Broadcaster Eamon Dunphy has promised to go to bed early for his new role as host of NewsTalk 106's morning show.
Asked about concerns that his hectic social life might play havoc with his new job, the broadcaster was blunt: "It's rubbish. I don't have a night life. It's totally exaggerated. When I get up in the morning I write books. I am a morning person . . . There is plenty of time to go out at weekends."
The new show begins on Monday and runs from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Mr Dunphy is thought to be earning €600,000 for presenting it. "I'll be in the leaba early. I also have to go in during the afternoon between four and nine to see what stories we are working on," he said.
He was joining the Dublin station because "NewsTalk has been on the move for quite some time now. It is a station that is going places."
As for politicians, Mr Dunphy said the show would be "choosy enough". While he would not deliberately court controversy, "if I feel it, I'll say it", he said. But he reminded people that during his time on the Last Word he only used bad language about five times.
Advertisers are upbeat about the programme's prospects. Mr Paul McCabe, of MCM Communications, said Mr Dunphy tended to attract younger affluent males aged 25-44 and this in turn attracted advertisers to his show. If the show was to be a success, Dunphy would have to steal listeners from RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said.
