Radio legend Dave Fanning to 'step back' from 2FM show after 44 years
Dave Fanning: the Fanning's Fab 50 man has elected to move into digital radio
RTÉ broadcaster Dave Fanning has announced via social media that he is to 'step back' from his weekend show on RTÉ 2FM after 44 years, but will continue broadcasting on digital radio, on TV and online.
He has presented the Dave Fanning Show on the station since May 1979, most recently occupying a Saturday morning slot on the youth station following decades of weekday-evening broadcasting.
In an Instagram post, Fanning announced his intentions to kick off a new music show on RTÉ Gold, a digital service dedicated to nostalgia-themed music shows, as well as launching a music podcast via the state broadcaster's RTÉ Radio Player app.
The presenter said: "I've been thinkin' 'bout this for the past few years and have decided to step back from my weekend show on 2FM to spread the word of Fanning on the digital empire.
"A busy year ahead, see you along the way."
Among the regular routines of Fanning's devoted listeners were in-studio sessions dubbed 'Fanning Sessions', which saw many young Irish bands cut their studio teeth throughout the 80s and 90s in live performance, and Fanning's Fab 50, an annual rundown of listeners' favourite songs.
The Fab 50 returns next month on RTÉ Gold, as 'Fanning's Fabbest 50', a documentary series, while curated RTÉ Gold music blocks like 'Irish Music: 60s-2000s' and a 2FM St Patrick's Day's special on U2, will see Fanning maintain a busy presence on the State broadcaster.
Fanning's relationship with U2 will be among his defining legacies to Irish music - regarded as one of the Irish media figures who helped 'break' the band early on, the four-piece has continued to world-premiere new singles via the Dave Fanning Show over the course of their career.
