Off the air: Former 2fm DJ Nikki Hayes

Former 2fm DJ Nikki Hayes, who was dropped last month, has criticised station management, claiming she deserved more courtesy considering the loyalty she showed.


Speaking for the first time since she was controversially axed, Hayes said she is still devastated over her treatment in her final hours with the station.


"John McMahon [head of 2FM] came into a meeting with me and spent a minute and a half with me. In that minute and a half he basically said there was no space for the kind of show I was doing but that I was great DJ and that I would as of that moment no longer be presenting."


Hayes said she went into shock after being told the news.


"The initial moment that I was told I broke down crying. My producer came in and hugged me and I went into a bit of shock about it all because I turned around to her and told her I had to go home and walk my dog."


According to the DJ, RTÉ failed to recognise her loyalty after over seven years working for the station.


"I feel that after all the loyalty I have shown them that I deserved so much more courtesy. I worked five Christmas days, sacrificed time with my dad when he was dying, let relationships fall apart and all because I made RTÉ my number one priority.


"After all that, they wouldn't even let me say goodbye to my listeners who have been very loyal to me. They could have let me present a final show, but they decided to just let me go there and then with no explanation."


She said that working with the national broadcaster can be over-hyped.


"When the RTÉ cocoon comes away things finally begin to become clear. You become almost institutionalised and think that the station is the be all and end all.


"It is only when you step away that it becomes clear that it is the opposite. There is so much beyond them. Even TV3 and Newstalk, places like that, are excellent broadcasters."


Hayes said she will return to the airwaves over the coming weeks and will be bringing her listeners with her.


"I will be back very soon, and I will be taking my listeners with me, such is the relationship we have all built up."