A driving seat for Sarah in shake-up
Top slot for highly praised McInerney as Dobbo does a solo run in new schedule
THAT didn’t take long! Sarah McInerney is back, hosting a new-look Drivetime with co-host Cormac Ó hEadhra.
McInerney’s return – and the absence of the man she briefly replaced, Seán O’Rourke – are the two big talking points in RTÉ’s autumn radio shake-up.
Radio One is set to get the largest revamp, but mainly with presenters moving around on Morning Ireland, Drivetime, the Today Show and the News At One.
As Claire Byrne is already settling into the mid-morning Today Show, Bryan Dobson will now be going solo as the pilot of News At One.
Speaking at the launch of the new schedule, Dobson said he ‘didn’t have to think about’ saying yes to the new gig. Following three years co-hosting Morning Ireland, fronting a show by himself is a first.
‘I’ve never had my name on a show before … I’m very happy if RTÉ feels that’s the right thing to do,’ he said. ‘I suppose you’d think that if your name is on the show you could maybe take credit when the figures go up, but when the figures go the other direction, you’ve got to take the responsibility for it.
‘So I’ll be working very hard to
‘There is no war, there’s no battle’
make sure we keep our audience figures up.’
And Claire Byrne will also be returning to TV with Claire Byrne Live, but without the audience.
‘It will be a little bit different this season because it has to be. We don’t have our lovely audience. We just have to work with how we’re going to deal with that, but deal with it we will,’ she said.
Áine Lawlor and Mary Wilson will be waking early for Morning Ireland, while McInerney and Ó hEadhra will take the wheel at Drivetime from 4.30 every weekday afternoon.
After receiving widespread praise for temporarily hosting the Today Show, following O‘Rourke’s retirement, Ms McInerney said she was blown away by the support.
‘It’s a bit overwhelming,’ she said. ‘My focus now is on Drivetime and what’s happening next but it’s lovely to see support from listeners.’ She also insisted there is no rivalry between RTÉ’s female presenters.
‘Mary [Wilson] texted me last night, a beautiful text, to say congratulations, and I texted her back to say congratulations. I texted Claire on Monday to say best of luck and she texted me when I was starting on the Today Show, back in May, to say best of luck. We work well together. There is no war, there is no battle. We’re not working against each other.’
Meanwhile, Ó hEadhra is all set for action, declaring his dream
line-up of guests: ‘From a political point of view at the moment, I’d have Micheál Martin, Leo Varadkar, Eamon Ryan and Phil Hogan.’.
In terms of drama, Amy Huberman’s Finding Joy will return for a new season, as will Fair City.
And in October we will get the culmination of the Women’s Six
Nations, Ireland’s Euro play-off semi-final against Slovakia, the crowning of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division champions and, hopefully, the beginning of the GAA championships and the return of The Sunday Game with Joanne Cantwell and Des Cahill.