Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes at 2FM

flazio

While we're still waiting for official confirmation that Eoghan McDermott is out the gap, I can confirm that the head of music Alan Swann is moving to a new role to do with branding across RTÉ.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8MqTGynxyz/?igshid=49cg3d0za6lz

howareyakid

Jennifer Zamparelli was chatting about shaving “tennis balls” at half 11 this morning. That’s the state of 2fm at the moment!

cena

Eoghan still on the breakfast show?

flazio

cena wrote: »

Eoghan still on the breakfast show?

As of yesterday, yes. He was also on the Late Late show last night and didn’t mention going anywhere anytime soon. I think the poster who announced he's leaving just picked up old news about his Love Island Australia involvement. That's done now and he's back from it.
I would say take lessons from the Caroline Flack trolling and stop attacking people you don't know personally but I know it's in vain on this thread. It's not like 2FM MUST have personalities that suit just your social circle or anything.
Been listening to Ian Dempsey these past 30 odd years. Won't stop now.

Elmo

flazio wrote: »

I would say take lessons from the Caroline Flack trolling and stop attacking people you don't know personally but I know it's in vain on this thread.

The tabloid media drove the Caroline Flack stories, then picked up on social media and driven further by tabloid media.

The thread here can become quite personal but largely I’d say most posters are talking about the position or opinions that a presenter has taken.

The cost of the changes made at 2fm and their audience levels.

Loughc

flazio wrote: »

As of yesterday, yes. He was also on the Late Late show last night and didn’t mention going anywhere anytime soon. I think the poster who announced he's leaving just picked up old news about his Love Island Australia involvement. That's done now and he's back from it.
I would say take lessons from the Caroline Flack trolling and stop attacking people you don't know personally but I know it's in vain on this thread. It's not like 2FM MUST have personalities that suit just your social circle or anything.
Been listening to Ian Dempsey these past 30 odd years. Won't stop now.

It wasn’t an old article at all.

https://extra.ie/2020/01/29/entertainment/celebrity/eoghan-mcdermott-leaving-2fm

Only 3 weeks ago. Any radio personality usually has to give 3 months notice so we won’t be hearing anything about him leaving for another couple of months at least.

Elmo

Also said DJ isn’t a stranger to unwarranted caustic tweets of his own.

Moon_shoes

The whole idea of RTE hiring Dan Healy in 2013 was to move 2fm away from the Gerry Ryan era (Remember GRyan was too old for 2fm for at least 10 years before he died) and appeal to people who were too young to even know who he was, but it wasn't long until everything was back to going on and on about Gerry Ryan, they even recently "brought back" the Gerry Ryan show for a day using clever editing technology. They now have the likes of Jenny Greene as one of their main *stars* but todays youth think Jenny Greene and the dance music she plays is ancient

flazio

The days of working up from pirate to Dublin regional to national are long gone. It's all about the social media presence now.

Declan A Walsh

flazio wrote: »

The days of working up from pirate to Dublin regional to national are long gone. It's all about the social media presence now.

The current number of presenters on 2FM that came from pirate backgrounds is fairly small. All I can thing of are Dave Fanning, Keith Walsh, Jenny Green, Cormac Battle, Dan Hegarty and Mr. Spring. Did I miss anyone?

Loughc

flazio wrote: »

The days of working up from pirate to Dublin regional to national are long gone. It's all about the social media presence now.

I read something that by 2030 the old fashioned DJ will be gone that all on-air personalities will either be celebs or bloggers as that's who the young wans want to listen too.

Elmo

Moon_shoes wrote: »

RTE should do either one of these two things, Reboot 2fm completely as a youth station staffed almost entirely with kids just out of college, (like how I 102-104 was when it launched) or else reboot 2fm as a broadchurch music station. Evening music shows like the mystery train with John Kelly and the creedon show could both be moved to this rebooted version of 2fm while Radio 1 would do a sports show in the evening.

After 10 years how many of those fresh faced BEAT, I, RED, SPIN DJ are still at the station.

The problem really lies with how to move people on

Start - Youth Radio (2 to 5 years)
Middle - National Radio (2fm 2 to 5 years)
Inbetween - National Radio (TodayFM 2 to 5 years)
Then - Back to local late nights
Until - 4FM
and Then - Mornings on Radio 1
followed by - Ronan Collins' slot

Declan A Walsh

Elmo wrote: »

After 10 years how many of those fresh faced BEAT, I, RED, SPIN DJ are still at the station.

The problem really lies with how to move people on

Start - Youth Radio (2 to 5 years)
Middle - National Radio (2fm 2 to 5 years)
Inbetween - National Radio (TodayFM 2 to 5 years)
Then - Back to local late nights
Until - 4FM
and Then - Mornings on Radio 1
followed by - Ronan Collins' slot

The following are still there: Eoghan McDermott, Keith Walsh, Louise McSharry, Tracy Clifford and Chris (Greene) and Ciara (King).

zoobizoo

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Chris (Greene) and Ciara (King).

"It's Chris and Ciara here with Chris and Ciara on the Chris and Ciara show.

How are you Ciara? Well Chris I'm good.

What are we going to talk about today Ciara? Today we're talking about DJs Chris. DJs Chris who keep saying each others names.

Wow Ciara - that's such a Ciara topic to talk about.

Isn't it Chris. I'm such a Ciara.

You are Ciara - you are such a Ciara"

Breaston Plants

zoobizoo wrote: »

"It's Chris and Ciara here with Chris and Ciara on the Chris and Ciara show.

How are you Ciara? Well Chris I'm good.

What are we going to talk about today Ciara? Today we're talking about DJs Chris. DJs Chris who keep saying each others names.

Wow Ciara - that's such a Ciara topic to talk about.

Isn't it Chris. I'm such a Ciara.

You are Ciara - you are such a Ciara"

Chris: " Hi, I'm Chris, and this wonderful woman beside me is Ciara.
Ciara: " Haaaaaalllllooooo"

sligono1

How do them two steal a living at the expense of our tax money

Moon_shoes

C&C are both sound nice people, I just think that they were unlucky in that they came to national radio about 10 years too late. Back in the late 00s I think they could have gained a very large youth audience on 2fm but by the time they got to 2fm, the age group who'd like their sthick are all following YouTube channels not FM radio.

flazio

sligono1 wrote: »

How do them two steal a living at the expense of our tax money

You probably paid more in VAT today then the entire 2FM operation gets from your license fee in a year.
What's their JNLR numbers like compared to other shows on at that time?

ButtersSuki

sligono1 wrote: »

How do them two steal a living at the expense of our tax money

I’d rather the two of them over Lottie Ryan any day. Knowing RTE Ryan prob makes more than the two of them combined for less work.

flazio

flazio wrote: »

You probably paid more in VAT today then the entire 2FM operation gets from your license fee in a year.
What's their JNLR numbers like compared to other shows on at that time?

I see your point, but it's not about the individual cost, it's the cost to the community of taxpayers as a whole.

RTE 2FM received approx. 4,6 million euro from the licence fee in 2018, which I think is the last year for which figures are available.

You might say that's only a euro for every man, woman and child in Ireland. But does that mean the Government, RTE, or any public body gets to be wasteful of 5 million quid? Why not dump it from a front-loader into the Shannon because, individually, it's just a euro? Spend it all on chips? Only a euro.

That 4.6 million euro could have been far more productively spent on something like investigative journalism, or a documentary series – do you know, things that are within the public interest.

I'm not sure that any changes at 2fm are likely to cut it, I cant see it becoming financially viable again. Unless it is capable of generating a surplus for RTE, I say get rid of it.

PieOhMy

Ciara and Chris and Jennifer McGuire arent to my tastes but they made their own way and that's fair enough.

D'arcy is a strange one as he was actually good at one point years ago so there is some pedigree at least and his deterioration to the current shambles is astonishing, they were sold a pup there which is different from others who have family in rte as their main selling point

Elmo

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I see your point, but it's not about the individual cost, it's the cost to the community of taxpayers as a whole.

RTE 2FM received approx. 4,6 million euro from the licence fee in 2018, which I think is the last year for which figures are available.

You might say that's only a euro for every man, woman and child in Ireland. But does that mean the Government, RTE, or any public body gets to be wasteful of 5 million quid? Why not dump it from a front-loader into the Shannon because, individually, it's just a euro? Spend it all on chips? Only a euro.

That 4.6 million euro could have been far more productively spent on something like investigative journalism, or a documentary series – do you know, things that are within the public interest.

I'm not sure that any changes at 2fm are likely to cut it, I cant see it becoming financially viable again. Unless it is capable of generating a surplus for RTE, I say get rid of it.

I dislike this idea of saying 2fm only gets 1 euro from every man woman and child. 2FM is owned by every man woman and child, it get €12m in funding including advertising revenue, before 2011 it received nothing from the Lience fee. And RTÉ were only to proud to say look at 2fm, less ad mins than its rivals and not a penny from the licence fee, you'd not hear that from RTÉ now. Instead they suggest its a yuff station and yuff have to be catered for and that might be true, I think yuff should have a PSB radio station.... however then you just have to look at were RTÉ priorities are.... just go back to 2016 and the yuff question.

In 2016 RTÉ categorically said that it was not cutting funding to young people's programming (you know RTÉjr, TRTÉ and ID2), they were just moving production away from RTÉ and over to the independents. They promised. Only when they announced their annual report for 2016 it showed that they cut funding by 25%, and then their annual report for 2017 a further 50% cut to children's programming.

Children's programming covers radio, TV and online and yet it only managed around €5m in 2018, just a bit above the amount from the licence fee given to .... 2fm.

And then RTÉ go after Lyric and the Digital Radio Stations. But lets ring fence that funding to 2fm when its seen revenues fall by 50%!

Elmo

Elmo wrote: »

I dislike this idea of saying 2fm only gets 1 euro from every man woman and child. 2FM is owned by every man woman and child, it get €12m in funding including advertising revenue,

Well that's true, but that commercial revenue is intended only for 2FM, and advertisers are never going to spend it on children's programming.

I wonder how much RTE would even raise from selling 2FM. The sale would have to reflect the station's liabilities, including pensions and, likely, redundancies. Would they even get 20 million for it, I wonder.

It's a bit like Northern Ireland. RTE management probably don't want it, it's not clear that anybody else does, and getting rid of it would cause an unholy commotion.

Elmo

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Well that's true, but that commercial revenue is intended only for 2FM, and advertisers are never going to spend it on children's programming.

I wonder how much RTE would even raise from selling 2FM. The sale would have to reflect the station's liabilities, including pensions and, likely, redundancies. Would they even get 20 million for it, I wonder.

It's a bit like Northern Ireland. RTE management probably don't want it, it's not clear that anybody else does, and getting rid of it would cause an unholy commotion.

I am not suggesting that they sell 2FM, I am suggesting that it takes a cut. Largely speaking RTÉ Radio has been saved from most cuts, TV has been cut by 30m even though it brings in the most revenue and that is clearly shown with RTÉ2's audience.

Anyway look at the JNLR figures 2FM audience wise isn't doing to badly, I think we are stuck with their schedule as its stands. (Feb 2020 release)

Jan - Dec 2019 https://info.ipsosmrbi.com/assets/files/jnlr/user_information/18-096611-JNLR-Feb'20-Press%20Release-Final.pdf

All Adults Aged 15+
Table 1: Average Weekday Yesterday Listenership
10%
Adults Aged 15-24
Table 2: Average Weekday Yesterday Listenership
10%
Adults Aged 15-34
Table 3: Average Weekday Yesterday Listenership
13%
Adults Aged 35+
Table 4: Average Weekday Yesterday Listenership
8%
All Adults Aged 15+
Table 5: Share of Listening (7am – 7pm)
6.4%
Adults Aged 15-24
Table 6: Share of Listening (7am – 7pm)
12.2%
Adults Aged 15-34
Table 7: Share of Listening (7am – 7pm)
13.8%
Adults Aged 35+
Table 8: Share of Listening (7am – 7pm)
4.5%

Whereisgalway

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

It. RTE management probably don't want it

Have you a link to this wild statement?

ButtersSuki

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Well that's true, but that commercial revenue is intended only for 2FM, and advertisers are never going to spend it on children's programming.

I wonder how much RTE would even raise from selling 2FM. The sale would have to reflect the station's liabilities, including pensions and, likely, redundancies. Would they even get 20 million for it, I wonder.

It's a bit like Northern Ireland. RTE management probably don't want it, it's not clear that anybody else does, and getting rid of it would cause an unholy commotion.

My own opinion on this is that RTE absolutely do want it. They don't want to shed anymore core services/offerings and want to keep plodding along for as long as they can in a snouts in the trough type scenario. To allow a flagship service like that to be cut would set a dangerous precedent for them. No accessions should be made to the collective/we're in this together/we're too big to fail appears to be the thinking from conversations I've had with staff here.

ButtersSuki

ButtersSuki wrote: »

My own opinion on this is that RTE absolutely do want it. They don't want to shed anymore core services/offerings and want to keep plodding along for as long as they can in a snouts in the trough type scenario. To allow a flagship service like that to be cut would set a dangerous precedent for them. No accessions should be made to the collective/we're in this together/we're too big to fail appears to be the thinking from conversations I've had with staff here.

I dislike the term dangerous precedent because it usually exaggerates the seriousness of a topic, which in this case is neither dangerous, nor in any way a precedent: RTE has shed many valuable assets (part of its campus, and Atlantic 252 was sold when its relaunch failed). 2FM is not valuable either in terms of prestige or financial income.

The Executive Board has only one member with a background in Radio — Radio 1, of course, and everyone else has a strong private sector background. They seem unlikely to have any deep personal attachment to 2FM. The problem may simply be that there is no buyer willing or capable of taking it on.

ButtersSuki

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I dislike the term dangerous precedent because it usually exaggerates the seriousness of a topic, which in this case is neither dangerous, nor in any way a precedent: RTE has shed many valuable assets (part of its campus, and Atlantic 252 was sold when its relaunch failed). 2FM is not valuable either in terms of prestige or financial income.

The Executive Board has only one member with a background in Radio — Radio 1, of course, and everyone else has a strong private sector background. They seem unlikely to have any deep personal attachment to 2FM. The problem may simply be that there is no buyer willing or capable of taking it on.

I actually deliberately used that phrasing as that was how it was put to me by a senior person in the commercial dept. in RTE.

What you're forgetting or ignoring is 2FM is what RTE see as the gateway to Radio as a medium for the "youth", who will eventualy transition into the listeners of the more high-brow cash cow Radio 1. For that reason alone it is of vital strategic imporatance to them. That they've managed to continuously get it wrong, and so badly wrong, for so many years is a different issue. For the (perceived) recruitment value alone, I can't see them shedding it.

Elmo

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

RTE has shed many valuable assets (part of its campus, and Atlantic 252 was sold when its relaunch failed). 2FM is not valuable either in terms of prestige or financial income.

The only valuable asset RTÉ had to get rid of was CableLink which is now Virgin Media. I think 252 had had its day.

@ButtersSuki are you saying that RTÉ are insuring no cuts to 2FM what-so-ever?

The Executive Board has only one member with a background in Radio — Radio 1, of course, and everyone else has a strong private sector background. They seem unlikely to have any deep personal attachment to 2FM. The problem may simply be that there is no buyer willing or capable of taking it on.

I would have agreed with you a few years ago, the Executive board is only made up of 3 long term RTÉ (Their CTO might be considered RTÉ at this stage but he's been in that position from when he joined from outside the company). However none of the other 6 executives have shown any real ablity to do anything outside the normal RTÉ way of doing things in the last 4 to 5 years, and its a completely different Executive board since 2015/2016.

Moon_shoes

I wonder how much (that was considered for too low a price) were they offered for the RTE guide magazine ? They had announced it for sale in November but it was taken of the market by Christmas.