It has been a week of high drama at the national broadcaster – and the woman driving much of it is RTÉ director of audio Patricia Monahan.
On Friday, the flagship Radio 1 announced its new daytime schedule, bringing in some new names and losing others.
Newstalk and Virgin Media Television presenter Kieran Cuddihy will be the new permanent Liveline host, after the retirement of Joe Duffy, while in the afternoon, Louise Duffy will front a new programme in Ray D’Arcy’s old slot.
D’Arcy confirmed his departure from the station on Thursday – saying he was “hugely disappointed” with how RTÉ management had handled it.
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It will have been a busy and challenging period for Monahan, the ex-Newstalk managing editor who has been lauded by RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst as an “invaluable addition” to management there.
Colleagues from her broadcasting alma mater describe Monahan as very hard-working and diligent. Over recent months she has mapped out a major reconfiguration of the Radio 1 roster.
The shock departure of Claire Byrne – who is heading the other direction to Newstalk – means current Six One News presenter David McCullagh inherits a new 9am slot that will pitch him directly against Byrne.
Meanwhile, Oliver Callan gets a new two-hour programme at 11am and Drivetime has two new presenters – Colm O’Mongáin and Katie Hannon.
Ivan Yates says Monahan’s appointment last year was a significant loss to Newstalk.
“I found her very professional – and a really tough person,” says Yates, who presented under Monahan’s watch for more than 10 years.
“She has a very pleasant exterior – but she is tough. Anyone who underestimates her does so at their peril.”
Yates describes her as a “flinty” Border woman who is well able to cut costs when needed and manage budgets.
“She will have been a bit of a culture shock to some people in RTÉ. She is the opposite of a snowflake,” he says.
Industry observers have noted the scale of the changes that have been implemented in Montrose since Monahan arrived.
“It’s a bold statement by RTÉ – and is effectively a station relaunch,” says Monahan’s former boss at Newstalk, Garrett Harte.
“In the commercial world it is quite a normal environment to be in, but for RTÉ this is arguably the biggest shake-up of its schedule in a generation – if not in the last 50 years.”
For weeks, RTÉ staffers had been discussing the possibility that Cuddihy was being considered for the Liveline position.
Monahan told RTÉ Radio on Friday that Cuddihy had applied for a presenting role as part of the “expression of interest” process it ran earlier this year.
The move creates not just a headache for Newstalk, but for Virgin Media Television, where he has been hosting The Tonight Show.
His arrival in Ballymount earlier this year came alongside the departure of Ciara Kelly and Claire Brock, along with the cutting-back of the show from four weeknights to two.
The announcement caught some staff in Ballymount unawares – Cuddihy had been planning to tell colleagues over the coming days, but was beaten to it by a report in the Irish Independent.
Monahan confirmed on Friday that Cuddihy would not be presenting on Virgin in the long term, and after working out a notice period he would concentrate solely on Liveline.
Yates says he was not surprised at Cuddihy being poached.
“I feel Kieran is very suited to RTÉ – he’s pretty ‘woke’,” says Yates. “He will fit in fairly well there. He is quite modern in that regard – I always felt his heart was not in a conservative place like Newstalk.
Overseeing the implementation of the new schedule is managing editor of RTÉ Radio 1 Mark Simpson, who was Monahan’s number two at Newstalk. Many producers and editors have also followed the path from the private station to the national broadcaster.
People who know her say Monahan’s interests are firmly on the news and current affairs side of things – and they echo some of the concerns expressed in the RTÉ Radio Centre that entertainment and sports might take a back seat during her tenure.
Speaking on the News at One, she said her focus was on giving listeners what they want and they need – and that the new schedule would “keep the very best” of Radio 1. This included, she said, “arts, culture and sports”.
Media experts warn that Monahan’s biggest challenge will be managing “talent” over the next few years. Several noses will have been put out of joint by Friday’s announcements – and keeping everyone happy will be a near impossible task.
According to Monahan, keeping the listeners happy is what is most important.
