South East natives Niall Power and Vincent Bradley have been part of the prime-time line-up of Beat 102-103 since Ireland’s first regional radio station began broadcasting in 2003. For the first three years, Waterford native Power presented the station’s popular afternoon talk show, Beat Talk, while Bradley, who is from Adamstown in County Wexford, worked as a full-time sports broadcast journalist with the station.
Power and Bradley were attending a colleague’s wedding in January 2006 when Power joked to the then CEO of Beat 102-103, Waterford man Kieran McGeary, that he should “put myself and Vinny on brekkie.” The throwaway comment planted a seed in McGeary’s mind, and exactly one month later, on 13 February 2006, Power and Bradley took to the airwaves in their new breakfast time slot. They have never looked back.
Breakfast radio is increasingly competitive, but Power and Bradley have remained consistently strong. Over the last decade, the show’s format has undergone numerous changes to constantly improve its offering. In the most recent radio research, Beat Breakfast achieved a record high of 45,000 adult listeners daily. Current CEO and Programme Director of Beat, Gabrielle Cummins, has worked closely with Power and Bradley throughout this time. She outlined why she believes Beat Breakfast regularly produces a winning formula: “There is a LOT of ego in the radio industry but Niall and Vinny are extremely talented broadcasters who have always remained relatable to their loyal and valued audience; they know how to have the craic, they listen to what their fans have to say, they have huge respect for each other, their listeners and everyone else they work with and most importantly they’re friends so there is a natural fun factor between them that can’t be taught.”
There have been many Beat Breakfast programming highlights over the past ten years, including marrying two strangers, a multi-award-winning station social experiment, chasing fugitives, bringing the Beat Breakfast Birthday Bus on tour across all five counties of the South East, and many memorable celebrity interviews. In recent months, the station touched listeners with its FeelGood Friday campaign, and Power surprised Bradley by arranging for him to meet one of his favourite pop stars, Taylor Swift.
Bradley has pinpointed “The Daily Dilemma” as one of the show’s features that he is particularly proud of. “What started as an occasional feature has grown into our most popular item on the show,” he said. “It still amazes me why people air their most personal issues on the biggest morning show in the region, but I suppose people want guidance from those who aren’t attached or involved. We’ve also seen huge changes in how we interact with our listeners. There was no social media when we launched in Feb 06, but you can now engage with us each morning and even when we’re not on air, right across the day on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and many other platforms.”
For many years, Bradley has been quizmaster of another of the show’s popular features, “Beat The Bomb.” He says they have encountered some great characters from the South East over the last decade. “We feel like we’re friends with many of our listeners at this stage, even though we’ve never met most of them!” he said. “In a lot of cases, they’re just names on a text or a voice on the phone but they talk to us as if we’re in their gang or part of their family in the kitchen in the morning! It’s an odd kind of relationship but we never take it for granted. The great thing is that the “family” is growing all the time, as our listenership figures show.”
In more recent years, Power and Bradley have been joined by Trish Archer, a Waterford-based Jamaican native, and she likes to think she keeps the pair on their toes. “When I was younger I really wanted an older brother and now I have two!” she said. “I say it all the time when I’m asked what it’s like working with the guys. It’s like being in your sitting room and the gang’s around for a catch-up and cuppa. I have to say it’s been an adventurous three years on breakfast with Niall and Vinny. Hands down they are two of the most funny and witty people I know; their energy and humour is effortless and so contagious, they really do make it easy to present with them each morning.”
The station is planning a major breakfast party on Friday 12 February at The Set Theatre in Kilkenny to celebrate Power and Bradley’s ten years of breakfast radio. Keywest, a popular Irish band that has featured many times on Beat Breakfast, is excited to be performing live at the party. “Niall and Vinny and in fact all the team at Beat have always been really supportive of our music, giving us plenty of prime time airtime,” the band said. “The guys are seriously talented but down to earth at the same time. We are delighted to help them celebrate this major milestone and look forward to hounding them for more airtime for many years to come!!”
In the lead-up to the Friday party, there will be many surprises on air and online on Beat 102-103, with giveaways including cash prizes. Listeners who wish to attend the breakfast party can email [email protected]