Carlsberg Basic Member Posts:215  
| 4/6/2005 1:05 PM |
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Have recently become aware that John Walsh's show "going underground" has been axed by Fm104. I am guessing that it was for the usual reason that listenership was low. So either the show was not good (which i would not agree with) or once again, with the exception of Today Fm's Pet Sounds, an alternative Irish show was axed because it was broadcast at yet another crap time and once again has become the victim of another corporate decision".
Just thought it was worth mentioning as John is a good sort and will be missed by this Cluas member anyway.
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Una Veteran Member Posts:1721
| 4/6/2005 1:19 PM |
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hmm, low listenership, well he did label it 'going underground', but too underground maybe.
I was never a fan of the show, I think his personal taste, which wasn't excellent (in my opinion) often was too prominant. Still, not the worst rock show. Tough break.
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BinokularVeteran Member Posts:1665
| 4/6/2005 1:23 PM |
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Radio really sucks in Ireland, with the exception of one or two shows and the odd pirate station. The policy seems to be that all the stations have to meet certain criteria like having news/current affairs every so often so all the stations seem pretty similar. To me, Radio1, 2FM, Today FM, local radio all seem to be a kind of homogenous blur with nothing distinctly different about any of them. I know the UK isn't perfect either, but if you're in london and turn on your radio, its brilliant. Even BBC radio one kicks 2FMs/Today FMs collective asses. Thats before we mention stuff like XFM, and a host of special interest radio stations. There is even an Arts radio station (resonance 104) which besides shows about the arts, has shows like "The wire presents adventures in modern music" which features music that is genuinely avant-garde. A little more "out there" than even some of the weirder stuff on Donal Dineens show. A little pretentious I know, but the point is that there is a forum for this kind of music for people who want to listen. Its all about choice.
If RTE could just get a mix of stations on the air that were notably different from each other, rather then Radio1/2FM which overlap, it would be a good start. Kick Larry Gogan and Gerry Ryan on to RTE Radio1 and make it an older music station, have 2FM as a genuine "youth" music station (like BBC Radio1) and then set up a BBC Radio 4 type station for all the serious news/current affairs/drama/discussion stuff and shift Joe Duffy, Marian Finucane and those type of presenters on to that.
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UnaVeteran Member Posts:1721
| 4/6/2005 1:29 PM |
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it sucks vaguely, because you like rock music. Imagine people who don't like a genre as mainstream as that, and the s**t they have to go through!
I think radio in Ireland is not that bad, when it comes to rock and indie. Try living in the States, worst stations ever! England is a bit better, but then again, why complain about these things when you can just listen to really cool radio stations online. Of course daytime mainstream radio isn't going to be blasting out Razorlight every five minutes, because that's not the audience it attracts. Your suggestion at the end is good though, what you're talking about though is cutting out the mainstream and making things more specialised - something not very attractive to advertisers.
Stations I think do a good job are Lyric FM, Q102 and Spin, who basically just do what they say they do, and don't make any bones about it.
98fm should really be blasted into orbit, though.
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UnicronVeteran Member Posts:1696
| 4/6/2005 1:33 PM |
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I posted this in another forum a while back and it's all idle and rampant speculation but idle and rampant speculation can be fun:
Perhaps Phantom headhunted Walsh and offered him better terms/a better timeslot then what he was on currently (Sunday evening is terrible, I'd have listened to the guy if he wasn't on then, same for Alison Curtis who is on slightly earlier on Today FM).
Experienced, well known voices with indieish tastes are thin on the ground, if I were Phantom I'd be tapping up anyone that doesn't have a daily gig on the radio with a decent timeslot (Alison Curtis, Donal Dineen, Leagues O'Toole, Dan Hegarty), if that is true then FM104 would be foolish to keep him on the air knowing that he was jumping to the opposition, this way between now and Phantom's launch Walsh's name will be forgotten slightly.
This is exactly what they did when Chris Barrie agreed to jump from them to 98FM while he was still under contract, they took him off air, replaced him with Adrian Kennedy, made Barrie sit out his contract while Kennedy established himself as the top man for idiots to ring up and complain to about "immigants (typo intentional)", "boggers" and "north/southsiders".
Or maybe they're just w**kers and are going to get some guy to replace him who will play hte same old crap.
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BinokularVeteran Member Posts:1665
| 4/6/2005 1:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Una
it sucks vaguely, because you like rock music
Actually, I like rock but I'm more into electro these days (really want everything on the BPitch control label). "The Wire" on Resonance is actually anything but rock, but you're right, you can actually listen to it online, like a lot of other stuff. Most of the new music I come across these days is discovered online.
I agree that Lyric are good if you like classical/jazz but as for Spin, q102 and 98 FM, I don't think these are available outside Dublin? So those of us who don't live there, are stuck with the RTE stations, Today FM and some ridiculously parochial local station whose main features are the local pig prices and a phone in "whinge" show where people with nothing better to do moan about their neighbours dog mucking up their lawn. There are some great radio stations outside Dublin, but a lot of them ain't legal!
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Rev JulesVeteran Member Posts:1041
| 4/6/2005 2:25 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Una
Imagine people who don't like a genre as mainstream as that, and the s**t they have to go through!
Yes, I love country music but its damn hard to hear the real stuff (ie: not Margo and wee Daniel) around here. North West Radio is a good sort and also some of the community radio stations who are, in my opinion, the real unsung heros of the Irish indie music scene. |
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Pilchard Advanced Member Posts:699
| 4/6/2005 3:26 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Unicron
I posted this in another forum a while back and it's all idle and rampant speculation but idle and rampant speculation can be fun:
Perhaps Phantom headhunted Walsh and offered him better terms/a better timeslot then what he was on currently (Sunday evening is terrible, I'd have listened to the guy if he wasn't on then, same for Alison Curtis who is on slightly earlier on Today FM).
Experienced, well known voices with indieish tastes are thin on the ground, if I were Phantom I'd be tapping up anyone that doesn't have a daily gig on the radio with a decent timeslot (Alison Curtis, Donal Dineen, Leagues O'Toole, Dan Hegarty), if that is true then FM104 would be foolish to keep him on the air knowing that he was jumping to the opposition, this way between now and Phantom's launch Walsh's name will be forgotten slightly.
This is exactly what they did when Chris Barrie agreed to jump from them to 98FM while he was still under contract, they took him off air, replaced him with Adrian Kennedy, made Barrie sit out his contract while Kennedy established himself as the top man for idiots to ring up and complain to about "immigants (typo intentional)", "boggers" and "north/southsiders".
Or maybe they're just w**kers and are going to get some guy to replace him who will play hte same old crap.
excellent idle speculation. i'd say u could be onto something alright - even if phantom keep saying they are going to stick with their current DJs. I think that (ie sticking with usual crew) would be a mistake because they need a higher profile right from the start. i know, i know, it's an alternative station and all that but alternative stations can have audiences bigger than those who fit in an average bus shelter.
after listening on and off to Phantom over the years, i'm very eager to know what it will sound like when it comes back all legal (once the threat from the cry babies at Zed FM has been batted to touch). I think u could be right unicron with some of those guesses but there will be other surprises too.
hopefully it will be better than Spin, which remains the most rancid pile fo steaming poo ever hoisted on the dublin listening public. radio for Liffey Valley girls and Doirt boys. Truly the most disgusting and ugly radio ever, The fact that it is doing so well tells u more about how Ireland/Dublin has changed than any amount of pointyheaded research or surveys
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aidanAdvanced Member Posts:638
| 4/6/2005 4:16 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Binokular
Kick Larry Gogan and Gerry Ryan on to RTE Radio1 and make it an older music station, have 2FM as a genuine "youth" music station (like BBC Radio1) and then set up a BBC Radio 4 type station for all the serious news/current affairs/drama/discussion stuff and shift Joe Duffy, Marian Finucane and those type of presenters on to that.
certainly gerry ryan on 2fm is out of place, but larry gogan playing today's chart music on saturday mornings is one of the best things about 2fm; he doesn't try to be 'wacky' or have a zany personality, he just plays chart music (which has its place on youth-orientated music radio - it would be snobbish to suggest otherwise. and sometimes chart music is deadly!!) and he obviously still loves pop music. his age shouldn't be a factor. unfortunately he also presents the 'golden hour' - a bit less of that would be better...
it's ironic that radio 1 gives more prime-time attention to 'alternative' music - john kelly, 'rattlebag', even john creedon and ronan collins are playing non-commercial stuff like rodney crowell and nouvelle vague in daytime shows, for god's sake!!! (in my former office job we had radio 1 on all day - for professional reasons, honest!!). It's understandable that commercial stations will chase the ad revenue but RTE as a public service broadcaster shouldn't try to compete with them. unfortunately it needs ad revenue too, unlike the BBC. that's where the problem is. radio na gaeltachta has few listeners, is seen as a 'public service' and so it can have shows like the excellent 'an taobh tuaithail'.
ireland can't afford decent hospitals, trains or primary schools; we certainly can't afford comprehensive 100% state-supported broadcasting and the programming freedom that comes with it.
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mickBasic Member Posts:411
| 4/6/2005 4:33 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Unicron
Perhaps Phantom headhunted Walsh and offered him better terms/a better timeslot then what he was on currently
john is an ex phantom dj, it'd be great to see him go back but at the same time he was really flying the flag for alot of irish bands and for good music in general on one of our countries poorest radio stations.
i suppose thats a debate in itself... is it more use to the underground music scene to have an underappreciated dj on a s**t station with large listenership or an appreciated dj on a good station with small listenership??
just like to add, that whatever he does i really wish him the best of luck and i'm very annoyed if he was just axed from fm104. he has been very very very good to our band the last few years and is a really good guy. here's hoping he does land a more lucrative dj job. |
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BinokularVeteran Member Posts:1665
| 4/6/2005 9:34 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by aidan
certainly gerry ryan on 2fm is out of place, but larry gogan playing today's chart music on saturday mornings is one of the best things about 2fm; he doesn't try to be 'wacky' or have a zany personality, he just plays chart music (which has its place on youth-orientated music radio - it would be snobbish to suggest otherwise. and sometimes chart music is deadly!!) and he obviously still loves pop music. his age shouldn't be a factor. unfortunately he also presents the 'golden hour' - a bit less of that would be better...
it's ironic that radio 1 gives more prime-time attention to 'alternative' music - john kelly, 'rattlebag', even john creedon and ronan collins are playing non-commercial stuff like rodney crowell and nouvelle vague in daytime shows, for god's sake!!! (in my former office job we had radio 1 on all day - for professional reasons, honest!!). It's understandable that commercial stations will chase the ad revenue but RTE as a public service broadcaster shouldn't try to compete with them. unfortunately it needs ad revenue too, unlike the BBC. that's where the problem is. radio na gaeltachta has few listeners, is seen as a 'public service' and so it can have shows like the excellent 'an taobh tuaithail'.
ireland can't afford decent hospitals, trains or primary schools; we certainly can't afford comprehensive 100% state-supported broadcasting and the programming freedom that comes with it.
Some brilliant points raised there Aidan. I actually agree with you about Larry Gogan in a way and would take him over a "zany" mid-atlantic sounding muppet anyday (even if does kinda sound like he's on autopilot), and yes, chart music can definitely be utterly fantastic at times. It certainly has a place on a "youth" oriented station. I also agree, that if John Peel is anything to go by, age shouldn't be a factor. I just think that Larrys show as is would be much more at home on a BBC Radio 2 style station for people who are 30+ but still have an interest in pop music.
The best point you've rasied though is giving us all a little perspective about where money needs to be spent in this country first before we worry about the luxury of state supported broadcasting! I would counterpoint that however by saying if kids in the suburbs can get a pirate station off the ground, why can't RTE do more? I might be being a bit naive as regards real costs here but I think the real issue isn't money, but inneficiency, a lack of sufficient will (political or otherwise), a lack of vision and an over-conservative "it'll never work here" attitude.
I also don't think that having specialised radio stations will neccesarily conflict with commercial advertising interests for two reasons. The first, in the short term is regardless of how they are spread across the stations, RTE will still have its "star" presenters and DJs who will pull in audiences. The second reason is far more long term, and that reason is digital.
DAB (digital audio broadcasting), also known as digital radio will eventually be widespread. It may take 5 years, it might take 20, but I believe it will happen. It opens up the possiblity of far more stations. The government will not be as readily able to use the excuse of limited frequencies to grant only a limited number of radio station licenses as all stantions will be broadcast across the entire DAB spectrum, the only limit will be bandwidth (don't worry if you dont understand the technical terms, the important thing is that it allows LOTS of interference free radio stations). I think it will be in RTEs interests to fill a large proportion of that bandwidth with its own products, rather than be drowned out amidst a sea of competitors. The only way it can do this is more stations. Its kind of like digital TV is now, look at sky digital, chorus or freeview. Lots of TV stations, many of them extremely specialised yet they still manage to survive by getting enough advertising revenue. I'll admit that much of whats on Digital TV is worthless trash in terms of content, but it doesn't have to be this way. If RTE gets its act together now in the analogue radio age, the digital one will be great.
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UnicronVeteran Member Posts:1696
| 4/7/2005 1:24 PM |
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Gerry Ryan will never be taken off 2FM, he's their highest rated presenter and as such brings in the most ad money.
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Rev JulesVeteran Member Posts:1041
| 4/7/2005 1:38 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by aidan
it's ironic that radio 1 gives more prime-time attention to 'alternative' music - john kelly, 'rattlebag', even john creedon and ronan collins are playing non-commercial stuff like rodney crowell and nouvelle vague in daytime shows, for god's sake!!!
Aidan, if I might correct you on the following. Rodney Crowell is many things but, and I repeat but, he is anything but non commercial.
As a major hit maker in Nashville since he arrived there in the 1970's - as an artist, producer and songwriter - he is A-List Money Making Music Row. You don't get to marry into the family of Johnny Cash just by selling a few self released cds at your gigs.
Maybe, he's not so well known in the vast megapolis of the Irish music scene but in the mom and pop small time music pond of the USA, he is a big fish. Cheers  |
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aidanAdvanced Member Posts:638
| 4/7/2005 3:31 PM |
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I was referring to rodney crowell in the irish context of not being top of the charts or fashionable - sorry for not making that clear, rev! certainly not trying to diss him, a great songwriter indeed.
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Rev JulesVeteran Member Posts:1041
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