Brendan O'Connor to take over Marian Finucane slot on RTÉ Radio 1
by James CoxRTÉ has confirmed that Brendan O'Connor will be the new presenter of the weekend 11am-1pm slot on Radio 1 from the middle of March.
Mr O'Connor is leaving his roles as deputy editor of the Sunday Independent and editor of its Life Magazine.
He's set to continue as a columnist with the newspaper.
He said: “After 15 years working in the Sunday Independent, I’m delighted to be joining the weekends on RTÉ Radio 1. The weekend is a time to pause, take a breath and review the week, and it’s also a time when people like a different, more reflective kind of radio, maybe even a bit of fun."
The announcement comes following the death of hugely popular presenter Marian Finucane.
She passed away in early January.
Mr O'Connor had been filling the slot since Ms Finucane's death while he also served as a stand-in presenter when she was on leave last year.
Mr O'Connor said: “Marian’s legacy will inspire us to continue to explore, challenge and debate the issues that truly matter to Irish people.
“I’m looking forward to developing an informative, sparky, original and unpredictable show. I want this to be robust and enjoyable radio, always questioning and always seeking insight.”
Ms Finucane's show had an average of 341,000 listeners on a Saturday and 309,000 listeners on a Sunday (according to Joint National Listenership Research figures for 2019).
Head of Radio 1 Tom McGuire said: “Radio 1 has taken time to reflect on the weekend schedule and I’m really pleased that Brendan O’Connor is joining us.
“Brendan is a talented broadcaster who will bring his own special skills to the role and I’m sure the large audience will welcome the new programme we will present at this time.”
The programme will be “a mix of feature interviews, reflection and discussion on the issues that are making the news, including politics, travel, entertainment and current affairs”, according to RTÉ.