RTÉ Radio chaos brings out best in David McCullagh but bomb threats underline vulnerabilities
The Irish Times · Mick Heaney ·
Widespread disruption on the airwaves prompts dismay and giddiness among presenters plus confusion for listeners
First they came for David, then they came for Claire and, just to prove they meant business, they came for Marty. One by one, the fixtures of Irish morning radio suddenly disappeared from the airwaves on Friday morning, with the situation moving from faintly farcical to decidedly discombobulating before reaching deeply disturbing status.
The first sign that things were awry came on RTÉ Radio 1 when David McCullagh failed to appear in his usual post-Morning Ireland slot at 9am. A brief period of dead air was followed by an eclectic – and conspicuously soothing – selection of pop-rock music, punctuated by a continuity announcer apologising for the ongoing interruption and promising to “try to get things back on track”. The net effect of this creepily serene segment – pre-recorded, as it later turns out – was as comforting as an air-raid siren.
The longer the disruption continued, the more listeners suspected things were going badly wrong. This impression was soon confirmed on Newstalk, where Claire Byrne abruptly informed listeners to her morning magazine show that she had to go off-air immediately; her broadcast was promptly replaced by a repeat of the previous day’s show.
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