Newsreader Danny Keown RTE

bobbyss

I think that's his name. Reads the news in the middle of the night and very early in the morning.( When few are listening) Anyone know how old he is? How can you pass the newsreaders' exam if you struggle with basic reading and projecting your voice? It's like listening to a 10 year old struggling with a basic text. Just sounds so off. How did he become a newsreader? He's incredibly bad.

Wiggywiggle

bobbyss wrote: »

I think that's his name. Reads the news in the middle of the night and very early in the morning.( When few are listening) Anyone know how old he is? How can you pass the newsreaders' exam if you struggle with basic reading and projecting your voice? It's like listening to a 10 year old struggling with a basic text. Just sounds so off. How did he become a newsreader? He's incredibly bad.

How did Lottie ryan get where she is? Nepotism

bobbyss

Wiggywiggle wrote:

How did Lottie ryan get where she is? Nepotism

I get that. But yer man?

He is Claire Byrne's nephew & he is around 23-25 years of age

Elmo

Johns nephew wrote: »

He is Claire Byrne's nephew & he is around 23-25 years of age

This is crazy if true

Careful_now!

I've heard him numerous times.

He's awful. If any of those reports were used as a college assignment it wouldn't do very well

bobbyss

Careful_now! wrote:

He's awful. If any of those reports were used as a college assignment it wouldn't do very well

Absolutely. Everything about his delivery is dreadful. At least, AT LEAST I don't think he would say: news again at tree.

But seriously, do RTE have open competitions for these jobs? How is it possible?

iora_rua

I've also heard an Oisin, can't remember the surname, but equally bad. Indistinct delivery, vaguely mid-Atlantic accent and trouble with the "th" sound. Occasionally on for the midnight news.

Cole

bobbyss wrote: »

I think that's his name. Reads the news in the middle of the night and very early in the morning.( When few are listening) Anyone know how old he is? How can you pass the newsreaders' exam if you struggle with basic reading and projecting your voice? It's like listening to a 10 year old struggling with a basic text. Just sounds so off. How did he become a newsreader? He's incredibly bad.

I just listened back on the player and yeah pretty bad stuff. He does sound like a young fella on work experience...maybe that's how RTE works these days.

Beechwoodspark

Just out of curiosity what time was he on this morning?

I’ll have a listen back on the app

Cole

iora_rua wrote: »

I've also heard an Oisin, can't remember the surname, but equally bad. Indistinct delivery, vaguely mid-Atlantic accent and trouble with the "th" sound. Occasionally on for the midnight news.

The "trouble" that you speak of is a very natural feature of Irish English pronunciation. The degree of "trouble" does vary from person to person, but even those who think they're pronouncing it 'correctly' (no such thing) are not quite there...myself included. But like I said, it's a perfectly natural feature of how we speak and shouldn't be seen as wrong or being somehow linguistically incapable.

Cole

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Just out of curiosity what time was he on this morning?

I’ll have a listen back on the app

I think it was 2am...at the end of Late Date.

ford fiesta

Ten Pin wrote: »

Noel Fogarty chose his successor wisely.

Noel still reads the news overnights

archfi

Is thsi the guy who does the weather on Morning ireland?
Cos he's hugely crap.

PukkaStukka

archfi wrote: »

Is thsi the guy who does the weather on Morning ireland?
Cos he's hugely crap.

One of those forecasters has a stammer and despite that, does a very good job

AndrewJRenko

Cole wrote: »

I just listened back on the player and yeah pretty bad stuff. He does sound like a young fella on work experience...maybe that's how RTE works these days.

Post a link, if you can please.

theoneeyedman

bobbyss wrote: »

I think that's his name. Reads the news in the middle of the night and very early in the morning.( When few are listening) Anyone know how old he is? How can you pass the newsreaders' exam if you struggle with basic reading and projecting your voice? It's like listening to a 10 year old struggling with a basic text. Just sounds so off. How did he become a newsreader? He's incredibly bad.

Not familiar with him, but have you heard that Siobhan Madigan that does the sport, she's comical altogether! Literally cannot read, when we're in the car and she comes in we all cheer when she eventually stumbles over whatever is written in front of her as we know it's gonna happen!

Now, if she has a problem with her eyesight or with dyslexia or something, then so be it, but she shouldn't have a gig on national radio actually reading then!

Only on RTE....

theoneeyedman

I think I've heard this guy you mention OP. Can't say I gave it too much thought, though.

He's 25, reading the news during a graveyard shift. Comments like "crap" are unfair I think. Give him a chance.

theoneeyedman wrote: »

Not familiar with him, but have you heard that Siobhan Madigan that does the sport, she's comical altogether! Literally cannot read, when we're in the car and she comes in we all cheer when she eventually stumbles over whatever is written in front of her as we know it's gonna happen!

Literally cannot read?

That must be a very boring car journey.

amlinopta

theoneeyedman wrote: »

Not familiar with him, but have you heard that Siobhan Madigan that does the sport, she's comical altogether! Literally cannot read, when we're in the car and she comes in we all cheer when she eventually stumbles over whatever is written in front of her as we know it's gonna happen!

Now, if she has a problem with her eyesight or with dyslexia or something, then so be it, but she shouldn't have a gig on national radio actually reading then!

Only on RTE....

Siobhan promoted to soccer commentary duties during the euros. Covered some games during the week when two matches were taking place at the same time.
Abysmal.

Pelvis Parsley

With respect, it's the National broadcaster, not a training ground.

He may turn into a fine speaker given time, but not on RTE1, whatever time of the morning they consign him to.

ford fiesta

theoneeyedman wrote: »

Not familiar with him, but have you heard that Siobhan Madigan that does the sport, she's comical altogether! L

She sounds very bored and fed up reading bulletins, as well as showing off pronouncing foreign sports people and game locations.

Elmo

Ten Pin wrote: »

Noel Fogarty chose his successor wisely.

Would Noel not give him tips. Has he ever watch or listened to a news bulletin before?

Elmo

in terms of age and getting better :-

Grainne Seoige was just about to turn 23 when she present Nuacht TnaG in 1996, 2 years later just before turning 25 she presented TV3 main evening news.

A similar story for Eileen Dunne, Anne Doyle, Sharon Ni Bheolain (though she does stumble) etc I am sure there are men I could list also.

I blame news2day, WHERE.EVERY.PRESENTER.HAS.TO.TALK.LIKE.THEY.ARE.TALKING.TO.A.TWO.YEAR.OLD when even 2 years olds would be wondering what's going on.

touts

Isn't it great to be so good at speaking in public that you can come on here and laugh at a lad in his early 20s working the night shift on radio as his first gig and probably earning less than 30k a year.

Maybe some of the experts here would grace us and with a recording of themselves reading the newspapers and show the world how real experts do it. If nothing else the rest of us could do with a great laugh.

touts

touts wrote: »

Isn't it great to be so good at speaking in public that you can come on here and laugh at a lad in his early 20s working the night shift on radio as his first gig and probably earning less than 30k a year.

Maybe some of the experts here would grace us and with a recording of themselves reading the newspapers and show the world how real experts do it. If nothing else the rest of us could do with a great laugh.

In fairness posters are right in the sense that such standard would not have been allowed on any radio station 20-30 years ago, let alone on the national broadcaster.

Elmo

touts wrote: »

Isn't it great to be so good at speaking in public that you can come on here and laugh at a lad in his early 20s working the night shift on radio as his first gig and probably earning less than 30k a year.

Maybe some of the experts here would grace us and with a recording of themselves reading the newspapers and show the world how real experts do it. If nothing else the rest of us could do with a great laugh.

Explain Grainne Seoige, Elieen Dunne, Sharon Ni Bheolain and so on?

Reading the news isn't the easiest thing in the world, and there are plenty of people in RTÉ who don't read the news, because they aren't good newsreaders, there are other jobs for them. He's a multimedia Journalist with the broadcaster he doesn't need to be in front of the mic.

If he does want to do that RTÉ should train him and others before they go on air.

Cole

Elmo wrote: »

I blame news2day, WHERE.EVERY.PRESENTER.HAS.TO.TALK.LIKE.THEY.ARE.TALKING.TO.A.TWO.YEAR.OLD when even 2 years olds would be wondering what's going on.

Yeah I've seen bits of this programme a couple of times. I feel like even the kids watching this stuff feel patronised and are probably shouting "would ye ever feck off" at the screen.

purifol0

How'd these rubbish newsreaders/presenters/commentators get these gigs anyway - Public auditions or nepotism & cronyism? Put your answer on a TV license and send it to Donnybrook D4.

ford fiesta

Are these overnights bulletins broadcast from the RTE Radio / TV Centre or somewhere else such as an external news provider?

Elmo

ford fiesta wrote: »

Are these overnights bulletins broadcast from the RTE Radio / TV Centre or somewhere else such as an external news provider?

RTÉ would not be allowed to use an external news provider for bulletins as is the case for independents. Union would be up in arms.

Not sure if they are coming from the Radio Centre or if it is home working, but it is still RTÉ.

Cole

Cole wrote: »

The "trouble" that you speak of is a very natural feature of Irish English pronunciation. The degree of "trouble" does vary from person to person, but even those who think they're pronouncing it 'correctly' (no such thing) are not quite there...myself included. But like I said, it's a perfectly natural feature of how we speak and shouldn't be seen as wrong or being somehow linguistically incapable.

^ Dis.

TheRiverman

Is how to pronounce "th" not properly taught in school nowadays ? I was taught in National School back in the 1960's by a great teacher who used to lift our heads up by putting a ruler or her hand under our chins and getting us to put the tip of our tongues slightly between our teeth and make the "th" sound. It worked then, will work now and will always work. All the people that pronounce "th" as "d" are keeping their tongues too flat in their mouths instead of moving it out between their teeth. It might sound funny or ridiculous to people, but it's true.

Elmo

TheRiverman wrote: »

Is how to pronounce "th" not properly taught in school nowadays ? I was taught in National School back in the 1960's by a great teacher who used to lift our heads up by putting a ruler or her hand under our chins, getting us to put the tip of our tongues slightly between out teeth and make the "th" sound. It worked then, will work now and will always work. All the people that pronounce "th" as "d" are keeping their tongues too flat in their mouth instead of moving out between their teeth. It mightsound funny or ridiculous to people, but it's true.

I don't generally but I do slip up on occasion particular with words like three, thirty and a third, possibly because I am expecting a uh sound.

Many Dubliners also find the wh sound like wheel becomes wale, where becomes were.

But these are small idiosyncracies with Irish speech patterns.

The news reader in this instance may have such idiosyncracies, but he's also not a greater reader. There are plenty of well spoken people that cannot read flowingly and plenty of people with strong accents who can.

SPDUB

Elmo wrote: »

Explain Grainne Seoige, Elieen Dunne, Sharon Ni Bheolain and so on?

Reading the news isn't the easiest thing in the world, and there are plenty of people in RTÉ who don't read the news, because they aren't good newsreaders, there are other jobs for them. He's a multimedia Journalist with the broadcaster he doesn't need to be in front of the mic.

If he does want to do that RTÉ should train him and others before they go on air.

Who says he wants to ?

It may be he is the only one willing to do that overnight shift or that he was "volunteered" for it . I know both those have happened where I work .

And some people will never be newsreaders so I wouldn't be surprised if he gets off that shift we'll never hear him on air again

Elmo

SPDUB wrote: »

Who says he wants to ?

It may be he is the only one willing to do that overnight shift or that he was "volunteered" for it . I know both those have happened where I work .

And some people will never be newsreaders so I wouldn't be surprised if he gets off that shift we'll never hear him on air again

Then RTÉ has a problem. There are plenty of people that can read and would only be too willing to take on the nightshift reading the news.

If part of his contract was to read the news then part of the interview process should have been to put forward a show reel/voice recording of him reading and perhaps an audition.

If he does NOT want to BUT RTÉ need him to then RTÉ should train him and others before they go on air.

TheRiverman

Elmo wrote: »

I don't generally but I do slip up on occasion particular with words like three, thirty and a third, possibly because I am expecting a uh sound.

Many Dubliners also find the wh sound like wheel becomes wale, where becomes were.

But these are small idiosyncracies with Irish speech patterns.

The news reader in this instance may have such idiosyncracies, but he's also not a greater reader. There are plenty of well spoken people that cannot read flowingly and plenty of people with strong accents who can.

Similarly with the words "three, thirty and third", keeping the tongue flat in the mouth with the tip back from the front teeth loses the "th" sound and creates " tree, turty and turd.

Elmo

TheRiverman wrote: »

Similarly with the words "three, thirty and third", keeping the tongue flat in the mouth with the tip back from the front teeth loses the "th" sound and creates " tree, turty and turd.

I did say sometimes, I know how to pronounce th.

Cole

TheRiverman wrote: »

Is how to pronounce "th" not properly taught in school nowadays ? I was taught in National School back in the 1960's by a great teacher who used to lift our heads up by putting a ruler or her hand under our chins and getting us to put the tip of our tongues slightly between our teeth and make the "th" sound. It worked then, will work now and will always work. All the people that pronounce "th" as "d" are keeping their tongues too flat in their mouths instead of moving it out between their teeth. It might sound funny or ridiculous to people, but it's true.

I presume you believe that you pronounce th 'correctly' (which is generally perceived to be the 'standard' Received Pronunciation version). I'd say you might find it revealing if you were analysed by a phonologist. Of course teachers have to teach to an agreed 'standard', but if someone ultimately falls within a range of th pronunciation...as most Irish English speakers do...then so be it. We can't or shouldn't try to insist on a (high) 'standard' th pronunciation that is not inherent in the way that we speak English in Ireland. Our th pronunciation comes from when we started to move from speaking Irish to English centuries ago (influenced by Irish)...embrace it.

Elmo

Cole wrote: »

I presume you believe that you pronounce th 'correctly' (which is generally perceived to be the 'standard' Received Pronunciation version). I'd say you might find it revealing if you were analysed by a phonologist. Of course teachers have to teach to an agreed 'standard', but if someone ultimately falls within a range of th pronunciation...as most Irish English speakers do...then so be it. We can't or shouldn't try to insist on a (high) 'standard' th pronunciation that is not inherent in the way that we speak English in Ireland. Our th pronunciation comes from when we started to move from speaking Irish to English centuries ago (influenced by Irish)...embrace it.

Btw none of this takes from the fact that the newsreader is not a good reader.

Cole

Elmo wrote: »

Btw none of this takes from the fact that the newsreader is not a good reader.

Poor aul Danny just doesn't seem cut out for reading/delivering the news. Everyone takes a bit of time to find their feet in a new role, but surely RTE screen and train staff before unleashing them onto the public...and onto feckers like us to comment on his performance online.

KevRossi

Paddy wants a job, but the foreman won’t hire him until he passes a little maths test.

Here is your first question, the foreman says. “Without using numbers, represent the number 9.”

“Without numbers?” Paddy says? “Dat’s easy.” And proceeds to draw three trees.

“What’s this?” the boss asks.

“Have you no brain? Tree and tree plus tree makes 9” says Paddy.

“Fair enough,” says the boss. “Here’s your second question. Use the same rules, but this time the number is 99.”

Paddy stares into space for a while, then picks up the picture that he has just drawn and makes a smudge on each tree.. “Ere ye go.”

The boss scratches his head and says, “How on earth do you get that to represent 99?”

“Each of them trees is dirty now. So, it’s dirty tree, and dirty tree, plus dirty tree. Dat makes 99.”

The boss is getting worried that he’s going to actually have to hire Paddy, so he says, “All right, last question. Same rules again, but represent the number 100.”

Paddy stares into space some more, then he picks up the picture again and makes a little mark at the base of each tree and says, “Ere ye go. One hundred.”

The boss looks at the attempt. “You must be nuts if you think that represents a hundred!” Paddy leans forward and points to the marks at the base of each tree and whispers,

“A little dog came along and pooped by each tree. So now you got dirty tree and a turd, dirty tree and a turd, and dirty tree and a turd, which makes ONE HUNDRED!”

AndrewJRenko

Cole wrote: »

Poor aul Danny just doesn't seem cut out for reading/delivering the news. Everyone takes a bit of time to find their feet in a new role, but surely RTE screen and train staff before unleashing them onto the public...and onto feckers like us to comment on his performance online.

Any chance of a link so the rest of us can make our own judgements?

Elmo

Cole wrote: »

Poor aul Danny just doesn't seem cut out for reading/delivering the news. Everyone takes a bit of time to find their feet in a new role, but surely RTE screen and train staff before unleashing them onto the public...and onto feckers like us to comment on his performance online.

I am not sure if you are telling me that Danny just needs time and we shouldn't be so hard on him.

Explain those newsreaders that didn't take time to find their feet?

Grainne Seoige in her twenties was given 3 the main evening news, where she was either the main presenter or a co-presenter across 3 separate broadcasters. Should I not hold Danny up to Grainne's standard?

Or perhaps Elaine Crowley who again started on TV3 News, presenting the late night news bulitens and week in review in her early 20s.

Or even Claire Byrne (a suggestion on this thread they are related) who again in her early 20's was the main news reader on Ireland AM.

And their are other examples ...

He is part of the most prestigous broadcasting organisation/media company in the country. Standards have to be high.

alchemist33

Cole wrote: »

The "trouble" that you speak of is a very natural feature of Irish English pronunciation. The degree of "trouble" does vary from person to person, but even those who think they're pronouncing it 'correctly' (no such thing) are not quite there...myself included. But like I said, it's a perfectly natural feature of how we speak and shouldn't be seen as wrong or being somehow linguistically incapable.

When t is pronounced the exact same way as th, one of them is certainly a lot more incorrect than the other. It's the linguistic equivalent of "could of".

Elmo

https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/html5/#/radio1/11319489

55mins in Met Eireann guy, who has an accent and is meterlogist and does a flowing job just with a slight stammer (I have no issue, he's not RTÉ).

1:01 in a professional newsreader. (Martin Frawley)

3:01 The person we are talking about. His pauses are in all the wrong places.

ford fiesta

Elmo wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/html5/#/radio1/11319489

55mins in Met Eireann guy, who has an accent and is meterlogist and does a flowing job just with a slight stammer (I have no issue, he's not RTÉ).

why would anyone have an issue with a stammer?

Homelander

touts wrote: »

Isn't it great to be so good at speaking in public that you can come on here and laugh at a lad in his early 20s working the night shift on radio as his first gig and probably earning less than 30k a year.

Maybe some of the experts here would grace us and with a recording of themselves reading the newspapers and show the world how real experts do it. If nothing else the rest of us could do with a great laugh.

Journalism and broadcast radio is a professional field, it's not a part-time hobby and RTE as the taxpayer funded state broadcaster isn't the place.

I had a listen there thinking people were probably over-reacting but he is really bad. He sounds like a college student reading a test bulletin.

In an open competition, there would be a lot of experienced people with much better reading voices applying, so that most certainly is not how he got the job.

Fair enough bit more understandable if he was working in a smaller local radio station, but he is way, way below standard for the state broadcaster.

RTE also pays very well compared to the likes of Newstalk or local radio. An open competition would attract people of a far higher calibre.

He clearly was just handed the job because he had a way in.

Cole

Elmo wrote: »

I am not sure if you are telling me that Danny just needs time and we shouldn't be so hard on him.

I've only heard him once, but I don't think Danny seems suitable for reading the news and that should have been seen at an initial stage by RTE and/or they should have trained up him up, rather than putting him in the position of being publicly criticised for being pretty ropey at his (newsreading) job.

Cole

alchemist33 wrote: »

When t is pronounced the exact same way as th, one of them is certainly a lot more incorrect than the other. It's the linguistic equivalent of "could of".

I'm guessing you haven't studied linguistics.

Tork

Elmo wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/html5/#/radio1/11319489

55mins in Met Eireann guy, who has an accent and is meterlogist and does a flowing job just with a slight stammer (I have no issue, he's not RTÉ).

1:01 in a professional newsreader. (Martin Frawley)

3:01 The person we are talking about. His pauses are in all the wrong places.

I had never heard him before now but gosh, he is poor. It isn't the first time RTE has employed newsreader who aren't up to scratch though. Years ago they used to have Emer O'Kelly on the graveyard shift and she used to make a lot of mistakes.

bobbyss

Homelander wrote:

He clearly was just handed the job because he had a way in.

Does RTE HAVE TO advertise vacancies? If there was some kind of competition it would be interesting under FOI (if it exists in this situation) to get the results of interviews held, the scores attributed to each candidate and the names of the people who interviewed. All that stuff.