Drive 105 MNL, a word of thanks.
Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2024 7:03 pm
The 2024 season didn’t exactly end with a trophy-lifting parade we hoped and expected. There was real hope in the air around the club – a feeling that this year, the three-year plan would bring it all together. And though it wasn’t quite to be, we at Drive 105’s Match Night Live couldn’t help but step things up too, putting on a programme we thought the season deserved.
We rolled out a big three-hour format for match days, bringing on a rotating crew of three co-hosts at home to shake up the conversation, with committed men travelling across Ireland and Gibraltar for away coverage. We stacked it with interviews – from journalists, ex-LOI stars, RTE pundits, Derry legends past and present, the management squad, and even a Champions League winner and a ROI International or two.
What you see on-air and online? Just the tip of the iceberg. Behind the scenes, it’s all unpaid work including late nights, endless emails, bleary-eyed audio and video editing, long drives through the night, and even some out-of-pocket expenses to keep the broadcast going. None of us are journalists or sound techs; we’re not trained, and we’re definitely not polished. We might just be the most unprofessional professional broadcast team you’ll ever tune in to – all driven by the motto, “We’ll work it out”.
A massive shoutout to the incredible team who made this season’s Match Night Live possible: Kevin, Stephen, Eddie, Gareth, Mikhail, Packie, Michael, Dermot, and James – thank you for giving it your all, week in and week out! Special thanks to Danny Lafferty, Rory Patterson, and the many others who swooped in to cover commentary when we needed that last-minute save. Thanks to Paul, Richard, Bill and Gregory for filling in at the studio at match nights as well as the Drive 105 presenters who accommodate our broadcasts. And, of course, Lawrence Moore, Derry City’s P.R.O. – we owe you a big one for all the behind-the-scenes help! To all the club P.R.O.s who kindly lined up interviews with managers and players – we’d have been lost without you! And to every current player, manager, pundit, and journalist who joined us on air this year, without asking for a thing in return – thank you.
But the biggest thanks goes to you, our listeners. It’s easy to wonder if all the effort flies under the radar sometimes, but then you get those messages on FAI Cup Final day from Ohio, Egypt, and beyond, and you know it’s all worth it.
As for me, the portable studio is folded up, the mics and gear are back at the station, and it’s time for a breather – just as the manager suggested, a little “reset and refresh.” We pushed to make 2024 bigger and better, and now? Well, we’ll have to let 2025 answer that. Until then, enjoy the close season! Here’s to whatever comes next.
We rolled out a big three-hour format for match days, bringing on a rotating crew of three co-hosts at home to shake up the conversation, with committed men travelling across Ireland and Gibraltar for away coverage. We stacked it with interviews – from journalists, ex-LOI stars, RTE pundits, Derry legends past and present, the management squad, and even a Champions League winner and a ROI International or two.
What you see on-air and online? Just the tip of the iceberg. Behind the scenes, it’s all unpaid work including late nights, endless emails, bleary-eyed audio and video editing, long drives through the night, and even some out-of-pocket expenses to keep the broadcast going. None of us are journalists or sound techs; we’re not trained, and we’re definitely not polished. We might just be the most unprofessional professional broadcast team you’ll ever tune in to – all driven by the motto, “We’ll work it out”.
A massive shoutout to the incredible team who made this season’s Match Night Live possible: Kevin, Stephen, Eddie, Gareth, Mikhail, Packie, Michael, Dermot, and James – thank you for giving it your all, week in and week out! Special thanks to Danny Lafferty, Rory Patterson, and the many others who swooped in to cover commentary when we needed that last-minute save. Thanks to Paul, Richard, Bill and Gregory for filling in at the studio at match nights as well as the Drive 105 presenters who accommodate our broadcasts. And, of course, Lawrence Moore, Derry City’s P.R.O. – we owe you a big one for all the behind-the-scenes help! To all the club P.R.O.s who kindly lined up interviews with managers and players – we’d have been lost without you! And to every current player, manager, pundit, and journalist who joined us on air this year, without asking for a thing in return – thank you.
But the biggest thanks goes to you, our listeners. It’s easy to wonder if all the effort flies under the radar sometimes, but then you get those messages on FAI Cup Final day from Ohio, Egypt, and beyond, and you know it’s all worth it.
As for me, the portable studio is folded up, the mics and gear are back at the station, and it’s time for a breather – just as the manager suggested, a little “reset and refresh.” We pushed to make 2024 bigger and better, and now? Well, we’ll have to let 2025 answer that. Until then, enjoy the close season! Here’s to whatever comes next.
