Ryan Tubridy got his start on the Today with Pat Kenny radio show doing quirky roving reportage and now hosts his own Saturday radio show, Morning Glory. "I'm a fan of his," he said when asked about his views on Kenny, although he conceded this was a stance he often found himself defending among his twentysomething peers. "Anything I ever did on the programme he gave me a fair shot at it. He is a genuinely pleasant and generous guy who is always engaging because he has an opinion on everything . . ."
Others at the station agree that Kenny, unusually for such a senior broadcaster, operates as one of the team and takes a hands-on approach to his work.
Another point often made about him is that he finds it easier to relate to men than to women. E radio, including the director of radio, Helen Shaw, outnumber males - and can't cope with their sometimes emotional approach. "He doesn't see why it might happen that someone could burst into tears if things aren't going well. He just doesn't understand that kind of emotion. . . he is a man's man," one colleague says. This goes some way to explaining some of the less forgivable faux pas Kenny has made over his radio and TV career, including the time he insulted Dawn French while presenting a live fashion show (he was suitably contrite when confronted about it later on the same programme by her husband, Lenny Henry).
One of the most frequent observations about Kenny is that he appears to go into fawning overdrive when in the presence of an attractive celebrity. Kenny at his most cringeworthy can often be spotted during the Eurovision Song Contest. The description last year of Israeli winner and transsexual Dana International as "he, she or it" was unfortunate, but to go on his Today with Pat Kenny radio programme the following day and declare that it was "a good day for eunuchs" was truly bizarre.
And once Kenny starts digging, he is likely to bury himself alive. Defending himself against those listeners who for some reason objected to the "he, she or it" comment, he patiently informed them that in his eyes, a woman was a woman because she could bear children. Doh!
One critic says that it is obvious he is more interested in some types of people than others and will ruthlessly interrupt a guest with his own erudite observations if he feels that he or she is not giving a good enough performance.
Kenny's television producer, Colm O'Callaghan, is clearly irritated at such comments: "I have challenged critics to come in and watch tapes of the show with me to point out exactly what they mean," he says. As yet, nobody has taken up this offer.
If the Late Late Show is to succeed, many agree that it will need to involve some radical amendments to the Pat Kenny persona - for starters, convincing him to rely less on the autocue and work more on building up a relationship with his studio audience.
"The Late Late is a totally different animal to Kenny Live," said O'Callaghan. "Our brief then was to be fluffier, fizzier, breezier as a contrast to the debate-driven show on a Friday night." The Late Late Show, he adds will see the team playing to Kenny's strengths "which people keep telling me are current affairs, social issues and sensitive issues."
Of course, this could mean an end to the "knowing-me-Pat-Kenny, knowing-you-scantily-clad-celebrity-stunner/mega-rich-racing-driver. Aha!" episodes which, whatever their broadcasting merits, gave endless fun to channel surfers looking for a laugh. Saturday nights will never be the same.
The Late Late Show with Pat Kenny starts on Friday, RTE 1, 9.30 p.m.