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IVAN YATES AND MATT Cooper were unveiled yesterday as the new hosts of the show formerly known as Tonight with Vincent Browne – confirming the worst-kept secret in Irish broadcasting.
Their new vehicle – which will be known simply as The Tonight Show – will air on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 19 September from TV3′s new, state-of-the-art studio.
News of their addition to the Ballymount station’s current affairs lineup leaked several weeks ago – but the two men were keen to clear up a few details of their new venture at TV3′s new season launch.
It would be a double-header each night, Yates confirmed, and it will continue to go out between 11pm and midnight. Cooper added that they planned to keep the best aspects of the old ‘Tonight’ but build on its success and “add different things”.
The Twitter Machine will return, fans of the #vinb hashtag can be assured. Cooper promised a “very strong social media aspect”.
The gender question
Yates’ appointment, of course, follows confirmation earlier this month that he is also to return to radio on a full-time basis. The former Fine Gael TD is due to take over the high-profile drivetime slot on Newstalk from next Monday, replacing Chris Donoghue and Sarah McInerney.
That news was met with dismay from some quarters – as, after a promising schedule reboot last autumn, it served as confirmation that the news station was returning to an all-male presenter lineup in its prime-time (7am to 7pm) weekday schedule.
Bernice Harrison of the Irish Times said the current roster of presenters resembled a “backslapping old boys’ schools fundraiser”, while Orla O’Connor of the Irish Women’s Council said it appeared Newstalk was “going backwards” when it came to gender balance.
Asked about that criticism – and about social media criticism of TV3′s all-male late-night lineup, which was already starting to emerge yesterday – Yates said he didn’t see gender as an issue when it came to how he would approach his new show with Cooper.
In relation to Newstalk, he opined that as a broadcaster “on the eve of being 58″ both Chris Donoghue and Sarah McInerney “have much better career prospects than I do with the Irish media”.
“I am in the autumn of whatever media life I have – so the nature of media is it’s fickle.”
The entire production team at TV3 would be female “at every level,” he added.
I don’t see it as a gender issue and I don’t think the content of what we cover will be affected by the gender of the presenters.
Asked about the same issue, Cooper recalled being “shocked” at the under-representation of women and people under 40 when he attended his first editorial meeting at the Irish Independent in 1993, after taking over as business editor.
I remember immediately thinking that this is crazy because this is a newspaper that should be catering for men and for woman and yet is being completely designed and run by men.
When he took over the editor’s chair at the Sunday Tribune later in the same decade, he said, he was keen to shake things up.
“When I had the opportunity to make the decisions myself as editor I made sure there were as many women as possible in strong positions – so when I had the responsibility I did it.
And even inside in The Last Word in Today FM my senior producer now is a woman – the majority of the team are women and there always has been senior producers who are women on the programme.
‘Not as left-wing as Vincent’
Discussing the new TV3 show, Cooper said he was determined to make sure he and Yates heard from as many people as possible on their panels “because, basically, I’m a journalist, that’s what I do”.
The ‘two-hander’ presenting format had its advantages, the Today FM broadcaster insisted – noting that the two hosts would be bringing “complementary strengths”.
The idea I think is that I come from a more journalistic background – that I’m trying to find things out. Ivan might be bit more freer perhaps with the comments, with the punditry.
Yates, meanwhile, said he reckoned it would be a “great blend”.
Asked how he expected the new-look Tonight would set out its own stall in contrast to Vincent Browne’s tenure, he said he imagined it would be “pacier” and that the new presenting format would allow them to “cover more ground”.
“Vincent is unique – he’s virtually a legend in his own lifetime,” said Yates.
One final point of contrast: “Obviously I’m not as left-wing as Vincent.”
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Yadda Yadda Jeff old boy. Have you not heard, you’re yesterdays news. Time the world moved on and left these dinasours behind in their caves
The DUP. The only party to never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity
Jeffrey the puppet on the strings operated by Dodds, Paisley and Sammy Bigot Wilson. We all know they are going to say NO
DUP: It’s the Flintstones
In the most basic terms this translates to DUP will never go into government with a Catholic 1st minister.
#Dinosaurs
@damian jennings: that’s it. In a nutshell.
@Joe Bergin.: Absolutely. Unbelievable the sense of entitlement they have.
The only thing that the DUP are on course for is the ending of their ‘precious union’ and its their rhetoric and actions that will hasten its demise.
Oh God, will they please ignore those dinosaurs and set up a government without them with the other parties representing all and get NI back on track
“Grounded in reality”. This party are as far away from reality you can get
….says the masters of rhetoric and highly negative emotive rhetoric at that…
He says their deliberations will be grounded in ‘reality’. They don’t know the meaning of that word. Both them and their supporters live in a completely different universe. Still stuck in the stoneage and everyone is paying the price for it. As the Alliance party leader said today. No party should hold a veto on making progress for Northern Ireland. I’ll keep saying it, it’s high time Jeff and his buddies were sidelined and let normal life resume for the benefit of everbody.
C
U
N
T
@Self Employed Anarchist:
lol … job for TJ’s IT Dept. on Monday :))
@zephyrum: I can’t believe it’s still up – I stand by it though- children are cold and hungry because of this “ persons “ arrogance.
@Self Employed Anarchist: in a nutshell. Well said.
@Self Employed Anarchist: I couldn’t have said it better.
@Self Employed Anarchist: i’m amazed the journal allowed this vile word through .The N word has been consigned to the dustbin of history and so should the C.word
Way to go…. it seems Jeffrey has done the SWOT analysis course
Hee Haw
They don’t want a way ahead, they just want everything THEIR way. They’re like spoilt brats
He should be KNOCKED OUT instead.
What are they going to do, release the dogs to violence and threats
If you gave the dup everything they asked for, they would find fault and disagree, gombeen ass h ole s. Should never be listened to…
Ya have to feel sorry for them… poor things… bless them.
It would be great if Mr Donaldson said something positive for a change.
And by the way, Mary Lou McDonald is not doing anyone any favours by constantly sticking for face into Northern politics. She’s a red rag to a bull up there. Michelle o Neill is well able to fight her corner and would have more credibility if she was seen as being her own woman.
I feel sorry for the man: it must be very painful to have someone stuck in your Iris.
Be careful what you wish for. A reform of the GFA could put the Alliance, DUP and SDLP into a coalition Gov with the largest of those parties suppling the First Minister. It would still be a cross community Gov and get things moving again!!
have your say