Ian Dempsey
| Ian Dempsey | |
|---|---|
Ian Dempsey
|
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| Born |
Ian Michael Dempsey 16 January 1961 |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Broadcaster |
| Employer | Today FM (1998- present), RTÉ (1980-1998) |
| Known for | Children's television, breakfast radio show |
| Website | http://www.todayfm.com/Shows/Weekdays/Ian-Dempsey-Breakfast-Show/Overview.aspx |
Ian Michael Dempsey (born 16 January 1961) is an Irish presenter of television and breakfast radio. He is the long-running presenter of the breakfast show on Today FM, self-titled The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, which runs from 7-9am each weekday. He has won several major awards for his programmes and was Ireland's tenth most-listened-to broadcaster in 2007.
On 9 June 2010, he co-hosted the opening ceremony of the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games Irish heats at Thomond Park with Des Cahill.
Dempsey began his first experiments in radio in 1967 when at the age of six he made his first radio show in a friend's house. In 1978 he joined Dublin pirate station Capitol Radio, and later worked for Alternative Radio Dublin and Radio 257.
In 1980 he joined the national broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann, to present The Weekend Breakfast Show on RTÉ 2fm, and later, shows such as Poparama, The Hotline, Night Train and The Great Giveaway Show. He began working at RTÉ on 29 February 1980. Dempsey later hosted the lunchtime show before moving to the breakfast slot in the mid-1980s. He picked up where Marty Whelan had left off, engaging the audience with his natural personality, a world apart from the 'jocks' that stalked the radio centre at the time. Apart from a brief time off breakfast following 2fm's 1989 relaunch, he has remained on early mornings since. Maxi was placed on the breakfast show at that time but after a few weeks it was apparent to all that her style not suited to the format; Dempsey was promptly reinstated.
1986 saw Dempsey's first major exposure to television, with the children's show Dempsey's Den, which also gave the alien twin puppets Zig and Zag their first break to the small screen. Noted for his choice of brightly coloured jumpers, Dempsey presented The Den until the summer of 1990 and later reflected on his time at the helm in a 2008 RTÉ documentary. He also worked on various TV shows including the pop music quiz show Number 1 and three seasons of The Beatbox, a two-hour music video show simulcast on Network 2 and RTÉ 2fm. He was also the first host of the Irish version of Talkabout.
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