The ship of Theseus famously had every spar and timber replaced over time, yet remained the same vessel. Successive generations of senior management at RTÉ have taken a similar approach to renovations at Radio One, the country’s most listened-to radio station. For decades, its daytime schedule has been treated as an unalterable national constant, impervious to trend or turmoil.
Change, whenever it came, was glacial. The biggest names tended to hold their peak-time slots until retirement, and the daily sequence from Morning Ireland to News at One to Liveline and Drivetime was rarely disturbed. The result for some was a sort of reassuring permanence, the sonic wallpaper of Irish life, gently marking the passage of the day.
That has now changed. The payments scandal of 2023, which led to Ryan Tubridy’s departure, appears to have opened a floodgate. Since then, the station has lost Joe Duffy, Áine Lawlor, Mary Wilson and the late Seán Rocks, while Claire Byrne has decamped to a rival. The latest upheaval — the abrupt departure of Ray D’Arcy and the announcement that Kieran Cuddihy will take over Liveline — represents the most significant reshuffle of personnel in the station’s history.
The changing of the guard is accompanied by alterations to the schedule. A new current affairs show with David McCullagh will follow Morning Ireland. An hour of sports news is to air each evening at six. For a network long defined by stasis, such alterations are close to revolutionary.
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Media organisations live with two opposing truths: audiences dislike change, yet change is essential for survival. RTÉ knows that every adjustment risks alienating loyal listeners. Many will mourn D’Arcy’s familiar tone; others will question the need for more hard news in the morning or more sport in the evening.
The real test is to come, as new voices try to achieve the familiarity and intimacy built over decades. The ship that was Radio One has had much of its timber replaced. Whether listeners will regard it as an empty vessel remains to be seen.
