Radio Nova’s Morning Glory breakfast presenters start the week haunted by a terrible spectre: the popularity of Crocs. “Would Generation Alpha call them cool? Is ‘cool’ still cool?” wonders Jim McCabe. “They look like prison-issue shoes,” comedian PJ Gallagher joins in. “What’s going on in the world, Jim?”
Soon after lamenting the latest Crocs revival, Gallagher and McCabe, reckoning Generation Z won’t have heard of Delia Smith, explain the concept of the original TV cooks to any listeners too young to remember, mining for comic value Smith’s comments about Gen Z cooks not knowing the joys of a “good pork chop”.‘I find I am less impulsive shopping online than I am in person’
It may well be just the circles I’m mixing in, but music-led shows often seem to be the ones on the Radio 1 schedule that attract the most positive comments – the appreciation tinged with a dash of surprise. Maybe diehard all-day-long Radio 1 loyalists are so weighed down by hours of news that by the time Louise Duffy comes on at noon, they’ve almost forgotten how much of a mood-lift a carefully chosen selection of music can be.
Understandably, chief executive and programme director Kevin Branigan is delighted with Nova’s 246,000 weekly listeners and the “encouraging” growth in its daily audience to 135,000 across its franchise area of Dublin city, county and the commuter belt. During this time, Bauer’s Spin 1038, which targets 15-34 year olds, was the music leader and then Sunshine 106.8 – in which Radio Nova’s owner Bay Broadcasting has a substantial interest – also went out in front for a spell.