A new autumn schedule for Radio 1 has been revealed today, getting ready for the launch of “Today with Sean O’Rourke” on Monday.
Sean O’Rourke takes over from Pat Kenny with all the stories of the day, including sports coverage, in-depth features and consumer interest.
Other new programmes include Joe Duffy with Liveline and a new travel series from Kathryn Thomas.
Shorts Shortts, a new series of short plays is will also be introduced, featuring actor and comedian Pat Shortt. Five Irish writers, Mike Finn, Jane Coyle, James Finlan, Sean O’Doherty and Pat O’Connor span the historical, the romantic, the dramatic, and the tragic in Shortt’s plays.
Jim Jennings, Acting MD of RTÉ Radio said: “Today we launch a winning schedule that demonstrates the diversity and depth of Radio 1. RTÉ is committed to delivering engaging and compelling public service programmes, and this is at the heart of RTÉ Radio 1’s mission.
“With quality, impartial programming right through the day, Radio 1 is bigger than any one presenter; it’s truly a team effort, from dawn to dusk, and our listeners can be assured that once the dial is set, there’s no need to go elsewhere.”
Other changes include Claire Byrne joining Morning Ireland and Áine Lawlor & Richard Crowley join News at One.
In sport, the station has exclusive national commentary on the All Ireland hurling and football finals, and will also follow the Republic of Ireland soccer team’s quest for a place in the 2014 World Cup, with commentary on all of the remaining qualifying matches.
Radio 1 also has Heineken Cup coverage featuring all four Irish provinces along with exclusive coverage of all three of Ireland’s November internationals including the visit of the world champions New Zealand to Dublin.
See the new season website here for more details.