Gareth O'Callaghan: RTÉ Radio 1 will soon be unrecognisable after Ray D'Arcy's sudden departure
Ray D'Arcy needs to be busy, to be behind the microphone; so I doubt if he’s going to be away from it for long. File picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
Ray D'Arcy presented his final RTÉ Radio 1 show yesterday. That was pretty much the sum total of a short statement issued by the broadcaster earlier this afternoon. He was gone before any of his listeners even knew he was leaving.
There were no goodbyes, no explanations, no hints as to what lies ahead for him. He’s simply no longer there, as I discovered when I tuned in earlier today. Instead, Shay Byrne was sounding as though he had always been there in the afternoons, sounding cosy and familiar.
So where has Ray gone? And why such an abrupt departure?
In a follow-up statement issued earlier today, Ray said he was “hugely disappointed with RTÉ management and how my departure from Radio 1 has been handled”. He then went on to thank his team and to highlight some of the show’s best moments over the years.
It would be easy to speculate, but let’s tread carefully. Radio 1 is in a state of flux.
When you look across its weekday schedule, it will soon be unrecognisable considering it has lost Áine Lawlor and Mary Wilson from , Ryan Tubridy (even though he’s been gone for over two years – he’s still sorely missed by many), Claire Byrne (who departs next month for Newstalk), Joe Duffy, who retired at the end of June, and now Ray D'Arcy.
D'Arcy’s mid-morning show on Today FM, which he presented for 14 years, was a ratings winner. Following the sudden death of Gerry Ryan, RTÉ were so worried that he would simply absorb Gerry’s restless audience, that they reached out and made him an offer — which included his own Saturday night television show — that he couldn’t resist.
I always felt Ray should have held on and stayed put. Today FM’s star was in the ascendant in 2015, while RTÉ radio in general was taking on water. It was a huge gamble, but I sensed he was relieved to be back in his old stomping ground.
So where to for our Mister D'Arcy? Ray is one of the more likeable people in broadcasting. He’s what I call companionable. He’s a great listener and storyteller. He’s also uncomfortable when he’s not focused on something proactive. He needs to be busy, to be behind the microphone; so I doubt if he’s going to be away from it for long.
It's hard to judge by his statement whether he was aware he was leaving. Whether it was his own decision, or RTÉ had other plans, will no doubt become apparent in the days to come.
I understand he met with RTÉ director of audio, Patricia Monahan, earlier this week. Whatever transpired during that conversation clearly led to his sudden departure — so sudden, he wasn’t given the chance to say goodbye.
With the departure of so many of its top-ranking presenters, RTÉ now has its first opportunity to reshape the entire Radio 1 schedule with new presenters and a more progressive style. Clearly that plan is now in motion.
As former managing editor at Newstalk, Monahan is renowned for resilience, leadership and passion for broadcasting. I really believe that Radio 1 is about undergo its biggest makeover in decades.
As for Ray, I have known him for quite some years, and I always felt he was well capable of a more demanding interactive radio show than what he has been presenting in the afternoons on Radio 1 for over 10 years now. There were days when I thought I could hear the frustration in his voice, although it was rare.
It’s difficult to fill a national radio show with good content five days a week, but in fairness to Ray, he always put on a good spread.
He will be missed, but not for long I hope.
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