Dave Fanning

For other people with the same name, see David Fanning (disambiguation).

Dave Fanning
Dave Fanning at 2015 Web Summit Music Stage
Born
David Fanning

(1956-02-27) 27 February 1956 (age 68)
Dublin, Ireland
NationalityIrish
EducationEnglish and Philosophy degree/Higher Diploma in Education
Alma materUniversity College Dublin
Occupation(s)Radio and television presenter
EmployerRTÉ
AgentNoel Kelly[1][2]
Known forMusic industry work, friendship with U2, Fanning's Fab 50
SpouseUrsula Courtney[3]
ChildrenJack, Robert and Hayley[3][4]

David Fanning (born 27 February 1956) is an Irish television and radio broadcaster, rock journalist, DJ, film critic and author. Fanning currently hosts weekend midday magazine/chat show The Dave Fanning Show on the Irish national radio station RTÉ 2fm and a number of RTÉ Radio 1 programmes. He regularly deputises on RTÉ Radio 1 across a range of primetime programmes and also presented his own Monday-Friday 9 am show Mornings With Dave Fanning in 2015.[5]

Due to his friendship with U2, Fanning has for four decades been granted the first airing of any of the band's new singles before anyone else in the world,[6] with band members often calling Fanning to tell him what they are doing.[7] He has presented more than twenty different TV shows for RTÉ Television, from 2TV to The Movie Show. 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 has conducted over 200 interviews with global rock stars.[8]

Fanning has been the recipient of a number of 'Best DJ' awards from various publications, including Hot Press where he topped the annual readers' Poll for over twenty years. In 1980, he was the first person outside of RTÉ Radio 1 to be honoured with a prestigious Jacob's Award for "the depth and scope" of his radio show. Following Christy Moore in 1990 and preceding Van Morrison in 1992, Fanning was awarded the IRMA Special Industry Award in 1991. In recent years he has been the recipient of a number of accolades and awards ranging from the 2012 Dublin Lord Mayor's Award ("To the voice of Irish Radio, in recognition of his broadcasting career, his support of new Irish talent and for bringing alternative Irish music to an Irish audience")[9] to the 2014 University College Dublin Music Society Award. (The Honorary Fellowship citation reads "in recognition of his outstanding contribution to music through his work as a journalist, DJ and broadcaster – in particular his support of homegrown Irish talent"). He won numerous IRMA awards and was nominated for Best DJ at The Meteor Music Awards on seven occasions, winning four times. U2 performed a special tribute when he won the Special Industry award in 2004. In 2016, he was inducted into the Irish Radio Hall of Fame.[10]

Hot Press regards Fanning as "one of the most familiar faces and voices in Irish broadcasting",[11] summing up his impact: "When Billboard magazine referred to the introduction of 2FM as one of the major factors behind the growth of Ireland as a major music centre, they really meant Dave Fanning". Rob Sharp of UK newspaper The Independent has referred to him as a "legendary Irish DJ".[12] 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".[13] In The Sunday Times of March 2020, Jim Lockhart said of Fanning "he was central to a whole generation's interface with music and he is a force of nature".[14] 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".[15]

  1. ^ Tighe, Mark; Horan, Niamh (2 July 2023). "The world according to Noel Kelly, the agent to the stars and the power behind the throne at RTÉ: With a roster of big names, the superagent was the eminence grise who effectively called the shots at RTÉ". Sunday Independent.
  2. ^ Meagher, John (20 November 2011). "Why RTE stars call Noel Kelly 'The Godfather': He is agent to the big names and he negotiated their huge salaries. Who is he -- and how did he become so powerful?". Sunday Independent.
  3. ^ a b "Hayley Fanning - daughter of RTÉ's Dave Fanning - on hanging out with the coolest pop star on the planet". Independent.ie. 25 August 2019.
  4. ^ "RTÉ Archives". RTÉ Archives. 5 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Mornings with Dave Fanning". Raidió Teilifís Éireann.
  6. ^ "World premiere for new U2 on RTÉ 2fm". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 16 January 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
  7. ^ "U2 and Jay-Z record song for Haiti". BBC. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dave Fanning to present new show on Sky was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Lord Mayor's Award". Dublin City. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  10. ^ "PPI Hall of Fame". Raidió Teilifís Éireann.
  11. ^ Olaf Tyaransen. "Dave Fanning". Hot Press. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Last Night's Television: Radiohead: The Dave Fanning Interview, Sky Arts 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Padraig Kenny (23 November 2008). "Airwaves To Heaven". Sunday Tribune. Retrieved 20 December 2009.[dead link‍]
  14. ^ "Jim Lockhart". The Times. thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  15. ^ Eithne Tynan (14 December 2008). "Radio Review, Eithne Tynan – He doesn't just dress like your grandad, he acts like him too..." Sunday Tribune. Retrieved 20 December 2009.[dead link‍]