Una Mullally: Blame for The 2 Johnnies controversy lies squarely with 2FM

RTÉ’s 2FM faced yet another controversy last week when new recruits The 2 Johnnies – a successful podcast that 2FM brought in to fill a three-hour daytime slot in its programming – was admonished publicly, politically and professionally within and outside RTÉ.

A video clip of their podcast recording, featuring the presenters reading out sexist car sticker slogans, also featured a promotion for their 2FM show. The presenters were then taken off air, just three days into their new gig. What a mess. But what did 2FM expect?

The excuse around context is valid in some ways. The presenters weren’t themselves inventing sexist slogans. They were repeating existing slogans. But that’s an excuse, not a justification.

The presenters’ defence – that they were reading out slogans listeners had sent in and then labelling them “too far” or “scandalous”, and that this somehow provides a valid context for laughing, even in faux shock, about equating women to tyres and using the slur of “slut” – is disingenuous. It’s not as if they had decided to do some kind of campaign against sexist car stickers (which would be a rather odd and boring endeavour).

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They were reading them out for the purpose of hand-over-the-mouth “I shouldn’t be laughing at this” sad edginess, titillation, and to inhabit the kind of flat terrain that plagues Irish talk radio more generally, and presumably also the very tired reason 2FM hitched their wagon to them: the idea that everything can be slotted into two categories, “gas” or “banter”.

Bigger picture

The 2 Johnnies podcast is not to my taste, and that’s fine. There’s no point raging against something popular just because you’re not the audience. Each to their own. But for 2FM, there is a bigger picture being missed.

The 2 Johnnies’ brand of banter is already successful. They have their own outlet with their podcast and live shows, and a large fan base.

So the question for 2FM is: what are the pair doing on the station? For me, the “shock” surrounding the incident is not that this is the flavour and brand of The 2 Johnnies’ humour – which they’re entitled to have, no matter how silly or offensive anyone who’s not interested in this finds it – but that they would continue to have their podcast after securing a very high-profile presence on RTÉ.

2FM recently found itself in another controversy, when they cut loose the popular broadcaster Louise McSharry, who was making excellent programming

Surely 2FM’s exclusivity to The Two Johnnies brand would have been a smart prerequisite? Otherwise, a podcast known for basic, low-brow banter is effectively out of the station’s control, while its content is now simultaneously tied to the station, given that they are also broadcasting under the 2FM brand.

The situation reveals an odd commissioning tactic. Why is it that 2FM didn’t look to their own talent, develop their own ideas, nurture something that feels elevated rather than in the gutter, for daytime programming? Why was there no concern, in this age of scrutiny, that this situation was inevitable?

In fact, if anything, the likelihood of a controversy emerging was well signposted. The 2 Johnnies began their week on 2FM with a sort of “I can’t believe we’ve been let in here” giddiness.

When their 2FM show was announced, it felt as though even the new RTÉ presenters themselves realised it was a bit of a curveball destined to smack someone in the face.

At the time, the 2 Johnnies said, “It’s uncharted waters for us, but we look forward to trying not to crash every day. We’re going to try stuff, it won’t always run smooth, but you won’t want to miss it.” Not exactly the words of people who were ready for the level of scrutiny and editorial oversight needed for joining RTÉ’s ranks.

Chasing a demographic

Dan Healy, the head of 2FM, clearly knew it too. Healy was quoted as saying “we are chasing a younger audience” and “we have the 2 Johnnies coming, which is really exciting and it sounds a bit odd really, but they are bringing an Irishness to the station”.

What a strange thing to say. First of all, the idea that the head of a station would admit to “chasing a younger audience” really puts the rudderlessness of 2FM centre stage. Where are the ideas? Where is the strategy? You don’t chase audiences that aren’t yours, you grow ones that connect with you through producing quality and compelling programming.

Labelling new recruits as “odd” was ultimately accurate. But it raises the question: if the head of the station already knew this was an incongruous match-up, then why hire them? And then the remark about “Irishness”. What does that mean? I’d love for Healy to explain that. Are other presenters not making Irish radio? Or having Irish conversations? It’s a bizarre thing to say.

Ultimately, this embarrassing incident is not the fault of The 2 Johnnies. They’re doing what they’re doing. The fault lies with Healy and 2FM management. The broadcaster and DJ Jenny Greene was taken out of this slot to make room for The 2 Johnnies.

2FM recently found itself in another controversy, when they cut loose the popular broadcaster Louise McSharry, who was making excellent programming that was actually of a standard, and growing her audience. What on earth is going on in the upper echelons of the station that they’re in this phase of ridiculous, avoidable, rolling controversies?