ELAINE GERAGHTY

WORDS: ROSEMARY DELANEY

For almost two decades, Elaine Geraghty has immersed herself in the world of media and in particular radio. Until very recently, she was the only woman at the helm

of a national radio station, Newstalk. Here she talks to WMB as she enters a new dimension in her life.

I asked Elaine how she felt about leaving the familiarity of her city office. She ponders a moment and smiles: “While I won’t be travelling into Newstalk offices, I’m never away from the radio — I have a tuner in every room at home and on my iRiver! The change of routine will take adjusting to, however, I’ve a full schedule ahead of me”.

So why the change of direction? In this very challenging environment, most people are trying to hold on to their jobs but for Elaine this wasn’t any knee jerk reaction or spur of the moment whim. Her decision to change career path, she explains, wasn’t made overnight, nor was it driven by the current economic circumstances. In fact, she believes that there is no better time to re-evaluate one’s life/career and make some brave decisions. I would have to agree with her when she mentions that some of the best entrepreneurial ideas will emerge from these difficult times. But is this her mid-life crisis? She laughs at the suggestion, admitting that she passed that stage of her life a couple of years back! “I arrived at this particular decision some time ago but agreed to stay on at Newstalk as the station moved to new premises and also completed it’s prime time schedule line up with the introduction of Tom Dunne. In terms of Newstalk, I have been at the helm for almost four years and have been proud to lead the business to national status and to position it as a credible and exciting alternative to the state broadcaster”.

“I’m eager to challenge myself in other areas and my plan is to take myself out of my ‘comfort’ zone. I plan to enjoy the next phase of my education while at the same time producing a body of work that will be relevant in the future. I’ll be focusing on the media sector and what lies ahead for it, both from an advertiser and a consumer perspective”.
However, although Elaine intends to complete a PHD in the coming months, she has little intention of turning her back on her passion for radio and has agreed to join the Boards of 98 in Dublin and Spin South West in Limerick. In addition, she plans to engage in project work and speaking engagements.

So how did Elaine catch the radio bug that so many of us share? Having spent six years at the Tribune, Denis O’Brien invited her to work for Dublin’s newest music station, Classic Hits 98FM. That was back in 1989 and the challenge to move to a new sector and a start up business was just too ‘irresistible’.

Read more about Elaine Geraghty in the March 2009 issue of WMB, on newsstands now.