Radio: Eamon and the Progressive Demagogues

Eamon Dunphy's departure from NewsTalk is a blow to the station. He is/was their highest profile personality and even if he can't interview and can't present, he was a sulphuric presence that always promised or threatened something – a serious loss of head, an expletive, a compelling row, or just simple, gorgeous boorishness.

No doubt NewsTalk will get some competent personality to take over the breakfast slot, but what will be the reason to switch from Morning Ireland?

Not that many did turn over – around 8,000 in any one quarter hour. But at least there was that unique, crazed, selling point: Eamo. Otherwise it is all Áine Lawlor or Cathal Mac Coille, full of seriousness, often dullness but at times a rapier blow on portentousness.

Where now on the airwaves for Eamo? Back to Today FM? Matt Cooper is doing fine there on The Last Word, and costs half what Dunphy would cost. Most likely a "kiss and make up" with NewsTalk. Hardly on the breakfast slot, more likely mid-morning, where Eamo would fancy his chances again up against Pat Kenny (remember the Friday night television chat-show fiasco on TV3?). But there should be a place for him in the NewsTalk schedule, maybe up against Ryan Tubridy? Orla Barry, one of the few remaining women voices on radio, just doesn't cut it. There is an awkwardness to her presentational style which grates after a while. Tubridy is there for the taking, but not by Orla Barry. Eamo could do it, especially on a more relaxed programme – nothing on foreign affairs, little enough on current affairs, nothing at all on football, but lots on his partying, his friends (does he have any left?), what he reads (he can read, can't he?), plays, films, nightclubs and craic.

Could be fun, especially if he had a few women in to flirt with (maggiekenneally@villagemagazine.ie).

The Indo did a speculative piece on who NewsTalk should poach from RTÉ, in the wake of a story which said Joe Duffy was being offered €600,000. Marian Finucane could do it for NewsTalk, big time, but would she move?

And if not, how about Mary Harney? She will need a slot somewhere soon. Perhaps a double hander with Michael McDowell? And a title for their programme: The Progressive Demagogues?p