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Fanning's Fab Fifty

David Fanning
Born David Fanning
(1955-12-30) 30 December 1955 (age 61)
Dublin, Ireland
Nationality Irish
Education English and Philosophy degree/Higher Diploma in Education
Alma mater University College, Dublin
Occupation Radio and television presenter
Employer Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Known for Music industry work, friendship with U2, Fanning's Fab 50
Spouse(s) Ursula

Dave Fanning (born 30 December 1955) is an Irish rock journalist, DJ, film critic and broadcaster.

Fanning currently hosts The 11th Hour on RTÉ Two and two radio shows: Drivetime with Dave on RTÉ Radio 1 and The Dave Fanning Show on RTÉ 2fm. He also fills in for other presenters on RTÉ Radio, including acting as a surrogate for Ryan Tubridy in June 2009. Likewise, John Creedon has worked as a surrogate for Fanning.

Due to his much celebrated friendship with U2, Fanning has for three decades been granted the first airing of any of the band's new singles before anyone else in the world, with band members often calling Fanning to tell him what they are doing. He has presented more than twenty different series for RTÉ Television, including 2TV, The Movie Show and documentaries on Cambodia and Ethiopia. He also hosted RTÉ's live television coverage of Live 8 in Hyde Park, London (July 2005), and Live Earth in Wembley Stadium, London (July 2007). He claims to have conducted around 200 interviews with global rock stars.

Fanning is the receiver of several awards and nominations, the first of which was a Jacob's Award in 1980. He won numerous IRMA awards and has won Best DJ at the Meteor Music Awards a total of three times, and been nominated at least twice more in 2008 and 2009, this after being granted the Industry Award in 2004.

Hot Press regards Fanning as "one of the most familiar faces and voices in Irish broadcasting". Rob Sharp of UK newspaper The Independent has referred to him as a "legendary Irish DJ".BP Fallon commented in 2008: "Without Dave Fanning on the radio, music in Ireland would have had a poorer face. Dave changed things, opened up ears". The Sunday Tribune's Eithne Tynan has defined his style as a "thousand words a minute, start a whole new sentence before you've finished the previous one". Fanning is parodied by Oliver Callan.


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