THE Radio Ireland chief executive, Mr Dan Collins, experienced a high level of "interference" from the station's promoters, according to the station's head of marketing and sales, Mr Dave Hammond. He denied reports he and Mr Collins had opposed each other or that his commercial concerns and Mr Collins's programmes policy clashed.
The station's problems were due to interference. Decisions that should have been the chief executive's were taken by promoters, including the chairman, Mr John McColgan.
A senior Radio Ireland source said last night if the promoters had not involved themselves in day to day preparations for the March 17th start up, there were fears the station would not have been ready to go on air as planned. Consequently, some responsibilities were taken from Mr Collins to allow him to concentrate on programming.
Mr Hammond said there was no conflict between Mr Collins and himself. The only conflict was between Mr Collins, Mr McColgan and the promoters. "Dan and I are both radio men and speak the same language."
He said the promoters took decisions that might have been taken by the chief executive and programme controller. These included the hiring of staff and certain programme policy decisions. He agreed that there was a difference in style between Mr McColgan and those promoters around him and Mr Collins.
Mr Hammond said there had been little reaction from advertisers to the news of Radio Ireland's difficulties.
He said advertisers tend to buy into a station because of what comes out of the speakers and because of the audience it says it will deliver. They have little interest in boardroom battles.
However, he warned that if the dispute went to court and involved the Independent Radio and Television Commission then advertisers might become concerned.
Mr Hammond is a respected figure in media advertising. He has worked for 98FM in Dublin, Cork 96FM, as well as in radio in Europe and the S. He is a former Sunday Independent advertising manager.
Tensions in the station were raised because some of the high profile presenters sought to choose their own producers. It is believed Mr Collins opposed this as the programme controller who was responsible under the Broadcasting Act.
Meanwhile, media consultants Ms Terry Prone and Mr Tom Savage have been called into Radio Ireland to work on Daybreak, the morning programme to be presented by Emily O'Reilly and Gavin Duffy between 7 a.m. and 9.30 a.m. every weekday, and The Last Word, to be presented by Eamon Dunphy and Ann Marie Hourihane. Mr Savage will be the senior programme editor on both programmes.
Freelance broadcaster and producer Kevin O'Connor, a presenter of It Says in the Papers on RTE's Morning Ireland, is to produce Daybreak. Another consultant is the former head of Radio Clare, Mr Caimin Jones, who is a broadcasting consultant.
A marketing company, Paragon, is to do market research. It is not involved in a major rethink about the station's direction, as was reported in a Sunday newspaper.
The board of Radio Ireland is meeting tomorrow and the crisis over Mr Collins will top the agenda. The IRTC is to be briefed before its meeting on Friday.