by Louise Doyle
THE Donegal-born co-presenter of BBC Radio Foyle’s Breakfast Show has said the loss of the programme which gave a voice to people across the north west is “palpable”.
Elaine McGee presented the award-winning programme with David Hunter, which broadcast for the final time on Friday.
The pair were familiar and trusted voices on the daily show, which ran from 7am to 9am for more than a decade.
It was replaced with a 30-minute news programme called North West Today on Monday as part of cost-saving measures.
Last November, BBC Northern Ireland announced plans to cut up to 40 jobs as part of a drive to save money and invest in online services.
Having moved to Derry from her native Ballyshannon in 2010, Elaine started her journalism career working for a local newspaper before taking up a post with Ocean FM.
When a job opened up at Radio Foyle, Elaine said she jumped at the chance.
Reflecting on her own Radio Foyle journey, Elaine told the Donegal News: “I was at Ocean FM for three years and I saw a job opening in Radio Foyle.
I applied for it but I was unsuccessful, and I was so disappointed. I got a phone call two weeks later to say that the person they had offered the job to was not taking it up and they asked if I would be interested. I have been with the station for 13 years now.”
When Elaine arrived at Radio Foyle, the Breakfast Show was presented by Donegal man Enda McClafferty and Sarah Brett. Having been a mainstay on the Breakfast Show since 2014, Elaine admitted that while it was daunting at first it was also a huge privilege to be entrusted to tell the stories that affect people not only in Derry but in Donegal and across the region.
She said the Creeslough tragedy last October in which 10 people died in a gas explosion at a filling station in the village has remained in her thoughts.
“The people of Derry, Donegal and the northwest are closely interconnected. The Creeslough tragedy has stayed with me because it is still so very hard to believe that something like that could have happened somewhere so peaceful. My dad is from Goath Dobhair and my mum is from Ballyshannon. My roots are in Donegal.
“A great sense of responsibility came with the Breakfast Show. We are very passionate about people having a platform. Derry can be on the international news stage for a variety of reasons, and we as team were very aware of that. As a team we were very conscious and determined to give the full context around any story, and when that story ended we were still there. We know the people in this community and we are close to them as they are to us. They are our friends and I hope we have been their friends.
“The day Lyra McKee died will also always stay with me. It isn’t a fraction of what her family have and are going through but it has stayed with me. We carried that story for 10 days afterwards because it was so important to us that Lyra’s voice was heard.”
Elaine said letting go of the programme was like losing a person you love.
“I almost thought of the programme as a person and it felt like letting someone you love go. The loss of the show is very palpable. It had such a connection. It was a platform which gave a voice to everyone.”
While admitting she was “finding her feet” in the new layout, Elaine said Radio Foyle will continue to place ultimate importance on people and their stories.
“I am a massive believer in radio and I don’t believe it will demise. People have been very supportive, particularly since the news emerged last November. The public meeting in the Guildhall on January 4 just after Christmas was packed to capacity and it told us that the Breakfast Show was in people’s hearts. It was a huge part of people’s lives.”
Despite the significant format change, Elaine said the focus remains on giving people a voice.
“We are still here but in a different way. We’re still learning as we go in our new layout but people’s stories will always remain important to us. We continue to put people and their stories front and centre.”
The song chosen to end Friday’s programme was Teenage Kicks by The Undertones. North West Today runs from 8.30am to 9am Monday to Friday on BBC Radio Foyle.
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