RTÉ Radio 1’s top presenters are settling in nicely behind the scenes following the station’s biggest ever shakeup, according to Louise Duffy, who provides the ‘really important’ hour of respite from current affairs.
This week was the first of a new schedule that sees David McCullagh taking up Claire Byrne’s old slot, Kieran Cuddihy in the Liveline hot seat, and Katie Hannon and Colm ? Mongáin starting on Drivetime at the earlier time of 4pm.
And adding a splash of colour in the form of an hour of music is Louise, now beginning at 3pm instead of noon, who said she is glad the importance of music was recognised in the reshuffle.
Pic: Louise Duffy/Instagram
Even Louise can find sanctuary in lovely music on particularly stressful days, said the mother of two, who recently completed a home renovation with her husband Paul Galvin.
‘By and large, things are moderately peaceful in my world, thankfully. But even if they’re not, you’ve got to go in there and do what you’re there to do, and that is to give people an hour of good music, and easy-going conversation about the music.
‘You have to be mindful of your energy. But honestly, I go down to that studio every day and, even with the build or whatever we were doing there in our personal lives, there were days when there was a lot going on, but I go down almost there and it’s like a haven.
Pic: Louise Duffy/Instagram
‘You close the door, it’s soundproof, nobody can contact you during that hour. I enjoy it so thoroughly. It’s amazing. So it’s almost therapeutic for me. I hope I’m not the only one who would think that, but it really is. It’s a lovely job.’
The presenter said it was ‘amazing’ how quickly things have reverted to business as usual this week.
She told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘The first day you’re kind of thinking, “Wow, this is such a huge change.”
‘But day two is just back to normal radio, really. Listening to David [McCullagh] he sounds like he was always there, and Oliver [Callan]’s show – fantastic, just double the time. The content is just as rich.
RTÉ Radio 1 Louise Duffy. Pic: RTÉ
‘Even [new Drivetime presenters] Katie [Hannon] and Colm [? Mongáin] coming after me – they sound absolutely brilliant. Such a strong energy and really good dynamic between the two of them.’
The Mayo woman said she ‘would have expected’ a hectic week at Montrose but insisted it ‘doesn’t feel that way at all’ on the inside.
‘Everybody’s rather calm going around the place,’ she said, adding that the broadcasting locations are ‘quite spread out’ on the campus.
‘I’m in the radio centre and Oliver Callan’s show is here, and the other new shows, like David McCullagh, Liveline and Drivetime are over in Stage 7, so it seems rather calm from where I’m sitting.’
Pic: Louise Duffy/Instagram
Part of the reason for the scheduling overhaul was the salary cap introduced at the national broadcaster, which dictates that nobody can earn more than directorgeneral Kevin Bakhurst.
That meant outgoing presenters like Claire Byrne were facing a significant pay cut when their contracts came up for renewal.
Duffy played down the relevance of the salary cap among RTÉ staff, saying it ‘only impacts a very small percentage of people working here’.
‘It’s not something that is coming up in conversation, or people are mindful of in my day to day,’ she said. ‘Look, it’s there. It’s a big conversation outside RTÉ. But on a day to day, it only impacts a very small few, so it’s not something that we’re discussing too much.’
Louise Duffy. Pic: Maxwells
Of her own place in an ecosystem dominated by current affairs, the ‘huge music fan’ said she ‘would always like more’ than just an hour of songs in the entire daytime schedule, but noted Radio 1 is ‘predominantly a talk station’.
She added: ‘I think music can’t be underestimated for what it does for people. I think it can lift you; it can bring you somewhere. And I think it’s very, very important, and I’m really glad that it was recognised in this reshuffle.
‘When a schedule has changed, anything could have happened. So I’m really glad and grateful that the importance of for that hour of music was recognised.’
