Denis O'Brien-owned radio group bans Irish Times journalists from appearing on air

The Irish Times announced yesterday evening that Communicorp, the radio group, which operates stations such as Newstalk and Today FM, along with Dublin radio station 98FM, and music stations Spin and Spin South West, has banned the newspaper's journalists from appearing on air.

According to The Irish Times, the decision was communicated to all programme-makers by the company’s chief executive, Adrian Serle, on Thursday morning.

In a memo to staff, Mr Serle wrote that the decision had been taken because of “vile comments” made by Irish Times columnist Fintan O’Toole in an article on September 12 which addressed the controversy surrounding Newstalk's George Hook, ans his views on rape. In the column, Mr O’Toole described Newstalk as “the most flagrantly sexist public organisation” in Ireland and asked for “anyone with a conscience to stay out of its airspace.”

In response, Newstalk requested a right to reply to O’Toole. This was agreed by The Irish Times, who published an article on September 16, written by Newstalk managing editor Patricia Monahan, in which she described the original article as “a disgrace” and “outrageously unfair” to the station’s staff.

The Irish Times reports that there was no further communication between Communicorp and its publication on the issue until Tuesday of this week, when the newspaper received a letter from Mr Serle, demanding that “a full and unqualified retraction and apology” be published in the following day’s newspaper and online. “If such an apology is not forthcoming then we will review our relationship with the Irish Times," the letter said.

The Irish Times rejected Mr Serle's demands for an apology. The editor PaulO'Neill is reported to have said that there were no grounds for an apology. "Fintan was entitled to express his opinion and the Irish Times was entitled to publish it," he is quoted as saying, in an Irish Times report. Communicorp's chief executive responded by sending a memo to staff, writing: “We asked for the apology to be printed by the end of yesterday. This deadline has now passed.”

• The news comes hard on the revelation that Dil Wickremasinghe's 'Global Village' has been dropped by Newstalk, despite positive reviews and ratings. Wickremasinghe was vocal in her criticism of George Hook during the rape controversy, saying that if he was not taken off the air, she would refuse to do her show.