'être - present sports news.

I didn't get to listen to it much recently but I suppose overall I'll miss it.

totallegend

Probably no-one here noticed but 2FM recently launched a new sports show from 7-8 pm, I would not be at all surprised to see the OTB lads moving over there and to see it expanded into a 6-8 pm slot.

thomond2006

phog wrote: »

Not sure what a radio programme has to with a rugby forum but there you go. I liked OTB but it had gone stale and at times the banter between presenters was cutting across their raison d'être - present sports news.

I didn't get to listen to it much recently but I suppose overall I'll miss it.

Their raison d'etre wasn't to present sports news. For me it was to provide three hours of comment and opinion with lots of light-hearted moments thrown in. Most people listening would know the sports news these days anyway from the internet.

RTE's sports slots don't come close, they're so bland. Don't agree that OTB had gone stale either.

lologram

phog wrote: »

Not sure what a radio programme has to with a rugby forum but there you go. I liked OTB but it had gone stale and at times the banter between presenters was cutting across their raison d'être - present sports news.

I didn't get to listen to it much recently but I suppose overall I'll miss it.

To each his own. I wholeheartedly disagree though. I have listened to it since before Newstalk went national and before Gilroy became sports editor and was replaced by McDevitt. Overall it has been consistently top notch and I will very much miss it. I hope the lads find a new location soon.

I will say though that I thought their rugby coverage could have been more incisive at times. Eoin would let Gerry Thornley and, to a lesser extent, Keith Wood ramble on with tired soundbites too frequently. That's a symptom of the somewhat toothless rugby journalism in this country as a whole though.

Macy0161

There's no indication that it's the end of Off The Ball on Newstalk anyway - whether it's Gilroy or someone else, I'm sure they'll put a team together, hopefully with a bit less "isn't it hilarious that murphs a bogger" business. Personally, I thought the Rugby section was a lot more insightful last night than it has been for a while. And maybe they'll get a football correspondent that can talk about all football, including our own bloody league.

tazman77

totallegend wrote: »

Probably no-one here noticed but 2FM recently launched a new sports show from 7-8 pm, I would not be at all surprised to see the OTB lads moving over there and to see it expanded into a 6-8 pm slot.

I can't see 2FM cutting an hour off their drivetime show. It would be a good advertising slot.

totallegend

thomond2006 wrote: »

Their raison d'etre wasn't to present sports news. For me it was to provide two hours of comment and opinion with lots of light-hearted moments thrown in. Most people listening would know the sports news these days anyway from the internet.

Yeah, it's like that joke from Family Guy, the TV newsreader goes "Coming up at 11, the news you read on the internet four hours ago".

What OTB provides is the sort of in-depth discussion of sports that you can't get in a half-hour daily bulletin or two minutes tacked onto the end of the regular news.

What I really like is that with three hours to fill every night, they have to make the effort to identify interesting stories outside of soccer, GAA and rugby and often they're the most interesting pieces.

Their random interviews with long-forgotten sports people have turned out to be radio gold; they did one a few weeks back with the first woman ever to run a competitive marathon, fascinating stuff.

I can't believe that all five guys resigned en masse without having a back-up plan. They are definitely going somewhere; RTE is the only logical fit because no UK broadcaster would take a punt on it. I don't think 'Country Pages' would have the same appeal over there.

peterako

This seems to be the most likely reason.

Also stated on the Breakfast show on Newstalk this morning.

durkadurka wrote: »

I'm going to posit a theory. Audience drops off after drive time period ends at 7.

.........they pitch for the lucrative 6-7 slot.

......

but Newstalk were not for moving the slot earlier....

phog

thomond2006 wrote: »

Their raison d'etre wasn't to present sports news. For me it was to provide three hours of comment and opinion with lots of light-hearted moments thrown in. Most people listening would know the sports news these days anyway from the internet.

RTE's sports slots don't come close, they're so bland. Don't agree that OTB had gone stale either.

The banter is alright during the show but when the sports news is been presented they go off topic at times and it can be difficult to know exactly who/what they're on about, especially, if they talk about stuff that was topical earlier but you're only catching up on the news. Sports news to me should be just that, opinions/analysis can be added later.

What I mean by stale is that they generally use the same pundits week in week out.

.ak

The reason OTB is so popular is because of the light-hearted/banter aspect. If it doesn't have that in it's reincarnation it'll sink.

thomond2006

phog wrote: »

The banter is alright during the show but when the sports news is been presented they go off topic at times and it can be difficult to know exactly who/what they're on about, especially, if they talk about stuff that was topical earlier but you're only catching up on the news. Sports news to me should be just that, opinions/analysis can be added later.

What I mean by stale is that they generally use the same pundits week in week out.

Going off topic into any kind of subject is part of the appeal.

danthefan

thomond2006 wrote: »

Going off topic into any kind of subject is part of the appeal.

Absolutely. It was never just a sports news show.

jones

I've listened to OTB since the early days, in truth it was the reason i ever listened to newstalk so they'll be losing one listener anyway. Will miss it big time. hopefully the lads get another gig soon