TUBS’ OLD SLOT STILL IN TOP 2..
»»The Nine O’clock Show drops 4,000 but 343k tuning in »»Morning Ireland stays in prime spot with 486k listeners
RYAN Tubridy’s former Radio 1 slot is the second most listened to on the airwaves – as Morning Ireland remains the nation’s top show.
According to the latest Joint National Listenership Research, RTE Radio 1 saw significant gains with Brendan O’connor’s weekend programmes and Tubs’ old slot bringing in the numbers.
Morning Ireland has 486,000 listeners – an increase of 23,000 people daily.
Claire Byrne has 10,000 more tuning in to her mid-morning radio show, making a total of 341,000.
Some 4,000 tuned out of the Nine O’clock Show since Tubridy’s departure, leaving new host Oliver Callan with 343,000 listeners daily.
However, it remains the second most popular programme on air.
Joe Duffy’s Liveline saw an increase of 1,000 listeners, with the show now reaching 303,000. Ray D’arcy’s afternoon slot lost 1,000 listeners and now broadcasts to 186,000 people daily while Drivetime is up 2,000 to 221,000.
Peter Woods, Head of RTE Radio 1, said: “This is obviously a very good book for Radio 1, up across weekdays and weekend programming.
“In the first place I’d like to thank the listeners who continue to put their trust overwhelmingly in this station. There are also our presenters who are the very best, across all genres.
“Nobody should underestimate what it takes to front a programme and consistently perform, day after day. And there is, above all, the leadership and commitment our production teams provide every single day, which drives everything we do.
“All of our schedule is performing. Radio 1 has a particular commitment to Irish music and Irish artists, male and female. It is important to emphasise that this works.”
Over at 2FM, the station saw very little change in the last few months.
Breakfast with Doireann, Carl and Donncha lost 3,000 listeners and now has 146,000 tuning in.
While Jennifer Zamparelli and Tracy Clifford saw no change with Jen retaining 136,000 listeners and Tracy 113,000.
The 2 Johnnies were down 2,000, with 150,000 tuning in to their afternoon programme.
Dan Healy, Head of RTE Radio Strategy and RTE 2FM, said: “It is great that 2FM has consolidated audiences gained in the last survey. Listeners have been retained in general right across the daytime schedule.
“The new weekend schedule, which started this time last year, is going from strength to strength with Laura Fox and Roz and Emma continuing to grow from survey to survey.
“2FM has always led the charge in promoting Irish-produced music to the front and centre and we are looking forward to the RTE Choice Music Prize on March 7 which will be hosted by Tracy Clifford and broadcast live on 2FM.”
Miriam O’callaghan and Brendan O’connor both welcomed back thousands of listeners they had lost.
Brendan’s Saturday show gained 7,000, bringing him up to 342,000, while his Sunday show saw a 20,000 increase to 343,000.
Prime Time host Miriam’s Sunday show now has 292,000 listeners – a jump of 20,000 compared to the previous JNLR when she was down
Enduring relevance of public service media is clear to see KEVIN BAKHURST YESTERDAY
15,000. RTE Director General Kevin Bakhurst said: “The enduring value and relevance of public service media to people in Ireland is clear to see in these latest figures.
“Over two million adults tune in to RTE’S radio services every week and RTE Radio 1 remains the only station with a weekly reach of over one million people.
“It’s especially gratifying to see how more and more young people are connecting with 2FM, a vital element in RTE’S public service portfolio, with the service weekday reach up 1% year on year.
“The loyalty of lyric listeners, alongside the gains in weekday and weekend reach and share for Radio 1, are testament to the continuing connection between audiences and these essential public services.
“I’d like to thank our listeners, each one, for continuing to choose RTE’S radio services and our hardworking production teams and presenters for continuing to serve our audiences.”
It is not yet known how Tubridy’s new Q102 radio show is doing. The presenter only joined the station five weeks ago following his departure from RTE.
A Q102 spokesman said: “The listenership figures for Ryan’s new show will be reflected in the next
JNLR report in May.”
The survey also revealed a jump for
Pat Kenny over at
Newstalk. The former
RTE star welcomed an extra 11,000 listeners to his radio show, with 216,000 tuning in.
Newstalk Breakfast saw an increase of
5,000 listeners.
They now broadcast daily to 149,000 people. Lunchtime gained 6,000 listeners, giving the show an audience of 113,000, while Moncrieff gained 5,000 people, taking it to 115,000 and The Hard Shoulder saw a 5,000 jump to 153,000.
Bauer Media Audio Ireland Interim CEO Chris Doyle said: “This is an excellent set of results for the Bauer stations, now reaching the biggest weekly audience of any group in Ireland.
“Huge performances from Newstalk, Today FM and Red FM contributed to this record of 2.1 million weekly listeners.
“More listeners, listening for longer to high quality and innovative audio makes Bauer the perfect partner for advertisers.” Today FM reported a mixed bag. Ian Dempsey gained 3,000 listeners, with 228,000 tuning in, while Dermot and Dave have 230,000, an extra 3,000.
However, Pamela Joyce lost 2,000 listeners with 140,000 now tuning in and Ray Foley lost 1,000. He now has 163,000 listeners. The Last Word gained 4,000, taking the show to 186,000.
Fyona Smith, Today FM Managing Editor, said: “Our dedication to delivering exceptional content has yielded phenomenal results.
“The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, Dave Moore and The Last Word with Matt Cooper reached unparalleled levels of listenership, marking a milestone achievement spanning over a decade.
“The latest JNLR results reaffirm our commitment to those who choose Today FM each day. Your loyalty and trust inspire us to strive for excellence every day and for that we are immensely grateful.
“The record-breaking audience growth of Today FM is a testament to the commitment of our exceptional team.”