Blurred Keys

PROOF: No problems with 2FM’s image

Further to our RTE 2FM reshuffle post, Blurred Keys has evidence that the station has no image problems, and the station is full of fresh faces… as Borat would say “NOT!” (Sorry for that interruption, we’re tying to appeal to the ‘youths’ – like calling them ‘youths’ helps)… here’s a cut down screen capture of the station’s website from today…

2FM SHAKE UP: Out with the old and…

Veteran RTE 2FM DJs Larry Gogan and Marty Whelan are being pushed aside to aid the image of the state broadcaster's ‘youth’ station.

Gogan has agreed to move to a weekend slot, while the Irish Independent reports that ‘it is understood that’ Whelan will receive a similar offer.

Larry Gogan’s “retirement” to the weekend was reported with grace earlier in the week, but the news of Whelan being replaced with the Strawberry Alarm Clock team from Dublin's FM104 has shown the moves to be highly managed to increases appeal of the station to younger listeners.

As the Sunday Business Post points out today, with 2FM performance lacking in the Dublin area, it make perfect sense for station head John Clarke to headhunt the highly popular Strawberry Alarm Clock team. Read more at TCAL.net.

Claire Byrne released!

After her notice is served, Claire Byrne is now free to take up her co-presenting job of ‘the Breakfast Show’ at the newly national radio station Newstalk.

What would normally be a low-profile civil contract case was covered by the Irish media with much fanfare, many column inches, radio snippets, and TV clips (even from RTE). The reported conspiracy to undermine RTE’s ‘we make all the personalities’ claim went into overdrive. MORE: Blogorrah.com

BREAKING NEWS: Media "personalities" grown outside RTE shocker, says boffen

- Presenter in TV3 to Newstalk debacle hits the headlines, shocker

- Another ex-TV3 presenter to host RTE afternoon show, shocker

- Shocking recent events may have unraveled an RTE pronouncement as utter rubbish (not that it wasn’t before).

“It's about getting people who are well-known” said RTE’s Peter Feeney, in June. That’s why the state broadcaster has recruited ex-TV3 presenter turned Sky News Ireland presenter, Gráinne Seoige, to host a new show. She started at Teilifís na Gaeilge so maybe RTE will try to claim something from that.

Feeney said at the time that it’s not a conspiracy – RTE just has all the "personalities", end of story. But there must now be a conspiracy to undermine RTE. The story about Claire Byrne, the TV3 presenter who wanted to leave for radio station Newstalk, has hit the headlines in at least Metro, Herald AM, the Irish Times, and on the airwaves on Today FM news bulletins over the past 24 hours. She may not be a leading national figure, it would however be a breath of ignorance to claim she is an unknown.

Our tone could be better, but what is far worse is RTE’s runaround in dismissing INN. “I can get on CNN quicker than I can get on RTE” Ken Murray told the Sunday Tribune (again, back in June) adding they had “two million listeners every day”,  meanwhile RTE tries to complain they are the only outlet with media "personalities".

In a report on Today FM, Blurred Keys also noted such trivial matters as the RTE "personalities" mantra interfering with balanced and independent news coverage. An article appearing on RTE Online under the tag of ‘news’ stated that “Hosts Tom Dunne and RTÉ 2fm DJ Jenny Huston will present” a show on RTE television.

What department in RTE wrote this PR rubbish? If someone in PR wrote it, what was it doing in news? If someone in the news section wrote, it why isn’t there a proper record of facts? RTE should have a commitment to recording a proper record. If you’re thinking ‘it’s entertainment, so what?’ we’d suggest that’s the start of falling down a ‘slippery slope’. 

In an RTE document named ‘RTÉ’s Guiding Principles - Implementing the Public Service Broadcasting Charter’ we found a number of interesting values, including…

reflect the diverse values of the people of Ireland, specifically cultural, including language, religion and regional needs across all age groups...

be accurate and impartial in all News coverage...

inform the Irish public by delivering, nation-wide, the best comprehensive independent News service possible...

operate in the public interest, providing News and Current Affairs that is fair and impartial, accurate and challenging

As we’ve said before, according to the Sunday Tribune, no INN staffer has ever appeared as a guest on an RTE current affairs programme, this fact, along with their entertainment fluff ‘news’, trots around rules RTE has sent out for it’s self.

RTE is fond of calling the taxes held by government “the taxpayer’s money”, meanwhile it acts as a private company trouncing on it’s own “Guiding Principles”.

Why Today FM are winning

Discotheque as normal gives sharp analyses…

The most influential sector of the Irish radio audience is turning to Today FM for better music (more rock, less pop), empathy, better name recognition and a better sense of fun. They're not getting any of that from 2FM's current batch....

Right now, life is dandy at Today FM headquarters. They have the DJs and presenters their target audience wants to hear and that's very good for the short to medium term. - Jim Carroll, the Irish Times

In other news, Jenny Huston is a 2FM DJ while Tom Dunne is apprently not a Today FM DJ. Remember it's RTE who makes and keeps "personalities"...

Hosts Tom Dunne and RTÉ 2fm DJ Jenny Huston will present the show from a special RTÉ Two Green Room at Stradbally Hall Estate and viewers will also be able to see interviews with the bands and the fans. - RTE Online news report

So much for balanced reporting.

RTE makes and keeps "personalities"

In the Sunday Tribune, RTE tries to defend the vicious "personalities" circle. ‘We push our own because there's no competition . . . RTE’ marks the second week in a row of the Tribune attacking RTE ‘pushing their own’.

"I don't think it's a conspiracy. It's about getting people who are well-known,” says Peter Feeney, of RTE.

INN political correspondent, Ken Murray has other ideas "In INN's case, we impact on two million listeners every day. Our people are in the front seat when something big happens in this country,” adding “I can get on CNN quicker than I can get on RTE”. But according to the Tribune, no INN staffer has ever appeared as a guest on an RTE current affairs programme.

Columns over, in another article in the newspaper – ‘Nation pits its wits against RTE 'celebrities'’ –  Feeney digs a hole "You can argue if you like that it is incestuous, or that it is RTE promoting itself, but these are celebrities and celebrities tend to appear on television".