Making Waves

Have I heard of her?

Well maybe, but you've definitely heard her. When the twentysomething Dubliner was on the radio nearly every evening with AA Roadwatch, her own unique version of the DART accent made her a household name. Now she's left all that dreary N11 tailback stuff behind for a glamorous new television job.

So no more "busy rindabites" or "congestion on the Furrybonk jewel carriageway" then?

No. Lorraine has swapped her driving gloves for a little black dress - she's been appointed the entertainment correspondent for TV3 .

Not more frocks on the box?

Now, now, just because TV3's news team is made up of youthful good-lookers doesn't mean they're not to be taken seriously - and maybe the news will sound, well, nicer, if attractive young people are reading it.

Do you mean the entertainment correspondent is part of the news team?

Of course. "Infotainment" is the buzz word in news rooms these days and most TV stations are jazzing up their news coverage, look at Network 2. Stand up Sky - you've a lot to answer for.

Sounds alarming?

Well it does mean Lorraine will have to re-set both her alarm and her body clock. She's used to starting work at 7 a.m., now she'll have to become a night owl as the people at TV 3 promise that she'll be reporting from "the most exclusive backstage parties and movie premieres" and that Lorraine "will be interviewing the biggest and brightest stars". Her brief also includes fashion, so expect a very stylish look.

Any chance of a sneak preview?

Check out this month's ESB bill - it includes even more junk mail inserts than usual, including a TV3 promotion. This glossy leaf let features a picture of Lorraine and the rest of the team but curiously enough it's in dull black and white, while the snaps of the dreaded Grant and the ever whiney Bianca from EastEnders are in full colour. Are TV3 bosses trying to tell us something about the programming balance in the new station?

It's a bit of a change for her from traffic soundbites on the radio?

Not really. Lorraine has already proven herself as a strong and confident presenter on RTE television programmes including Start Me Up and Drive. She's even been interviewed on the Late Late Show - proving, once again, that Gay has his finger on the zeitgeist. Traffic has officially replaced the weather as the national preoccupation - after all who would have thought, even five years ago, that someone who reads traffic reports could become a celebrity?