Newstalk has confirmed the addition of four primetime presenters as part of their autumn schedule, which commences on Monday September 5. The station’s political editor Shane Coleman will be joined on a new-look weekday breakfast show by Collette Fitzpatrick (pictured), INM’s crime correspondent Paul Williams and former Ireland rugby star Alan Quinlan.
Pat Kenny will host a longer 9am-noon morning show; George Hook is taking over the noon-2pm lunchtime slot; Sean Moncrieff will now be on from 2pm-4pm and current breakfast co-presenter Chris Donoghue will co-anchor drive with Sunday Times political correspondent Sarah McInerney. The On The Ball team will feed into the show before taking to the air themselves at 7pm.
First impressions? Colette Fitzpatrick and Sarah McInerney’s arrival will go some way to addressing the overt blokiness of Newstalk’s daytime output, and the latter’s teaming up with Chris Donoghue means that they’ll really be locking drivetime horns with Today FM’s Matt Cooper. Interesting times lie ahead, that’s for sure...