Claire Byrne on leaving RTE: It felt like the organisation was wagging its finger at me, saying 'you've been a bad person - you need to have a pay cap to stop your gallop'

"As her Newstalk début looms, the presenter tells Niamh Horan why she left the state broadcaster, a place she reckons has lost its backbone"

"Claire Byrne knows the pressure is on."

""I need to hit the ground running," she says as we meet over coffee in Dublin's Intercontinental Hotel."

Claire Byrne will begin a new show on Newstalk after a three-month break from broadcasting. She left the state broadcaster and characterises it as having lost its backbone. She feels substantial pressure ahead of the move and intends to begin strongly in the new role. The transition marks a move from public service broadcasting to a commercial station and follows a period of preparation. The decision signals concerns about institutional confidence and editorial direction within the state broadcaster and a determination to maintain professional standards on the new programme.

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