LAST UPDATE | 2 Nov 2025

NEWSTALK IS CONDUCTING a review into Ivan Yates’s contributions to the station after it was revealed Yates had been involved with Fianna Fáil’s presidential campaign.

It comes following Matt Cooper’s announcement that he had cut professional ties with Yates on the podcast they had co-presented.

In a statement, Newstalk said Yates had operated as a cover presenter on Newstalk for three days during the presidential campaign on 23, 24, and 25 September from 9am-12pm – the slot occupied by The Pat Kenny Show.

“Ivan Yates did not inform Newstalk of any conflict of interest relating to the presidential election campaign,” a spokesperson for the broadcaster said.

“This matter is currently under review by Newstalk management.”

Earlier today, TodayFM presenter Matt Cooper said he was “gobsmacked” to learn of Yates’s involvement.

The two have jointly presented political podcast Path to Power together since December 2023. Cooper produces the podcast alongside talent agent Noel Kelly.

Speaking this morning on Anton Savage’s Newstalk show, Cooper said he had only learned of Yates’s involvement yesterday morning when he received a text from a friend asking him if he had seen the front page of the Irish Independent.

The Irish Independent reported that Yates, a former Fine Gael minister turned political pundit, had been involved in helping to prepare Fianna Fáil’s candidate Jim Gavin for the first presidential debate.

“I was gobsmacked, shall we say, quite shocked by it, because this was a complete revelation to me. I suppose then I went to being a bit angry about it,” Cooper said.

He said about two and half years ago he had an idea for a political podcast, and having worked with Yates on The Tonight Show on Virgin Media, thought that it would be a good idea to work together.

After speaking to Noel Kelly, who manages both Cooper and Yates, an agreement was reached for Path to Power.

“We’ve had a great time doing it,” Cooper said. “And then yesterday morning, I saw this, and my immediate reaction was, well, he should’ve told me that he was doing debate preparation with Jim Gavin, because that was material information in relation to how we would cover all of our conversations about the presidential campaign.

“If he had told me, I believe I would’ve said to him, ‘this has to be disclosed to our listeners’.”

Cooper said had Yates disclosed his involvement with Jim Gavin’s disastrous presidential campaign, he was sure it would have amounted to some “slagging” on the podcast, but said he would expect Yates to have “thick enough skin” to deal with that.

Asked if he felt “duped”, Cooper said, “I don’t know what he was thinking”.

“I don’t know whether he deliberately hid it from me or didn’t think it was worth telling me – whatever his thinking in relation to it, I still regard it as material.”

The presenter said he has received messages from subscribers since the news came out yesterday “giving out” to him for his decision to end his partnership with Yates over the issue, and calling him “woke”, but added that despite many viewing the podcast as entertainment, it discusses serious and important topics in Ireland.

“I think there was a very serious omission on Ivan’s part,” he said.

Yates was to leave the podcast early next year regardless as his availability had changed, Cooper said, with yesterday’s revelation speeding up the process.

He spoke to Yates after the story broke, but said the former TD “stuck to his guns”.

“It left me feeling quite sad,” he said. “I enjoyed his company in the studio over the last couple of years. I think we worked well together, I think we worked respectfully with each other, even though we would have different opinions on many things – but I just feel that this was just literally something too far.”

In a short post today, Yates said he wished the podcast “every continued success”.

Former Justice Minister Alan Shatter has called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to clarify to extent of Yates’s work with the party.

A spokesperson for Fianna Fáil said: “As a matter of policy, the party does not confirm the existence or otherwise of any relationships with suppliers or contractors.”