Updated February 13th
2003
Fionnuala
Sweeney, Reporter CNN Atlanta and London
Jesus,
but it does not seem like 17 years since I worked with Fionnuala Sweeny.
I am so pleased for her success. She entered our newsroom
in 1986, determined to be newsreader, and she achieved that - and so
much more. It's very strange when you start your life in the broadcast
industry, then leave it, and in my case, travel to the other side of
the world, and then to see your friends doing so well so far on into
our lives. With the advent of the internet I have been able to see this.
The broadcast industry is kinda like being in the theatre, or the movies.
Once you become a public figure, everyone wants a bit of you. I left
the industry because I was really too shy. My friends laugh when I tell
them that, but it's true!
Fionnuala
Sweeney works for CNN in both Atlanta and London. She is one of their
prized anchors, and is known globally. To the best of my knowledge she
started her career on the station I worked on, Energy 103. I remember
when Sybil Fennel, head of News, took her on. She sounded nervous on
the air but Sybil saw something in her, and quickly escalated her to
a position on the breakfast show, teamed with Bob Gallico and Pat Courtenay.
If you want to hear clips from that click on the MEDIA PAGE icon below
and click the ENERGY 103 link.
I used to go partying with people like Teena Gates, Gary Hamill, and
a gang of the newsreaders from the various pirates around that the time
- and we did have a party at Fionnuala's House in Leeson Park. We were
all in our 20's and lived in the moment. We had a ball. We all got shit-faced
but always made it to work the next day because we were loyal - hell,
we were obsessed!
Energy 103 was part of the Nova enterprise that spawned so many talents
and one of them is obviously Fionnuala, who then called herself Lisa
Moore. Other Nova success stories include Bob Gallico (Irelandlivetelevision),
Anne Cassin (RTE News Anchor),
John Kenny (RTE Sports Presenter),
Andrew Hanlon (TV3 Ireland
Head of News), David Harvey (Crimeline
Presenter on RTE and owner of Country
Music Radio in Dublin), Gareth O'Callaghan (RTE
2FM Broadcaster), Sean McCarthy (Spin1038
"The Story" Newsreader, Dublin), Chris Barry (Ex-98FM
broadcaster), Teena Gates (Newsreader
98FM), Colm Hays (FM104
Breakfast show presenter), Brian Jennings (RTE
Radio 1 Newsreader), Jason Mayne (FM104
Presenter), Shane McGowan (2FM
Newsreader), Declan Meehan (Eastcoast
Radio Presenter), Greg Gaughran (Eastcoast
Radio Presenter). This list
could go on forever, so we'll stop here.
CNN's
interpretation of Fionnuala
Fionnuala Sweeney is the London based anchor of the evening European
focused news programme World News Europe and presenter of
CNN Internationals weekly cultural magazine programme Inside
Europe.
In September 1997, Sweeney was the launch anchor on CNN This Morning,
the networks European breakfast news programme produced from London
until late January 2002. Previously, Sweeney was an anchor in London
and Atlanta for World News where she covered major stories
including the humanitarian crisis in Zaire, the Docklands Bomb in London,
the Bosnian conflict, the British elections and the ongoing crisis in
the Middle East. Sweeney covered the Israeli elections for CNN in February
2001 as a correspondent.
Sweeney came to Atlanta from Ireland where she worked for RTE as a radio
and television news reporter and newscaster from 1988 to 1993. In 1993,
she was selected to present the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of
RTE, broadcast live to 350 million people in three languages. A native
of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Sweeney has a higher diploma in Education
and a bachelor degree in English and History from the University College,
Dublin.
Fionnuala
Sweeney presents The Eurovision Song Contest from Ireland to an
audience of 350 million viewers in 1993 |
I
am somewhat moved by the passage of time that has spiralled these
people, and the passage of space between me in Australia, and them,
that has meant I have not seen their growth from their mid-twenties.
Dublin was part of a country that was classed as a third world country
in the 80's - did you know that? Well, it was. I went back to Dublin
in 2001 and saw that the city, and country - had grown up - so had
these people - my friends and colleagues from those heady days of
Irish pirate radio.
|
Back
to RADIO HOME