The Gerry Ryan Show
Encyclopedia
The Gerry Ryan Show was RTÉ 2fm
's mid-morning radio show. Presented by Gerry Ryan
until his death
, it was launched in March 1988 and ran from 09:00 - 12:00 on weekday mornings.
Described by the BBC
as "a de-facto forum for the nation, the radio equivalent of The Late Late Show
on RTÉ television", the show, in its later years, popularised the satire of Nob Nation
, spawned the cross-media event Operation Transformation
and provided a launchpad for the career of Ryan Tubridy
.
In March 2008 RTÉ's difficulties in securing a sponsor for a number of their radio shows was placed under the spotlight. The Gerry Ryan Show was one of the shows given away for cheaper than the normal rates.
. GRS was preceded by the ever-changing breakfast slot, currently occupied by The Colm & Jim-Jim Breakfast Show
. Stand-in presenters included Gareth O'Callaghan
, Rick O'Shea
, Jenny Huston
, Avril Hoare
and even axed breakfast host, Marty Whelan
. There were also contributions from Evelyn O'Rourke
, Fiona Looney
(weekly) and Jenny Huston. Looney and Ryan's fondness for one another led to Looney being dubbed Ryan's "on-air wife".
Willie O'Reilly was the show's executive producer until June 1999, and was chief executive of Today FM
at Ryan's death.
In November 1999, RTÉ broadcaster Paddy O'Gorman "outraged the medical establishment" after an appearance on The Gerry Ryan Show to discuss World AIDS Day
when he said that AIDS
was not a heterosexual disease, but exclusively a gay one.
Ryan Tubridy
began his career with The Gerry Ryan Show, working as a teaboy before obtaining his own breakfast show, The Full Irish
, a programme which Gerry Ryan once claimed was "the most exciting broadcast at that hour of the morning since Ian Dempsey
started on Today FM
". Ryan has since stated his belief that it was "a giant act of folly" for Ryan Tubridy to move to RTÉ Radio 1. Ryan viewed Tubridy as "kind of like a son" whom he used to (and still does) lecture frequently. He said he begged him "on bended knees" and "over whiskey" to stay with 2fm but at the same time Ryan was impressed that Tubridy was willing to compete with him directly.
Tubridy has credited Ryan with being "one of the few gentlemen in [RTÉ]", saying he had been "very kind to me when I started out in RTÉ making tea and coffee and right all the way up to the very day I got The Late Late Show
job".
In 2004, Ryan was the subject of controversy when he cancelled an interview with the Taoiseach
of the time, Bertie Ahern
. Ahern had agreed to appear on The Gerry Ryan Show after the delivery of that year's government budget
but moments before he set off for RTÉ's Donnybrook
headquarters, the show's producers rang his office and informed aides that they no longer wished to interview him. Associates of the Taoiseach were said to be "fuming" over the affair, saying "you can't just ask for an interview with the most powerful man in the country and then ditch him as if he was some stand-in celebrity." Ahern was replaced by RTÉ's economics reporter George Lee.
On 12 September 2008, Ryan invited listeners to text in their reasons for loving Ireland in an attempt to dispel all the bad-weathered, financially-troubling and futuristicaly-worrying news that was dominating the headlines at the time. 50 of these reasons were later published on the show's website. These included the scenery, Guinness
, potatoes, the seas and coastline, whiskey, Barry's
and Lyon's tea, Kimberley and Mikado biscuits, the smell of turf
, red hair, homemade brown bread, oysters, Baileys
coffee, hurling, Irish comedians, Irish history, the River Shannon
, Podge and Rodge
, Irish literature, bacon and cabbage
, Irish stew and the GAA
. Some of the choices had connections to the show such as the show itself, Riverdance
(first introduced to the world by the presenter) and, although not the case at the time, The Late Late Show
, which Ryan presented the following month.
Despite repeated reshuffles which have seen all other presenters shifted around, RTÉ never moved The Ryan Show from its traditional slot. After a brief period of decline in his audience, all of the recent JNLR figures showed a consistent and significant increase in his listenership - with his audience growing by almost 15% in the course of the past year (Irish Times, May 16, 2008.) The Green Day
single "Know Your Enemy
" received its first play on Irish radio on The Gerry Ryan Show on 16 April 2009.
During the February 2009 snowfall
Ryan reminded his listeners of a similar snowfall in 1982, when the Government even appointed Tánaiste and Labour party leader Michael O'Leary as the Minister for Snow.
Ryan attracted a complaint for using "coarse language" whilst debating on blasphemy
on 29 April 2009. The presenter asked: "Would it be considered blasphemous if someone said on air that "God is a bollocks?" but the complaint was later rejected.
A 45-year-old caller from Dublin gave an interview in November 2009 about urges he had to stalk, rape and murder women, including air hostesses at Dublin Airport
. The interview led to a garda investigation.
Ryan was reported to be upset in March 2010 when his long-serving producer Siobhan Hough was moved to The Colm & Jim-Jim Breakfast Show
.
His death on 30 April 2010 brought about the end of The Gerry Ryan Show. Fiona Looney presented the show that day prior to the discovery of his corpse in his Leeson Street apartment. Two tribute shows were presented by Evelyn O'Rourke and Brenda Donohue on 1 May and 4 May. Ruth Scott presented the three-hour slot from 5 May until 7 May, described by RTÉ as "an appropriate music programme". The Colm and Lucy Show
then began for one month on 10 May.
The final JNLR figures for The Gerry Ryan Show, released less than a month after Ryan's death, showed the radio programme was Ireland's most listened to among the 20-44 market at this time. This led to Siobhan O'Connell, writing in The Irish Times
s financial section, to call any new show in that slot "the biggest prize right now in radio".
s John Meagher disagreed that this was typical of RTÉ 2fm and Gerry Ryan.
A spin-off show of the demoed songs premiered on RTÉ 2XM
on 5 March 2010, presented by GRS researcher John Bela Reilly.
Following Ryan's untimely death on 30 April 2010, Meagher hoped Undercurrents would be continued by his replacement as "it was a most worthwhile initiative to help young bands garner significant airplay".
RTÉ 2fm
RTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's second national radio station. It broadcasts popular music programming aimed at a young Irish audience.- History :...
's mid-morning radio show. Presented by Gerry Ryan
Gerry Ryan
Gerard "Gerry" Ryan was an Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
until his death
Death of Gerry Ryan
The sudden death of RTÉ broadcaster Gerry Ryan occurred on 30 April 2010. He was 53. Ryan had been presenting The Gerry Ryan Show since 1988 and at the time of his death had the largest audience on RTÉ 2fm...
, it was launched in March 1988 and ran from 09:00 - 12:00 on weekday mornings.
Described by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as "a de-facto forum for the nation, the radio equivalent of The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
on RTÉ television", the show, in its later years, popularised the satire of Nob Nation
Nob Nation
Nob Nation is the title of a series of topical comedy pieces broadcast since November 2006 on two national radio stations in Ireland, RTÉ 2fm and RTÉ Radio 1. The programmes are broadcast Monday through Saturday each week...
, spawned the cross-media event Operation Transformation
Operation Transformation (TV series)
Operation Transformation is an Irish health and fitness programme. The show is a cross-media event broadcast via radio, web and television on RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ.ie and RTÉ One since 2008...
and provided a launchpad for the career of Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy , affectionately known as "Tubs", is an Irish broadcaster and writer, a presenter of live shows on radio and television in Ireland. He has been described as "one of Ireland's most gifted broadcasters"...
.
Sponsorship
At the time of his death Ryan had the largest audience on RTÉ 2fm. He presented the station's only show which was regularly among the top twenty Irish radio shows in Ireland, a show which commanded around €4-5 million for RTÉ per annum, mainly through advertising (one thirty-second advertisement during the show cost €900). This meant RTÉ would have earned €27,000 through advertising per day.In March 2008 RTÉ's difficulties in securing a sponsor for a number of their radio shows was placed under the spotlight. The Gerry Ryan Show was one of the shows given away for cheaper than the normal rates.
Format
The show consisted of topical interviews and phone-ins via the "Ryan Line". Ryan began by discussing the headlines of that morning's newspapers. Following the news update at 10:00, he introduced that morning's Nob Nation, a satirical slot which featured impersonations of politicians and RTÉ media personnel comparable to rival station Today FM's Gift GrubGift Grub
Gift Grub is a series of short comic pieces broadcast on weekdays on the breakfast show of Irish commercial radio station Today FM since 8 May 1999...
. GRS was preceded by the ever-changing breakfast slot, currently occupied by The Colm & Jim-Jim Breakfast Show
The Colm & Jim-Jim Breakfast Show
The Colm & Jim-Jim Breakfast Show was an Irish breakfast radio show, broadcast weekdays on RTÉ 2fm. The show, hosted by Colm Hayes and Jim-Jim Nugent, began broadcasting in March 2007 when the duo moved from rival station FM104....
. Stand-in presenters included Gareth O'Callaghan
Gareth O'Callaghan
Gareth O'Callaghan is an Irish author, radio presenter and former television presenter. He can currently be heard on 4fm, having presented shows on RTÉ 2fm for much of his career until 2005 and then a show on Galway Bay FM....
, Rick O'Shea
Rick O'Shea
Rick O'Shea is an Irish radio personality. He was born in Drimnagh, Dublin 12 and attended and later University College Dublin . He is a DJ on RTÉ 2fm.-Radio:...
, Jenny Huston
Jenny Huston
Jenny Huston is a Canadian presenter of radio and television in Ireland. She is disc jockey on RTÉ 2fm, an occasional presenter on RTÉ Radio 1 and a television presenter with channels operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann.; Huston presents an indie rock and pop music show on Friday nights and a rock...
, Avril Hoare
Avril Hoare
Avril Hoare is a news presenter and reporter from Coolock in Dublin, Ireland. She has worked in the RTÉ Newsroom since 1999.She was a regular presenter of 2fm news and has been a reporter on RTÉ Radio 1's News At One. In 2001 she became part of 2fm's The Full Irish team. She also was a stand in for...
and even axed breakfast host, Marty Whelan
Marty Whelan
Martin 'Marty' Whelan is a Jacob's Award-winning Irish radio and television personality currently working for Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Frequently seen and heard on RTÉ radio and television, he has presented a variety of shows...
. There were also contributions from Evelyn O'Rourke
Evelyn O'Rourke
Evelyn O'Rourke is an Irish radio researcher, roving reporter, presenter and television personality employed by RTÉ and from Dublin.O'Rourke joined RTÉ in 1998 and featured as a researcher on The Gay Byrne Show and The Arts Show on RTÉ Radio 1 before moving on to become roving reporter on Today...
, Fiona Looney
Fiona Looney
Fiona Looney is an Irish columnist, playwright, scriptwriter and media personality. She has been a regular contributor to The Panel and The Gerry Ryan Show.-Career:Looney writes columns for The Daily Irish Mail and Woman's Way....
(weekly) and Jenny Huston. Looney and Ryan's fondness for one another led to Looney being dubbed Ryan's "on-air wife".
Willie O'Reilly was the show's executive producer until June 1999, and was chief executive of Today FM
Today FM
Radio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...
at Ryan's death.
1988–1994
Ryan found the time period around the start of GRS exciting - "the whole machine shook... it was like the space-shuttle engines starting up". The defining moment of the show came in 1993. When Levinia Kerwick was raped and her rapist was convicted but given a suspended sentence, she rang GRS to air her feelings. For the first time it occurred to Ryan that the story was more important than the question. Following this, The Ryan Show became something of a national institution as the oldest show still running on 2fm.1995–2000
In 1997, Ryan's wife Morah, from whom he later separated, phoned her husband's show and, under the name Norah, told half a million listeners that her husband dumps his underpants on the floor before hopping into bed every night, doesn't put his clothes on hangers, had not cleaned the dog's mess from the back yard for weeks and never puts the rubbish out for the dustbin men. When she was done she asked her husband: "You would do that now, wouldn't you Gerry?" The interview was nearing its finish when he realised what was happening after hearing his crew laughing in the Montrose control room. An embarrassed Ryan informed his listeners: "This is my wife talking".In November 1999, RTÉ broadcaster Paddy O'Gorman "outraged the medical establishment" after an appearance on The Gerry Ryan Show to discuss World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
when he said that AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
was not a heterosexual disease, but exclusively a gay one.
2001–2007
Broadcaster and current host of The Late Late ShowThe Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy , affectionately known as "Tubs", is an Irish broadcaster and writer, a presenter of live shows on radio and television in Ireland. He has been described as "one of Ireland's most gifted broadcasters"...
began his career with The Gerry Ryan Show, working as a teaboy before obtaining his own breakfast show, The Full Irish
The Full Irish
The Full Irish was a radio breakfast show on RTÉ 2fm. It ran for three years from 2002 - 2005 and was on air from 7 - 9 am. Ryan Tubridy presented, though he wasn't the only voice to be heard. Shane O'Donoghue read out the leading news in sport and Avril Hoare read out the news. The "holy moley...
, a programme which Gerry Ryan once claimed was "the most exciting broadcast at that hour of the morning since Ian Dempsey
Ian Dempsey
Ian Michael Dempsey is an Irish presenter of television and breakfast radio. He is the long-running presenter of the breakfast show on Today FM, self-titled The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, which runs from 07:00 - 09:00 each weekday morning...
started on Today FM
Today FM
Radio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...
". Ryan has since stated his belief that it was "a giant act of folly" for Ryan Tubridy to move to RTÉ Radio 1. Ryan viewed Tubridy as "kind of like a son" whom he used to (and still does) lecture frequently. He said he begged him "on bended knees" and "over whiskey" to stay with 2fm but at the same time Ryan was impressed that Tubridy was willing to compete with him directly.
Tubridy has credited Ryan with being "one of the few gentlemen in [RTÉ]", saying he had been "very kind to me when I started out in RTÉ making tea and coffee and right all the way up to the very day I got The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
job".
In 2004, Ryan was the subject of controversy when he cancelled an interview with the Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
of the time, Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
. Ahern had agreed to appear on The Gerry Ryan Show after the delivery of that year's government budget
Government budget
A government budget is a legal document that is often passed by the legislature, and approved by the chief executive-or president. For example, only certain types of revenue may be imposed and collected...
but moments before he set off for RTÉ's Donnybrook
Donnybrook, Dublin
Donnybrook is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the city, in the Dublin 4 postal district, and is home to the Irish state broadcaster RTÉ. It was once part of the Pembroke Township...
headquarters, the show's producers rang his office and informed aides that they no longer wished to interview him. Associates of the Taoiseach were said to be "fuming" over the affair, saying "you can't just ask for an interview with the most powerful man in the country and then ditch him as if he was some stand-in celebrity." Ahern was replaced by RTÉ's economics reporter George Lee.
2008–2010
A complaint against a July 2008 programme which featured an author reading about life as a homosexual prostitute was upheld by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission.On 12 September 2008, Ryan invited listeners to text in their reasons for loving Ireland in an attempt to dispel all the bad-weathered, financially-troubling and futuristicaly-worrying news that was dominating the headlines at the time. 50 of these reasons were later published on the show's website. These included the scenery, Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
, potatoes, the seas and coastline, whiskey, Barry's
Barry's Tea
Barry's Tea is an Irish tea company founded in 1901 in Cork City. Until the 1960s, tea was sold from a shop in Prince's Street, but thereafter as a result of its increasing popularity, the company expanded its wholesaling and distribution operations. By the 1990s, the company had become one of...
and Lyon's tea, Kimberley and Mikado biscuits, the smell of turf
Sod
Sod or turf is grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of thin material.The term sod may be used to mean turf grown and cut specifically for the establishment of lawns...
, red hair, homemade brown bread, oysters, Baileys
Baileys Irish Cream
Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish whiskey and cream based liqueur, made by Gilbeys of Ireland. The trademark is currently owned by Diageo. It has a declared alcohol content of 17% alcohol by volume...
coffee, hurling, Irish comedians, Irish history, the River Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
, Podge and Rodge
Podge and Rodge
Pádraig Judas O'Leprosy and Rodraig Spartacus O'Leprosy are the two central characters on A Scare at Bedtime, an Irish adult comedy televised puppet show. Created and performed by Ciaran Morrison and Mick O'Hara, more recently, the brothers have presented The Podge and Rodge Show, a chat show in...
, Irish literature, bacon and cabbage
Bacon and Cabbage
Bacon and cabbage is a dish traditionally associated with Ireland. The dish consists of unsliced back bacon boiled with cabbage and potatoes. Sometimes other vegetables such as turnips, onions and carrots are also added...
, Irish stew and the GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
. Some of the choices had connections to the show such as the show itself, Riverdance
Riverdance
Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish stepdancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary. It originated as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, a moment that is still considered a significant...
(first introduced to the world by the presenter) and, although not the case at the time, The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
, which Ryan presented the following month.
Despite repeated reshuffles which have seen all other presenters shifted around, RTÉ never moved The Ryan Show from its traditional slot. After a brief period of decline in his audience, all of the recent JNLR figures showed a consistent and significant increase in his listenership - with his audience growing by almost 15% in the course of the past year (Irish Times, May 16, 2008.) The Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
single "Know Your Enemy
Know Your Enemy (Green Day song)
-Charts:-Year-end charts:-Personnel:* Billie Joe Armstrong - guitar, lead vocals* Mike Dirnt - bass guitar, backing vocals* Tre Cool - drums, percussion...
" received its first play on Irish radio on The Gerry Ryan Show on 16 April 2009.
During the February 2009 snowfall
February 2009 Great Britain and Ireland snowfall
The snowfall across the British Isles in February 2009 was a prolonged period of snowfall that began on 1 February 2009. Some areas experienced their largest snowfall levels in 18 years. Snow fell over much of Western Europe. The United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann issued severe...
Ryan reminded his listeners of a similar snowfall in 1982, when the Government even appointed Tánaiste and Labour party leader Michael O'Leary as the Minister for Snow.
". . .the nation seemed to go into collective shock when the biggest snow fall in 40 years hit this country", read Ryan from a report of the chaos caused. "Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald even cut short his sun holiday in the Canary Islands as the country came to a standstill. The snow was up to 1.5 meters deep in some areas and temperatures dropped as low as minus 7 degrees. Gale force easterly winds caused electricity to be knocked out in many areas and businesses and schools closed all across the country."
Ryan attracted a complaint for using "coarse language" whilst debating on blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
on 29 April 2009. The presenter asked: "Would it be considered blasphemous if someone said on air that "God is a bollocks?" but the complaint was later rejected.
A 45-year-old caller from Dublin gave an interview in November 2009 about urges he had to stalk, rape and murder women, including air hostesses at Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
. The interview led to a garda investigation.
Ryan was reported to be upset in March 2010 when his long-serving producer Siobhan Hough was moved to The Colm & Jim-Jim Breakfast Show
The Colm & Jim-Jim Breakfast Show
The Colm & Jim-Jim Breakfast Show was an Irish breakfast radio show, broadcast weekdays on RTÉ 2fm. The show, hosted by Colm Hayes and Jim-Jim Nugent, began broadcasting in March 2007 when the duo moved from rival station FM104....
.
His death on 30 April 2010 brought about the end of The Gerry Ryan Show. Fiona Looney presented the show that day prior to the discovery of his corpse in his Leeson Street apartment. Two tribute shows were presented by Evelyn O'Rourke and Brenda Donohue on 1 May and 4 May. Ruth Scott presented the three-hour slot from 5 May until 7 May, described by RTÉ as "an appropriate music programme". The Colm and Lucy Show
The Colm and Lucy Show
The Colm and Lucy Show is an Irish talk radio show broadcast on RTÉ 2fm. It is presented by Colm Hayes and Lucy Kennedy. The Colm and Lucy Show began on 10 May 2010 and is a temporary replacement for the The Gerry Ryan Show in the vacant 09:00 AM - 12:00 midday slot during weekdays...
then began for one month on 10 May.
The final JNLR figures for The Gerry Ryan Show, released less than a month after Ryan's death, showed the radio programme was Ireland's most listened to among the 20-44 market at this time. This led to Siobhan O'Connell, writing in The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
s financial section, to call any new show in that slot "the biggest prize right now in radio".
Operation Transformation
The now cross-media event Operation Transformation originated on The Gerry Ryan Show.Undercurrents
In 2010, Ryan launched Undercurrents, a Friday slot airing unsigned unplaylisted Irish acts who then had their details published on his website. The Irish IndependentIrish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
s John Meagher disagreed that this was typical of RTÉ 2fm and Gerry Ryan.
A spin-off show of the demoed songs premiered on RTÉ 2XM
RTÉ 2XM
RTÉ 2XM is a digital radio station of the Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann.-History:Initially the broadcaster placed the station on the digital terrestrial television trial service in late October 2007. Along with 5 other new digital stations, RTÉ Choice was launched on 1...
on 5 March 2010, presented by GRS researcher John Bela Reilly.
Following Ryan's untimely death on 30 April 2010, Meagher hoped Undercurrents would be continued by his replacement as "it was a most worthwhile initiative to help young bands garner significant airplay".
External links
- The Gerry Ryan Show - Home website
- The Gerry Ryan Show - Audio archive