How Joe Mulholland dealt with six months of controversy.
Summer 1999: He announces Pat Kenny will succeed Gay Byrne as presenter of The Late Late Show, despite Kenny saying some time earlier that the show should be "parked". He acknowledges that Kenny "had some reservations".
September 1999: RTE's weather forecasters are replaced by four young presenters who are not meteorologists.
October 1999: Mulholland announces that professional met eorologists would continue to present weather forecasts. "If this is called a U-turn, so be it".
December 1999: RTE promises its millennium programming will be "a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will be unforgettable, compelling and life-enhancing".
February 2000: In the face of declining ratings and poor reviews, he insists Pat Kenny is "doing a good job" as presenter of The Late Late. On the New Year's Eve coverage, he said: "We had difficulties at midnight because there was so little happening around the country. Perhaps we should have foreseen that, but on the night, what could we do?"