SMALL PRINT:WITH THE deadline for RTÉ staff to apply for one of 75 voluntary redundancy packages fast approaching on September 16th, the rumour mill is busy churning out names of those who may or may not be leaving Montrose. RTÉ refuses to comment on individual cases, and it will be up to management to decide who stays and who goes, as upon leaving, staff cannot be replaced.
One staff member who, after 33 years at the station, is pretty much irreplaceable is Anne Doyle, a stalwart of Irish broadcasting.
Doyle, or "Doyler" to her colleagues joined in 1978 and has been a constant face and voice, most consistently anchoring the Nine O'Clock News. Here's why we hope she doesn't hang up her mic and stop shuffling her notepaper.
The deliveryDoyle is known for her steely, calm delivery, far from the theatrics of Sky News or personality-driven deliveries on US news channels. Nothing fazes her.
The glamourFashionable newsreaders and meteorologists come and go, but Doyle has been relentless in her glamour for more than three decades. A simple, severe and perfectly coiffured blonde bob, a power suit, and sometimes rather excessive necklaces as parodied on Bull Island, make her a touchstone for the working wardrobe how-to.
The political cloutDoyle was elected to the RTÉ Authority in 2000 to represent her fellow staff members.
The mysteryDoyle rarely gives interviews. As a high-profile Irish figure she has been subsumed into popular culture and has an almost iconic status in the gay community thanks to her style. She is one of the most wanted judges for Alternative Miss Ireland. Despite her celebrity, Doyle doesn't feel the need for everyone to know her business. If only more people were like her.
The ability to have a good timeIn a world of vanilla PR and marketing that attempts to gloss over every broadcaster, Doyle has a strong offscreen personality, most evident in McGrattan's of Baggot Street after work, where her partner, Dan McGrattan, holds court. A consummate professional, the occasional on-air wink and smile are evidence of the craic behind the stern visage.
