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IT’S BEEN CONFIRMED that Ciara Kelly will take over presenter George Hook’s lunchtime radio slot on Newstalk FM.
The new show will be called Lunchtime Live, and will officially begin next Monday.
Hook was suspended from the station following widespread condemnation of his comments about rape on his show, where he asked “is there no blame now to the person who puts themselves in danger?”
It was announced that Hook would return to the airwaves in December for a weekend radio show.
Kelly, who is a GP and columnist, has been filling in for Hook since his suspension from the station following backlash from the public and some Newstalk employees.
One of its presenters, Dil Wickremasinghe, announced that she would not continue with her show Global Village in protest over Hook’s comments. A few weeks after his suspension, she was told that her show was cancelled.
“I am shocked and deeply disappointed at this sudden news,” she said on Twitter at the time.
Dil Wickremasinghe / TwitterSTATEMENT - My Newstalk carrier comes to an abrupt end after a decade. #goodbyeglobalvillage pic.twitter.com/1qHVWHS9zj
— Dil Wickremasinghe (@DilW) October 5, 2017
At lunchtime today, Wickremasinghe announced that she would be starting a new podcast called Sparking Change with the HeadStuff Podcast Network.
The weekly hour-long episodes will be released on Friday mornings and will consist of three segments based on the latest stories.
“I am determined more than ever to continue my work as a journalist and advocate for the voiceless in our society,” Wickremasinghe said.
“It has always been my personal belief that equality for one person is equality for all and have always regarded my work more than just a job but my own civic duty to inspire positive social change one conversation at a time.”
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Congratulations PC brigade you won that battle.
@Ciaran O Reilly: Thanks Ciaran.
In fairness, bit of a hollow victory.
Our opponent kept on machine gunning himself in the foot.
Still, we’ll take it.
She will have to manage without me, stopped listening to Newstalk completely , her Twitter feed is overwhelmingly congratulations must be deleting negative comments?
@Ciaran O Reilly: VICTORY IS OURS
@Maeve Marinara: Yeah you cost an elderly man his job and reputation over a comment that any normal person would admit, has a grain of truth. Congratulations. You should be so proud.
@Ciaran O Reilly: stopped listening to Newstalk when they gagged George. I was hoping he’d take the legal route for constructive dismissal.
The PC brigade just can’t deal with the truth. And Newstalk is the flagship for the PC brigade.
@Brinster: Hollow isnt the word!..but it’s good to see ye been shown up all the same. All so happy a woman got it, that ye forgot this woman supported Hook…ohhh she knows where her bread is buttered alright, unlike Dil the clown, trying to grow a profile but didn’t play the faux outrage very well!!
@John O Chrualaoich: Lets not forget that list of people in NT who wanted him fired.
As soon as anyone of them expresses a view on anything remotely controversial we ought to be flooding NT with emails and letters saying “oh no no sorry that’s not ok were offended now, I disagree with what he said so you’d better fire him, it hurt my feelings afterall!”
Maybe then all journalists and commentators will be too afraid to step outside the box on anything and never ever say anything new, original or innovative or controversial…that will make for good radio and civil discourse won’t it…imagine the ratinzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
@John O Chrualaoich: jaysus you must have a hectic life to trawl through someone’s Twitter page .
@Maeve Marinara: jesus you dont like men do you?
@Brinster: Nice ironic humour. Very funny. Unfortunately the old boll’ck will be back on the weekends. It harms society. Weak minds are particularly vulnerable to indoctrination. The gene pool is too small on this small island, and the culture is already stagnant. We have replaced catholicism with reality TV, the lotto, soaps, and talk shows.
We need more immigration. It will improve society and the human genome. I will continue to speak out against Hook at every opportunity. (I didn’t mind him as a guest on Vincent Browne. It’s his show that bothers me. I once heard about 3 or 4 minutes of it. How anybody can listen to such sh!t is beyond me. I found it painful.
(He was angrily ranting about how feminists should admire Melania Trump, apparently because she had done well financially out of her marriage. That was his topic.) (Melania Trump doesn’t look happy. At the same time, it’s difficult to tell how she feels. I believe repeated plastic surgery has severed nerves in her face, and she is no longer able to form facial expressions. I have very little respect for her while she continues to stand beside the DT.)
@Rob Poonmeister: Fool.
@Siobhan O Reilly: That’s not very nice.
Looking at one tweet where everyone was congratulating her, and expecting to see opposing views is hardly trawling her Twitter feed, calm down
@Ryan Carroll, let’s not forget he was a poor broadcaster before this controversial nonsense he was sporting ill informed nonsense about the HPV vaccine. More irritating than on the edge
@Ryan Dub: just a other delusional leftist
@John O Chrualaoich: you can’t delete someone elses comments on twitter. There is no option to do that.
@Ciaran O Reilly: I won’t be listening to her.
I’m sure Dil’s seven loyal listeners have come to terms with and accepted the cancellation of her show (unlike The Journal it seems).
@Chad Rockett: I think her seven listeners are journal employees.
@Chad Rockett: 7??????I thought the jmlr figures agreed it was 5
No fan of George Hook and don’t agree with his comments but all this seems excessive and smoke and mirrors when the serious matter he was talking about of assault and rapes aren’t even properly dealt with in the supposed ‘justice’ system. Someone can be found guilty of a rape or assault and only receive a few months sentence or the pointless suspended sentence. The public does nothing imagine if there was as much uproar about each time a rapist got off easy in court maybe then we might have a better justice which would help to actually address the problem of rape and assault and punish it correctly and address the issues to try and prevent them in future. It seems if you say something about rape you get vilified but if you commit a rape and get off with a suspended sentence no one bats an eyelid? How does that make sense?
@Gaz o’keeffe: Ah you need to get with the times Gaz, it’s WORDS that are dangerous. Wev’e an entire generation growing up now who will drop into the fetal position and hyperventilate as if they have an anxiety disorder if you express the slightest disagreement with them OR the other extreme, they’ll boil over into a rage and think you are some kind of irredeemable monster because you hold political opinions different to theirs. Rational debate and logic need not apply
@Gaz o’keeffe: So you think focus should be on the judicial system for failing to incarcerate those convicted of sexually based crimes for long enough, rather than telling people they should stop assigning a proportion of blame/responsibility onto the victims of said crimes, & for people to stop committing said crimes. Do you not realise that the judicial system doesn’t take sexually based crimes seriously because society at large doesn’t. *Cue expected outrage at such a ridiculous statement. Of course, it’s not so ridiculous when you actually look at how people think about bodily autonomy, consent, false accusations, & state over & over why should someone’s life be ruined over a silly little mistake – as has been done during rape trials.
Great to see someone who stood by George Hook given the slot. Also so pleasing to see Dil fired and on the unemployment line. Haha Dil, losing bigly.
@Aldric Montague: Exactly. Dil getting fired? It couldnt happen to a more deserving person. She is a self absorbed tosser.
@Sinead Hanley: I had the misfortune of tuning it once………..i don’t like to talk about it…..the memory brings me out in a rash
@Frank Dubogovik: Not half as bad as tuning into Midday on TV3 with her breastfeeding her newborn on live TV. Then we got chapter and verse of the actual birth a few weeks prior in every detail and how we should be all doing home births and breastfeeding. TMI.
@Sinead Hanley: I don’t understand why everyone is so happy at “some” people losing their jobs and livelihoods. If you don’t like someone’s views, change the channel and stop wishing them ill fortune.
@Aidan O’Leary: She is entitled to her views. Dil would have been perfectly happy if George Hook lost his job for posing a question (albeit very badly). I am not delighted she lost her livlihood. But i am pleased she didnt get her way by forcing her hand. She is not an honest person. She twisted George Hooks words. We can do without such dishonesty in the media.
@Sinead Hanley:reminds me of dantes inferno
@Aidan O’Leary: Well said. Still, it’s all about the ratings, that’s the nature of their careers. Newstalk’s an independent station, so I suppose they welcome any form of publicity.
@Aldric Montague: It should be George Hook on and NOT Kiera Kelly. Bring back GEORGE please otherwise l will be switching the dial!
@Sinead Hanley:
I have never listened to Dils programme on Radio but I did see her on the TV show Midday a few times. Give her a break, she and her partner have two young babies, the youngest 8 weeks old. Not a nice time to lose your job. George Hook on the other hand will manage fine. Most people his age are retired years ago.
Victims didn’t win here, the ones who commit assault won.
Instead of having him on the radio the next day with some expert in this area who could have had a rational discussion with him about consent, victim blaming etc . they created an emotionally charged mob hysteria. Now, instead of having an open discussion nobody learned anything, the only lesson learned for journalists and guys who might need educating on this was “dont’ open your mouth at all lest you loose your job / get your head ripped off” and so anyone with dodgy opinions in this area is now less likley to have those views changed, how can you change their views if you don’t know they have them? and thus won’t be prevented from doing or saying something hurtful or stopping someone else doing so. Well done, flawless own goal.
@Ryan Carroll: totally agree. Nothing learned. I’d have loved a debate the following schedule of the show to why if George was wrong in what he said.
@Ryan Carroll: Though I don’t think what George said was as outrageous as it’s been made out to be, that was a wonderful analysis.
@Ryan Carroll: yeah, give George a chance to blame women again.
@Maeve Marinara: Are you Veronica’s girlfriend?
@Fiona deFreyne: You are missing my point.
If people are afraid to open their mouth at all then their views are never subjected to challenge and can’t be changed. Let me paint a scenario
Lets say scenario A and scenaro B. Big college house party.
In scenario A, the guys had an open discussion about this as they grew up, where they were encouraged to discuss it, it was part of sex ed to discuss where the line is in consent, what the grey areas are etc and when victim blaming comments are made on the radio instead of hysteria and calls for a head theres an actual discussion of WHY it’s wrong and the issue is rolled around in peoples heads more.
In scenario B they grew up in, and live in, todays world where you don’t dare open your mouth on this topic in a group discussion or the media lest you get your head torn off so it’s given little or no thought, and the OTT responses to these things make a certain subset of guys bath in a sense of victim hood instead of questioning their own opinions.
Adam thinks that consent is implied unless she’s actively saying no, and other than that it’s always a green light. In scenario A he’s had that view challenged and when he sees his friends Mike and Josh leading a girl who is so hammered she’s barely conscious upstairs to one of the rooms an alarm bell goes off in his head and he intervenes. In scenario B he’s never really given it much thought because opening your mouth on this is dangerous – he does nothing.
@Maeve Marinara: Minds are changed through open debate and discussion and if you care about solving problems like sexual assault and respecting each other as equal partners not walking sex toys, then you should care about adopting a smart strategy that will actually work. People have to be free to ask honest questions without getting their heads torn off.
I see it work with LGBT stuff if people can talk freely they can learn. Asuming because someone does not hold your exact opinions they must be an irredeemable monster (something sadly seen in the politics of under 30s these days) is childish.
@Rob Poonmeister: you’re on the money there……veronica got a new identity
@Frank Dubogovik: Her comment was deleted. I’m actually amazed.
@the druid: Don’t judge me I really can spell, I just type too fast…people say what’s the point typing fast if you f–k it up I say …profit
@Ryan Carroll: Women AND Men who are sexually assaulted raped etc don’t like being called ‘victims’ just in case you didn’t know. ‘They’ did NOT create an ‘emotionally charged mob hysteria.’ Everyone is having an ‘open’ discussion about the devastating effects of sexual abuse rape etc. :) That’s what we wanted and that’s what we got. ‘Getting your head ripped off’ is a bit dramatic, I think. The ones who commit assault did NOT win because this topic is FAR from a game my friend. The very fact that you would be so insensitive to use that terminology regarding this topic I find quite strange. That’s my view and I’m entitled to it just like anyone else. :)
@Fern Moran:
“‘They’ did NOT create an ‘emotionally charged mob hysteria.’”
The entire country was talking about it, and half were calling for his job in utterly hysterical tones it was classic group think and moral panic.
” Everyone is having an ‘open’ discussion about the devastating effects of sexual abuse rape etc. :) That’s what we wanted and that’s what we got. ”
No man…you REALLY DIDN’T. I saw the comments, listened to the radio, even looked at FB and Twitter on this despite my hate for them and it was all talking about Hook and hooks comments not about consent or rape or victim blaming it was all hook hook hook how hooks this and hooks that. Nobody who had dodgy opinions on this stuff had their mind changed if anything the mob hysteria made the type who are already susceptible to the manosphere heads even more so letting them think they were the victims of an OTT PC attack
Nobody gets offended by the term win, and frankly if you are that fragile go live in a plastic bubble surrounded by bubble wrap in your basement and don’t come out into the real world. Those who commit sexual assault on any level or degree did not have their minds changed and those who might be on the margins of that activity like in my example above didn’t have it changed either – all you taught them was “don’t open your mouth at all”.
@Ryan Carroll: GH never appeared interested in a rational discussion, and both he & Newstalk had ample opportunity to have a rational discussion, they chose not to. Probably because they thought, as has been written by many on here, he said sorry so let’s move on. And contrary to your opinion, this incident has led to discussion. It has led to people who would never have been open to or involved in a discussion regarding sexual violence, having the opportunity to hear from victims. Maybe, just maybe, if people didn’t keep their vitriol at the forefront they might begin to understand why such an incident couldn’t be let lie simply because someone said sorry.
@the druid: …that don’t what? Glass houses and all that jazz!
@Ryan Carroll: People have adult conversations every day. Regardless of what a radio presenter thinks. The media’s there to entertain, in order to make a profit. If you want to educate and inform people, carry on doing that, there’s no law that says that we should all believe ‘what it says in the papers’. I often see people interviewed in Dublin and the report can’t even get their name or age right in the same edition. I’ve never worked with people who thought the media was some sort of gospel reading, everyone I know has a healthy scepticism for daily reports. When people gather to look at the day’s headlines, it’s for the craic, it’s a starting point for discussion in real life, that’s all.
I’d love if they published the listeners rates for Ciara Kelly’s show compared to George Hook’s. It’d be interesting to see if the change ends up being positive or negative for Newstalk
@Robert O’Connor: Her segments were the only good bits of Hook’s shows
@Pharmyco: it will be a different demographic.
@Pharmyco: she is rubbish by comparison to Hook ,the whole thing was blown out of proportion ,what he said was essentially ,don’t be foolish lady’s – men be on your guard it’s something I would say to youngestr’s heading out for the night
@Robert O’Connor: I would say she will do alright as radio listening is habitual. I would turn into Hook 12-1 but always switch away at 1. I didn’t change habits after the mob went after him and have listened to herself a couple of times and it was decent. Looking forward to her coverage of the trial about which Hook spoke.
@Fiona deFreyne: and a lot smaller
Can anyone not voice an opinion anymore without offending the PC brigade?
@oliverjumelle: could you tone down that question please?
@oliverjumelle: Opinions are now illegal. You have been warned.
@oliverjumelle:i am highly offended by your question. Yours,etc
@oliverjumelle: careful now, i’m feeling feelings
The thought police have won again. It will be tampons and tiaras all the way from now on.
In fairness Wickremasinghe has been treated disgracefully while the old dinosaur Hook gets another slot on the weekend after his remarks……..
@Kerry Blake: it is so so fun to see dil tossed on the scrap heap. I am overdosing on schadenfreude.
@Kerry Blake: Treated disgracefully? She gave her employer an ultimatum and refused to do the job she was hired for, how was she treated disgracefully?
@Kerry Blake: Old dinosaur? Very classy.
@Kerry Blake: I like the way you started with “in fairness” then tossed any semblance of fairness out the window.I Don’t like George Hook but having listened to that whole infamous interview the man was wronged…..clear and simple.Good ol Dill who presented a horrendous agenda led ‘show’ got on the populist bandwagon of “lets hang hooky high” and it backfired spectacularly…..she got a p45….Hook got a handy weekend gig
@Rob Poonmeister: Well after listening to him for more years then I care to remember what else would I call an old shock jock who went over the line?
@Simon Carroll: While the cause of the problem George gets a weekend gig after being removed from his weekly post as punishment? Possibly not knowing her and never listening to her programme I might think she has some principles?
@Kerry Blake: No one forced you to listen
@Rob Poonmeister: I’ll repeat again very slowly “and never having listened to her progamme”………
@Frank Dubogovik: I’d say legally newstalk could not have fired hook anyway, he said nothing libellous or racist, he just said something that the politically correct mob did not like. So probably he agreed to the change of show and is probably on full pay until back on air. As for dil she probably only had a rolling contract so they. could fire her at any time
@Kerry Blake: excellent sarcasm. Hook didn’t breach his contract and worked through the manufactured faux outage. She breached her contract with breathtaking arrogance and was fired. Chris Donoghue is irrelevant
@Kerry Blake: ok Kerry, you head in to work tomorrow and let them know you won’t be working until I am removed from the journal because you disagree with my comment and see how that works out. The issue was between hook and management that’s it. We can’t decide who we work with based on outlook or principle. Anyway, if her “principles” imped her ability to do her job she should have quit.
@Kerry Blake: Yeah you didn’t say that to me though did you? How embarrassing.
Any time you made the point “do you really want a world where we can be fired for our political or social opinions”? people came back with “oh but they won’t fire ME for what I say on social media he’s different he’s a journalist”
First people always say it won’t happen to them, but we live in a world where some employers have the brass balls to ask for facebook passwords and scanning social media is now basic to hiring process (though I don’t know how they tell the difference between names, maybe look for at the profile pic post interview) Second it’s even more important he not be fired because he’s a journalist, there was an opportunity there to educate his audience on this stuff, and it was wasted. The Irish always prefer judging to understanding, always always always.
@Ryan Carroll: can i give u some advice, keep it short and sweet.attention spans are not what they use to be
Also finished with newstalk what’s the point if the journalists are censored
@Jimmy Timm: Christ ciara kelly is poor. If they want to finish off newstalk for good they should pair her up with goody bore shoes O’Donohue
Well played Ciara. Planning it a while I’d say. Got others to stick the knife in, which is a must in these situations. Never thought it was going to unravel as it did with the mega bonus of no more Dill Washmachine. Looking forward to George’s new show on the weekends. My guess is he’ll have a bigger jnlr audience than High Poon.
Bye bye Newstalk
Please not the insufferable Clara Kelly. Happy enough to part of ‘Here come the girls’ then when the chance came she stabbed old George in the back.
Nnnooooooooo
“I don’t know Homer Simpson, I never met Homer Simpson, or had any contact with him, but . . . I’m sorry, I can’t go on”
“That’s okay, your tears say more than real evidence ever could.
No surprise. George should never have been removed from the air.
Has she stopped practising as a GP?
@John Dman: multitasking.
You’ll not see me tune into newstalk anymore
She’s good but she’s no Hook.
@Fabio Dillon: Yay, less victim blaming!
Poor Dil, she wrongly assumed anyone gave a damn about her stance and indeed awful show which had one redeeming quality, it’s obscure time slot at a time few would have the misfortune of coming across. Dil seems to have wrongly assumed RTE would come a calling, As for Hooks replacement, I’ve turned the dial, not because of the odious Hook but because of the Ghastly O Briens behaviour since the debacle.
I will not be listening – l find her boring and dull – bring back GEORGE l miss him so much
am i missing something?didn’t she(dil) say that she wouldn’t continue to present her show before it was cancelled?in that case how can she be surprised&upset?nobody forced her it was her decision.that’s what happens to people with big egos they think that they are important,indispensable when in reality they’re not i bet she won’t be missed by too many people!!
I will ask again “is George not entitled to an opinion”. If you did not agree with what he said then argue your point and let the public decide. The old saying springs to mind, when you have nothing to say then say it very loud. Logic not indignation should be the way to go. PC equals bland and Bland equals poor rating. Cannot see the good DR lasting unless she improves dramatically.
She likes her BOTOX doesn’t she?
I think the ratings for that slot will now plummet.
Ya. George had his faults, but The Newstalk Fascist PC snowflake brigade have won the day (For Now). Denis your a whimp after al!!l
GENDER EQUALITY
Forget about George for a minute
I’ve been listening to the show since she took over and it’s pathetic
May not her fault
Perhaps the producers are experimenting with formats to try and suit her style
Better get it right soon or it’s bye bye Ciara
Is it only me that thinks Sarah McInerney would have been a better replacement than Dr. Ciara? I’d still be smarting if my weekday prime time slot was reduced to one token hour at the weekend. Dunno why she hasn’t been filling in for George to date anyway…?
Who’s next?-Ivan better watch his hard shoulder !
@Alan Phillips: hook and yates together hosting the hard shoulder……. that would be class!! NT would sky rocket
Not for me
This one Kelly should stick to doling out the pill, she’d bore me to sleep on the motorway with her common sense and strictly professional approach, the female matt Cooper without any journalistic sensibility or even a hint of a sense of social justice.
Not happy about that.
It was funny to see he lining herself up for it.
Not being to critical of Hook, supporting but not getting too close. #PC #transparent #boring
Is radio really still a ‘thing’ – ?
FGDoB Radio at that
Can’t wait for all the bigot comments to roll in… Go!
@Ryan Boyle: ok well done Ciara
@Ryan Boyle: you stellar f00l! Hook is a hero!
@Alfie Munro: To rapey boll0xis maybe.
George Hook is aged 76, might be time to retire, to be a presenter in 2017 you need to be ultra PC…
And the list goes on! Won’t be listening to Ms Kelly. Maybe she should stick to medicine!
Best of luck to her but her show is rubbish and she won’t last long. I hope all the people that wanted hook gone are tuning in to try keep her on the air
Stuff disappear’s on the journal
ITS NOT NEWS WOMEN ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ABUSE PERPETRATED BY MEN – it is no ones job to help those beyond help; these people are better left behind. Women have had to spend too long educating the male population as to why women are discriminated against for it to continue – they don’t get abroad fine leave them drowning in the sea
@Maeve Marinara: #typo #itsokay #iforgivemyself #imyoung
@Maeve Marinara: #wtf are you blathering on about
T
A story about Ciara Kelly turned into a story about Dil Wickremasinghe, what kind of nonsense did I just read?
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