THERE is little tension in Radio Ireland now. A momentary panic in the eyes of the broadcasters when introduced to journalists from outside is the only sign of the crisis the station was facing last week.
After the battering over the split between the chief executive and the promoters of the station, life at Radio Ireland seemed very normal earlier this week.
In one of the studios, Emily O'Reilly and Gavin Duffy have been rehearsing their programme Daybreak (weekdays 7-9 a.m.). It is vitally important to the schedule. It will set the tone of the station and hope to attract listeners. Its function will be the same as that of Morning Ireland (8-9 a.m.) on RTE, its most popular programme.
Emily and Gavin will present something very different from Morning Ireland, they tell you. The BBC's Radio 5 Live is a template, says Emily. "It cannot just be as good, it must be better if there is to be any incentive to change the dial. People are conservative, especially when it comes to current affairs and news."
They talk of a different pace, with many short items. Its longest item will be as long as Morning Ireland's shortest.
But that is not its only difference. Where Morning Ireland interviews a geneticist regarding the ethical questions relating to cloning sheep, Emily O'Reilly will interview the sheep, she says.
In the newsroom, the journalists are learning how to use the technology, which seems to be the beating heart of the station. It will give the six reporters and four duty editors flexibility.
Producer Anne Marie O'Callaghan is working on Entertainment Today, which will be broadcast between noon and 2 p.m. on weekdays. The programme, presented by ex RTE producer, Philip Bouchier Hayes, will be "intelligent without being highbrow", she says. The mix will be eclectic serious interviews with serious writers and artists, coupled with items looking to see what a person's fridge can tell you about their personality.
Eamon Dunphy is seen coming from an office, presumably one of those meetings where they talk of intelligent programmes and vision.
Meanwhile, further discussions are in progress between senior counsel for Radio Ireland and Mr Dan Collins with a view to achieving an amicable solution.