Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated at 2.30pm
THE PARENT COMPANY of Newstalk has announced new roles for outgoing drivetime presenters Chris Donoghue and Sarah McInerney. They have been presenting the show for the last 12 months, after taking over from George Hook.
It was announced last week that veteran broadcaster and former Fine Gael TD Ivan Yates would replace the pair as the sole presenter during the high-profile evening slot.
Donoghue, who previously presented at breakfast-time alongside Yates, will become Group Political Editor for all of Communicorp’s stations, including Newstalk, Today FM, 98FM, Spin 1038 and Spin South West.
He will also present a two hour current affairs show on Newstalk from 11am each Sunday.
According to a press release from Communicorp, McInerney will present a new show from 8-9am each Saturday.
It will be “a newly created programme focused on current affairs and politics,” according to the broadcasting group. She will also provide cover “across the weekday primetime schedule including for Newstalk Breakfast”.
Currently, the 8-9am slot on Saturdays is presented by Sarah Carey. Ivan Yates has been presenting the Sunday slot that Donoghue will now take over.
Gavan Reilly, who briefly held the joint role as political correspondent at both Newstalk and Today FM, left the broadcasting group at the start of this month for a new role at TV3. Previously, he had been political correspondent for Today FM alone.
Sinead Spain, Communicorp’s Group Head of News, said in a press-released comment:
We are delighted to announce Chris as our Group Political Editor, which reaffirms our commitment to top quality news and current affairs across all stations. Chris brings a wealth of experience to the role and we are confident he is the right candidate to lead the political agenda for our stations and the Network News portfolio.
Regarding the changes to weekend programming she said:
We are delighted to add these two new shows from Chris and Sarah to the Newstalk schedule. Chris is a long time member of the Newstalk family and will set the agenda for the week ahead with his incisive analysis, while Sarah’s extensive knowledge of current affairs and the political landscape will be brought to the fore on her new weekly show.
Communicorp’s PR company did not respond to a query about Sarah Carey’s future role at the station.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
since we can show the Dutch how to circumvent taxes, perhaps they can show us how to run a railroad?
It would help if we had 4 times as many people in an area half the size of Ireland.
@Elma Phudd: You mean just the size of munster. Which is less than quarter the size of ireland
Sounds like a well run operation that knows what it is doing. Runs a great service AND makes A billion euro in profit for its owner the Dutch state…
Our bus and train services have to be subsidized to the tune of a billion and still offer terrible, infrequent, unreliable service with poor, unclean trains and is overstaffed with overpaid and incompetent management and staff…
Pity Irish state agencies don’t have the same nationalistic tendencies.
@iohanx: They do. Both NAMA and IBRC use section 110 charity status to dodge their taxes and make their balance sheets look more favourable for propaganda purposes. I wonder how the establishment mouthpiece above would try to spin that accounting 3 card trickery?
@Drew TheChinaman :): I don’t know where you get you figures from but the annual contract between the NTA and Irish Rail was €117 million last year.
The reason our trains aren’t as profitable is we are a stone age society when it comes to high rise. You need high density high rise in urban centres to make public transport work.
Our muppet politicians reduced maximum height from six to four storeys.
@Irish Spider-Man: and the Dutch railway company had an operating profit of 107mil this year and accumulated profits totaling a billion.
So assuming similar levels of profit for the Dutch and subsidy for the Irish over the last number of years. One has made the state a billion while running a very good service and the other cost the state a billion while running a poor service.
What the Dutch are doing is legal just exactly the same as Apple does, except unlike Apple the Dutch pay the full 12.5 % tax. So Apple does legally owe us the difference so that they are tax compliant in Ireland.
@Paul Lane:
It’s nothing like Apple. Apple sells products to other countries and these other countries quite rightly would like to charge tax to organisations trading within their jurisdiction. Any tax liability to Apple should be to the all the countries Apple is trading in and not just Ireland.
@Nick Allen: And what about the tax that the Dutch government would like to receive as their railway trades there. Holland is outside Ireland just like those countries Apple does business with…So no difference at all, and completely legal except Apple did not pay the full 12.5% which is due to us.
U2′s conglomerate moved to The Netherlands a few years ago avoiding paying Irish taxes. The Dutch Railway moved to Ireland. We’re even.
@Juan Venegas: two wrongs don’t make a right.
@Ian Moloney: You’re right. Two wrongs make a we’re even.
Let me get this straight. The Dutch state is paying us €13 million a year rather than paying itself €26 million while keeping €1 billion hidden under the bed. I’m sure the Dutch people would like to see better use made of their savings.
A reverse U2.
2U
Somethign about the Dutch – maybe that Turkish guy isn’t too far off the truth – remember Rabo Direct the straight talking bank? that was fined billions!! Imagine these clowns had the hard neck to lecture us.
And u 2 invest in holland to avoid tax
have your say