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HE’S A FAMILIAR face to any RTÉ Six One News watcher – but newsreader Bryan Dobson has no intention of stepping out from behind the newsdesk.
When the TheJournal.ie gets a chance to speak to the veteran reporter at the launch of RTÉ’s new schedule, we ask if ever has any intention of doing his own flagship show.
The answer? A firm but jovial: “No. Not at all.”
“I like being surrounded by news and material I like to work with. It would terrify me to do a chat show or anything like that,” he explains.
The Late Late? Absolutely not – that’s well spoken for. I’m a news man I suppose. And that’s where I’m going to stay as long as they leave me there.
Dobson is preparing for the autumn and winter seasons, which will see some particularly interesting things happening in the Irish political scene. Dobson – who self-deprecatingly refers to himself as “a politics bore” – is particularly looking forward to 2016.
“I suppose the excitement is going to come from the election,” he says. “In news that’s what a lot of focus is on. And maybe if there’s a period of instability afterwards, that could be quite interesting as well. Then there’s all the 1916 commemorations so that will be very busy.”
One thing he’s not quite looking forward to? RTÉ going high definition. “Heaven forbid,” he says in mock horror. “I have very mixed feelings about it. Because it shows up every little bump, wrinkle and crack and crevice. It’s very ruthless.”
HD looks to be the only major change to RTÉ News on One, as they’ve already redecorated the set in 2014. “There’s ongoing tweaking,” says Dobson. “The broad format of the programme is the same.”
A national figure
Having spent so long at the helm of the show, does Dobson – or Dobbo to his fans – see himself as a bit of a national figure? “No,” he says. But as for whether he reflects on the fact that people watch him on TV every night, he says:
I don’t think about it but I do to the extent that if people say hello to me on the street – which they do from to time – I find that very reassuring. People ask me: ‘Do you mind that?’ And no, I’m very happy with that because it means people are watching. If I walked down the street and no one knew who I was, we’d have a problem, wouldn’t we?
He adds that he finds that “very comforting”.
“I think Irish people, they feel particularly towards RTÉ – quite rightly – a proprietorial interest. This is their TV station, they pay for it, they are entitled to expect a body of service and that it’s accountable.”
He also values having a connection to viewers, saying it’s important to anyone involved in broadcasting or journalism.
Bryan Dobson / TwitterOn RTE #sixone news - Graham Dwyer guilty of murder. We profile Dwyer, talk to Elaine O'Hara's friends & reveal how the case was cracked.
— Bryan Dobson (@BryanNewsatOne) March 27, 2015
What about social media? He compares it to chatting on the couch to your family or friends about what you’re watching on TV. “I think it’s the same phenomeon but it’s just amplified in terms of the audience,” he says. “That doesn’t bother me.”
He’s on Twitter, but says he’s “very lazy about it”. Dobson is, though “fascinated by the link between new media and what we do”.
Looking ahead to 2016, who would he most like to interview on RTÉ News? “I’d like to get Enda Kenny in to the studio more often. He’s hard to get an interview with. Maybe with the election coming up, we might be able to do that.”
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The pension levy will be abolished at end of next year, not this year.
And the double-Irish will be abolished next year for new companies, and for all by end-2020 – not next January.
Separately, WTF is that 25% Christmas bonus all about??
I thought we abolished THAT nonsense a few years ago.
Hi – I just added in the 0.6% to the first Pension Levy mention there, that’s the one abolished by end of 2014. The second part was mentioned in its section. Thanks!
buying older electoral vote, pure and simple
25% is free money to people with no jobs. I have no problem giving it to those that worked and lost a job. But it should not be given to those that have never worked, most especially those that didn’t work during the boom years when jobs were everywhere.
Simon it is not just for pensioners, it is for all social welfare receipients.
Loads of money for free ‘social houses’ too.
The Christmas bonus is zero compared to the bankers bonus on screwing their customers
I really see the greed coming through here. It’s all about me, me, me. Can you all not see that we have a huge number of poor people all over the place, people who are really struggling.
@Eugene.
yes, they’re called the working class.
The only greed I see is the government greedily trying to buy votes,
25% Christmas bonus to social welfare recipients…. eh why?
There’s a million better things I could think of spending that money on.
It’s for pensioners!!! Relax you and I won’t be any worse off
Livida
its for all Social Welfare Recipients
Really?? I am pretty sure it was announced that it was for pensioners on a social welfare payment.
Aah well, I still won’t be any worse off so won’t begrudge anyone who needs it, it’s a once off 25% payment for gods sake… Take a look at what enda and Joan are taking from the tax payer…
In reading the above article it looks to be to all social welfare recipients. And it’s a once off to a huge number of people. I’m pretty sure that adds up to just a little bit more than pocket change.
My point was this would be better spent elsewhere.
A 25% Christmas bonus going to people that I know for a fact wouldn’t get up to warm themselves!!!!! And then people going out to work are being screwed!!! A joke!
Quite the little right wing fascist, aren’t we?
Not everyone on social welfare is there by choice, some of them are but not all! Both my parents worked and paid taxes up until my dad became terminally ill and was not fit to work anymore and shortly after that my mum became his carer (leaving her full time job!). Are you saying you’d begrudge them a 100 or so at Christmas when they struggle to make ends meet through no fault of their own?
No one says your family doesnt deserve it, it’s the family who spent all day doing nothing or drinking and are able to buy there 3 kids ipads and laptops and phones for xmas because they get the dole, rent supplement and what ever else extra and whos kids left school early because they couldn’t be bothered and are know also sitting on the dole, where as other people who go out and work 50+ hrs a week and have so high of taxes they struggle to afford presents for there kids because there money is being used to pay for the other ppl who definetely do not deserve it!
Lucinda is on tv now blasting the government she backed until she lost the plot .
When they get rid of the water tax
What happened to free health care for under 5 children which was promised last budget if I can remember? Not holding my breath with this €5 increase in Childcare Benefit
I’m going to be saving the government the tax relief amount on my water allowance……
Of d fags so
have your say