No Fairytale figures for RTE Eoghan listeners turn off after 2fm dj’s ON THE UP call to ban pogues Xmas classic
THOUSANDS switched off from Eoghan Mcdermott’s RTE radio show following his controversial calls to ban Fairytale Of New York.
The latest National Listenership figures revealed his evening slot on 2fm lost 7,000 listeners in just three months, seeing his audience drop to 138,000.
Matt Cooper’s show The Last Word on rival station Today FM grew by 5,000 to 142,000 in the same three-month period.
On Newstalk, Ivan Yates’ The Hard Shoulder ran away with the drivetime audience, gaining 13,000 listeners, ending last year on 170,000.
Mcdermott sparked outrage before Christmas when he objected to the christmas classic’s use of “slur” words.
However, the controversial host’s show still ended the year with a 4,000 increase in listenership year-on-year.
Head of 2fm Dan Healy told the Irish Mirror: “First thing about that is, I didn’t receive one single email about that.
“So that was something that happened externally and Eoghan took a lot of flack on it but he’s a big boy.”
It wasn’t all bad news for the national broadcaster as figures showed more than two million listeners tuned in weekly.
Morning Ireland ended the year as Ireland’s most listened-to radio show by welcoming 5,000 new listeners last season and 16,000 overall in 2018, bringing them to 439,000 listeners.
News At One rose by 2,000 in winter and 16,000 year-on-year, ending with 343,000 listeners.
Some of RTE’S highest earners proved they are worth their flashy salaries as Breakfast Republic
Ray D’arcy attracted 14,000 listeners last year, with 221,000 tuning in to his afternoon slot and Ryan Tubridy gained 12,000 in the final three months, bringing his audience up to 325,000.
Sean O’rourke and Ronan Collins increased their listenership by 8,000 and 12,000 respectively.
On Today FM, Ian Dempsey jumped by 18,000, ending on a threeyear high of 180,000.
Mario Rosenstock’s new weekend show rose by 11,000 to 79,000 listeners.
Louise Duffy’s evening show grew by 3,000 to 30,000 last season while Fergal D’arcy maintained his 112,000 listeners in the same time, but attracted an extra 10,000 compared to the previous year.
At 2fm Tracy Clifford’s afternoon slot made the biggest move, jumping by 12,000 to 145,000 last year.
Nicky Byrne and Jenny Greene maintained their audience in winter, but gained 3,000 in 2018, with their listenership now standing at 153,000.
Breakfast Republic fell by 2,000 during winter 2018, but finished with a 1,000 year-on-year gain of 187,000 listeners.
On Newstalk, Sean Moncrieff ended 2018 with 15,000 new listeners at 97,000, Newstalk Breakfast attracted 9,000 bringing them up to 128,000, while The Pat Kenny Show jumped up by 12,000 to 155,000.
Dr Ciara Kelly’s lunchtime show rose by 6,000 year on year, with a listenership of 105,000.
I didn’t receive one email about it. Eoghan took a lot of flack on it but he’s a big boy DAN HEALY
HEAD OF 2FM YESTERDAY