D’Arcy and O’Callaghan top poll
Miriam O’Callaghan and Ryan Tubridy have tied for first place in a new list of Ireland’s most admired TV celebrities.
Onside Sponsorship noted that RTE’s flagship Late Late Show, whose 50th season starts this Friday, remains a powerful tool for creating personal brands.
Three of Ireland’s five most admired TV personalities were, or had been, Late Late Show hosts.
Today FM’s Ray D’Arcy was named the most admired personality on radio.
It’s the first time Onside has produced research into media celebrities. It contacted 1,000 adults across Ireland by phone for the survey.
John Trainor, the founder and managing director of the firm, said the insights should be valuable for marketing executives.
‘‘As the celebrity endorsement aspect of the wider sponsor ship and marketing industry comes under continued review, it is key to continue to build such fresh insights into who is resonating best with consumers."
Current affairs presenter Miriam O’Callaghan tied with Ryan Tubridy as Ireland’s most admired TV personality, with each receiving 18 per cent of the vote. Next came Gay Byrne, and then Pat Kenny, while Vincent Browne - who has a late night current affairs show onTV3 - completed the Top 5.
The top ten also featured the late Gerry Ryan, comedian Graham Norton, Ray D’Arcy, newsreader Anne Doyle and Eamon Dunphy.
RTE broadcasters scored 88 per cent of all votes, with 33 RTE presenters identified by the survey.
Women most frequently singled out Miriam O’Callaghan (23 per cent) as their most admired TV broadcast personality followed by Ryan Tubridy (19 per cent), while males ranked Tubridy (17 per cent) top of the list, with O’Callaghan in a tie for second place with Pat Kenny and Gay Byrne.
TV personalities who can be classed as working in the entertainment genre accounted for 53 per cent of all the votes, while news broadcasters accounted for 40 per cent, and sports broadcasters for just 6 per cent.
Demographics affected the voting pattern. Younger voters - aged 18-24 year-olds - ranked Tubridy as their Number One (20 per cent), with Miriam O’Callaghan receiving just 3 per cent of the vote among this age group.
Glenda Gilson and Brian Dowling also per formed strongly among younger adults, while Gay Byrne proved to be Tubridy’s nearest challenger for the top among this age group.
In radio, Ray D’Arcy topped the rankings, followed by Pat Kenny, Ryan Tubridy, Joe Duffy and the late Gerry Ryan.
Ten Newstalk personalities featured, led by George Hook and followed by Tom Dunne, Sean Moncrieff, Ivan Yates, Eoin McDevitt, Sile Seoige and others.
Trainor noted that midmorning to lunchtime radio presenters led the way with 59 per cent of the most-admired scores, and mid-afternoon / drivetime personalities scoring 28 per cent.
Date - August 28th Sunday Business Post By Catherine O’Mahony
