Newstalk’s Board of Directors and management team, the BCI’s Chairman Conor Maguire, along with Chief Executive, Michael O’Keefe joined presenters and staff to mark the moment when Newstalk made history, by becoming Ireland’s first commercial talk-radio station to broadcast nationally.
Newstalk Chairman Denis O’Brien, Chief Executive Elaine Geraghty and presenters Ger Gilroy, Sean Moncrieff, Orla Barry, Brenda Power, Eoin McDevitt and George Hook got together earlier this morning (Friday, 29th September) to celebrate Newstalk going national under the terms of its new ten year licence, awarded by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland and signed last Monday.
For the first time listeners across Ireland can avail of real choice in national talk-radio. Newstalk can be received between 106-108 FM and promises listeners current affairs, news, sports, listener interaction, along with loads of talk and analysis of both domestic and international issues in an entertaining, energetic, sometimes irreverent, but always enjoyable way – delivered with attitude and personality.
Newstalk will be on air with a diverse range of programmes from 6.30am to midnight everyday, offering fresh and entertaining weekday and weekend schedules. The tried and tested schedule offered in Dublin for the last four years has been widened and enhanced for the new national audience.
Voices from all-over Ireland will broadcast every day. The irrepressible Corkman George Hook presents “The Right Hook” each evening from 4.30-7.00pm. Galway’s Sean Moncrieff will take listeners through the afternoon from 2.00-4.30pm and Leeside’s Orla Barry looks at “Life” from 9.00-11.00am every weekday morning, followed by Kilkenny’s Brenda Power taking “Your Call” between 11.00-12.30pm each day.
Dublin’s Eoin McDevitt goes “Off the Ball” in the evening from 7.00 — 10.00pm, followed by fellow ‘Jackeen’ Declan Carty taking listeners “Late Night Live” until midnight.
The Newstalk schedule went live all over Ireland with the new “Breakfast Show” team of Ger Gilroy, Claire Byrne and Tom Lyons starting at 6.30 and continuing till 9.00am Monday to Friday. The station is looking forward to welcoming Kerry’s Eamon Keane who will be joining the station from RTE in November to present the Lunchtime News.
Weekends will offer sport, business, current affairs, interviews and a look back at the news and stories that have dominated the local and international agenda during the week with Karen Coleman, Emmet Oliver, Roisin Ingle, David Norris, Patrick Geoghegan and the award winning Newstalk Weekend Sports Team led by Sports Editor, Jerry O’Sullivan.
Newstalk is set to reach over 92%* of Ireland’s population via its extensive transmitter network broadcasting between 106-108FM from Friday, 29th September 2006.
- As confirmed by the BCI based on 2002 census figures