Was it for this?

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Ètait-ce Pour Cela? July 4, 1913 Was It For This? Era Que Para Este?

75 thoughts on “Good Morning Paddy”

  2. Mehlol

    You have to feel for poor old UTV Ireland. They grossly underestimated the viewing habits of the Irish public. You could see the penny begin to drop over the Christmas as people realised that they’re weren’t’ just getting a regional variation of UTV – basically the same schedule with a few local news items. No, they were getting a whole new channel with nothing to offer but shittly movies (Far & Away), repeats of old UK shows and an alright news service that frankly we don’t need. The backlash has been quite funny to watch – I pity the poor sod who looks after their social media accounts – having to read nothing but a barrage of abuse and demands that the old channel is reinstated. They even tried to blame their shocking ratings on UPC hiking up their prices. The fact is – they have nothing to offer and all that’s rating well are the soaps they poached from TV3. It will be very interesting to see if they can turn it around but it has been a bit of a disaster so far, certainly from a PR point of view.

    1. Soundings

      Gway outta that. after less than a nonth UTVi has 5% share of viewing compared with 8% for TV3.. Their news output is actually quite good but it will take time to build audience. Pat Kenny is coming down the line in March apparently (I thought he was going to there from the get-go) and Pat will give RTE and TV3 a wallop.

      Contrary to what the Irish press would have you believe, Red Rock has not being doing well, first night in January was 225,000 viewers (don’t know where papers got 400,000+), second night was 185,000 and it has been declining since. Last week’s two shows were just 130,000 and 112,000 – that’s the same as Family Fortunes and similar to Judge Judy. Red Rock is dying on its feet, despite being critically well received.

      UTVI is on track to overtake TV3 after Pat Kenny launches. It will take around €20m of the €200m TV ad market in 2015, and TV3 is facing a bleak future.

        1. Soundings

          Does UTVI do films? To be honest, other than their 10pm news, I don’t really watch it (having said that, their Benidorm continuing drama was on last night, and I did watch that). If you were expecting UTVI to be UTV, C4 or the BBC, or even RTE, you’ll be sorely disappointed.

          Don’t know what you find to be “crap”, the audience shares are from monitoring companies, and 5% after one month is not bad (though of course the soaps will have carried them). Where is the TV3 response? Red Rock? Look at the ratings, they’ve halved in less than a month, and at the current trajectory will be 70-90,000 viewers by the end of February.

          I couldn’t care less about UTVI itself, I was just hoping it would shake up the market, and prompt the competitors to produce better programmes.

  3. Eamonn Clancy

    You ain’t seen nothing yet! Come to think of it, we haven’t seen anything apart from a corny nighttime news that appears like a Fringe Festival show.

    1. Soundings

      Gway outta that, Chris Donohoe is light years ahead of Brian Dobson or any RTE news presenter. I know appearance shouldn’t be of paramount importance but I increasingly think “morbidly” when watching RTE news (what’s happening with that sports presenter, or is it just my TV that goes to letterbox when she appears), UTV has terrific domestic coverage and reasonably knowlegeable presenters. For foreign news, it has the might of the ITV news behind it. Give it time, UTVI news will overtake TV3 in six months, and in a year it will be battling with RTE.

        1. Clampers Outside!

          It would actually Frilly, it would put UTVIreland as the second most viewed channel in the country, where TV3 is presently, if they did that.

          It’s possible if UTVIre can get the mix right as they’re a head-to-head competitor with TV3 now with near like for like programming content. But I dopubt that would happen… it would actually be huge news if they did surpass TV3 for number of viewers.

          My tuppence.

        1. Joe the Lion

          I’d love to see Julian Critchley and a tag team of Miriam O’Callaghan and Claire Byrne fight it out with a bout of barechested mud-wrestling

    1. sickofallthisbs

      Kneel aon doubta ar bit a Utlachaigháin – Conas atááá do madra? Níl aon seomra on seo for gealgoirí phoney agus ainm tokenúil, nach will?

          2. Ultach

            That “Muimhneach thú?” was aimed at Sickofallthisbs, Frilly, but thanks for your frank admission anyway. (you’ll appreciate I’ve not got a very good aim, as an Ulsterman),

    2. Caroline

      I can assure you no true West Brit will be watching that rubbish. It’s Today on Radio 4 for us, of course.

  5. Barbara

    It seems to be a bit of a disaster alright. Thank goodness TV3 are showing Broadchurch cause it’s not on UTV Ireland. Big oversight.

    1. Soundings

      Is that right? I know Broadchurch is on TV3 but isn’t it just the latest series, the original which most people think was far superior is owned by UTVI. Might be wrong on that though. Sorry, don’t watch it, just know that critics weren’t happy with the latest series in the UK.

        1. bisted

          …Bernice Harrison is a great critic…her saturday review in the Irish Times is compulsive reading for me…even things I haven’t watched. Her review of the first epidode of Red Rock was very complimentary.

  6. ivan

    “The programme, (Good Morning Britain) which runs from 6am to 8.30am on weekdays, was launched last year as a replacement for the previous ITV breakfast show Daybreak, which in turn had been lauded as the successor to the long-running GMTV, but was a flop with viewers.”

    Of course the show that ran before GMTV was called, er, Good Morning Britain as well. Ah Roland Rat, Ann Diamond and Wincy Willis. With Jimmy Greaves previewing the telly…good times!

  7. Frilly Keane

    The non stop countdown bullshittery out of the them was irritant enough

    But the ” not available to viewers in the Republic of Ireland” that ran accoss their UTVIreland logo… A joke outfit at best. Crass pig ignorance on the other hand.

    To then promo shows like the new Foyles War, but give us the repeats.
    Just who the ück do they think they are.

    The more morta they are and look the better afaic

  8. Mehlol

    It will be hilarious to see the reaction when the Champions League comes around and fans realize that UTV Ireland won’t be showing that either…

    1. HappyDub

      “Coming up next, live coverage of Barcelona v Inter Milan, with commentary from Chris Donoghue and Amanda Brunker”.

      Probably best that they not cover the Champion’s League.

  9. Soundings

    Oh no, what with RTE 2 being dominated by US programmes in prime time (Simpsons, Big Bang Theory and other Chuck Lorre comedies), TV3 being dominated by the X Factor and Judge Judy (you’re just about in the Top 20 and with one or two shows a week, Vincent), 3e being dominated by Friends/70s Show and the odd film, and UTV being dominated by Brit drama including soaps, RTE 1 is really the only channel championing Irish programming, and even it is dotted with Eastenders and US films.

    More Late Late, Saturday Show, Fair City and light weight current affairs and dodgy news.

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      The content really is rehashed and stale when you list it out like that. All the more reason for selective TV viewing, box-set drama and a fresh look at radio-programme offerings and podcasts. The latter two I recommend. There IS an off-button on the TV.

      1. Soundings

        Irish TV is just dire, and the government should negotiate with Freeview for an extension, their commercial channels would have greater advertising reach and surely we could get BBC under some peace process provision; abolish the Irish licence fee and let RTE fight it out with TV3 and UTV – when the RTE chairman (woman, not sure what’s politically correct any more) justifies Ray D’arsey’s rumoured €500,000 salary by saying it’s covered by sponsorship, RTE crossed a line in buffoonery.

    2. ReproBertie

      It’s like you’ve never heard of TG4 where usually at least every second programme in the evening is Irish made.

      1. Soundings

        You’re right, but apart from Breaking Bad and some of their art house films, I really watch little of TG4, my Irish is rusty, their sports coverage is at the minor end of the spectrum, do they even do current affairs. I couldn’t name you a single personality innately linked to TG4, and I think most people are in the same boat.

        1. ReproBertie

          My point was more in their championing of Irish made programmes than in you watching them.

          Sports wise they show GAA (league and club games live and delayed – this weekend they’re showing Kerry Mayo live followed by Cork Dublin), rugby (Pro12, European Cups and World Cup) and boxing (usually the amateur finals from the national stadium). They also have a weekly Seó Spóirt hosted by Dara Ó Cinnéide which is a panel discussion show with highlights.

          For current affairs they have the nuacht (obviously), Róisín (a weekly panel discussion) and also a number of documentaries (cogar and fíorscéal). They also do a lot of music and arts shows,

          2. Dubloony

            Garrai Glas is one of the best gardening shows ever. Its hilarious. Showing the disasters of beginners battle with slugs as well more conventional gardening tips. RHS Riddley it ain’t. The more recent series have moved in traditional plant use and questioning effectiveness of traditional cures (yes, they taste horrible). You’ll never look at a weed again the same way.

          3. Soundings

            You right Bertie, its schedule is dominated by Irish-made programmes. I’ve never before heard of Roisin,but I’ll look out for it, thanks.

        2. Spaghetti Hoop

          In fairness, the great thing about TG4 is its lack of personalities and egos. The documentaries all have subtitles and long live their Westerns (!!)…..even the adverts are kept to minimum.

  10. ollie

    They need to learm from rte. develop a terrible lotto show hosted by a terrible “boy band” presenter, watch the ratings dive but refuse to do feck all about it except not to blame the terrible presenter. shure we don’t want to upset Louee!

  11. Ciarán

    Rebrand it ‘Good Morning Britain and Ireland’ ,import one or two token Irish presenters to do links and occasional reportage. Problem solved

  12. mcgenius

    Meanwhile the “proper” UTV (including the HD version) broadcasts its satellite signal in the clear, and is available to anyone with a Sky box or satellite free to air receiver.

  14. markgdub

    Hi Soundings,

    For someone who cares little about UTV Ireland (why are you reducing our sovereign nation to a small I?), you are spending a fair amount of time sourcing hard to come by facts.

    Do us a favour and stop pretending to be a well informed ling time reader, first time poster.

  15. Jane

    Why is everyone ignoring that triumph of programming for an Irish audience, James ‘One of Our Own’ Nesbitt tours somewhere?

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