RedFM axes three stars with Prendeville pending

The pioneering DJ whose show won RedFM its first industry award is one of several high-profile axings as part of a major reshuffle at the radio station.

Stevie G, who presented the station’s daily evening show and the hugely-respected Black on Red on Saturday evenings, Victor Barry, who has presented Cork Talks Back for a decade, and Red Rooster breakfast presenter Seamus Barry are among the station’s stars who are being left go.

RedFM chief executive Diarmuid O’Leary said they will all leave over the coming weeks.

He confirmed last night that talks with Stevie G on future collaborations are continuing, fuelling hopes that his Black on Red show will survive.

“We are hoping that he will stay on in a limited capacity at weekends,” Mr O’Leary said.

“But we took the view that we’d only do one live talk show in a 24-hour period.”

DJ Shane Buckley will move from his mid-morning slot to present Stevie G’s daily evening show.

Seamus Barry will be replaced on March 31 by Today FM presenter KC, who will co-present a new breakfast show with Jason Coughlan, who is part of the current set-up.

Stevie G announced his departure in a blog post over the weekend. Victor Barry confirmed his departure on his show last night.

“You’ve got to respect the business decision. My phone is always ringing and I view this as an opportunity for a fresh start,” Stevie G wrote.

After years of DJing in clubs and presenting on pirate stations Dross FM and Radio Friendly, RedFM approached the R&B, soul, and hip-hop specialist in 2004 with the opportunity to mix live on radio.

His Black on Red show went on to become one of the best shows in the country — hugely respected in the music industry.

“Proceeding to do 12 years on RedFM was unimaginable and I can still remember the day I got that job as being one of my best. Black on Red won us our first PPI award,” he wrote.

“We all know how conservative radio and TV is by its nature but sometimes from the inside you can help things progress in some ways too.”

Stevie G said he now plans to take some time off before releasing some of his own music and spending more time helping to run the Pavilion, a music venue in Cork City.

Victor Barry was not available for comment last night.

The sweeping changes follow the station’s announcement last week that it has poached 96 FM’s Neil Prendeville and his production team to present a new talk show on RedFM from March 31.