Lots happens in the radio industry each week so here’s a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Here’s What Happened
Broadcaster Ryan Tubridy started his new show on Virgin Radio this week, with the show simulcast on Dublin’s Q102. His new Irish weekend Show starts tomorrow and will air between 10:00 and 12:00 across Wireless group stations. live 95, 96FM, Q102 and LmFM
The weekday show has already secured a UK sponsor, with Paddy Power coming on board for a year. Paddy Power himself announced the deal as a guest on the show. financial terms were not disclosed.
It seems Irish audiences were excited and curious to listen to Tubridy again, with apps for both Virgin Radio and Q102 hitting the top 5 in the Irish Apple App Store charts on launch day. JNLR and RAJAR numbers will tell how the show ultimately performs, but things look to be off to a good start.
Kevin Brannigan (boss at Irelands Classic Hits Radio), said he did not believe it was appropriate for a UK programme to be broadcast on Irish radio. Kevin previously offered to hire Ryan, and his station airs the uk produced Kim Wild 80s Show. While Kevin’s point is understandable it was interesting to see him making it.
Overall it seemed to be a positive launch for Ryan. Big presenters like Corks Derry O Callaghan are having shows cut in length tomorrow, and some of those shows have pre-existing sponsors too. It’s an interesting situation and it will be fun to listen to.
Let us know what you thought of the show over on social media. Just search Radio Land Ireland
Virgin Radio wasn’t the only station signing new sponsors this week, as RTE signed a deal with Cash & Carry Kitchens who will become the Sponsor of Today With Claire Byrne for the next year.
It’s unclear what was paid for the sponsorship, but the one year package had previously been advertised at a cost of €350,000
“We are delighted to be involved with the broadcast sponsorship of Claire Byrne on Radio 1. This partnership aligns seamlessly with Cash & Carry Kitchens, offering an opportunity to boost brand awareness and engage consumers through Claire Byrne’s widely popular radio show.
Alan Morris, Head of Marketing at Cash & Carry Kitchens
Rte are under serious financial pressure, so every partnership like this helps. Who knows what other sponsorships we’ll see this year, but it’s clear RTE and Virgin Radio are off to a good start.
What were the most played songs on Irish radio in 2023? Research from campaign group Why Not Her reveals the answer.
We’ve covered the Why Not Her campaign a lot in the past, and you can read their statement on the findings at the link below. For now, let’s look at what we listened to on radio in 2023.
The top 5 songs played on Irish radio were:
Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
Niall Horan – “Heaven”
Calvin Harris – “Miracle”
Dua Lipa – “Dance The Night”
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”
As for the top Irish artists being played, we had:
Niall Horan – “Heaven”
Jazzy – “Giving Me”
Cian Ducrot – “Heaven”
Cian Ducrot- “I’ll Be Waiting”
Dermot Kennedy – “Kiss me”
Big year for Cian Ducrot clearly. Well done to everyone who made the list. Hopefully we’ll see more quality Irish artists rise to the top in 2024.
And that’s the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio news📻 and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more fun from the world of radio.
Lots happens in the radio industry each week so here’s a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Here’s What Happened
Gavan Reilly has announced that he is leaving Newstalk, after hosting weekend show On The Record since 2019.
He will be continuing in his role as political correspondent for Virgin Media News, and suggested in his final Newstalk link that this decision has really come as a result of wanting to spend time with his young family.
Stressing that this was totally his own call, Gavan emotionally thanked his managers at both Newstalk and Virgin, and also thanked the contributors and team behind the scenes who made On The Record what it is.
Seán Defoe will be filling in on the show for the next 2 weeks, with a permanent replacement set to be announced at some stage soon.
Really I think Gavans last link tells this story better than any text can, so I’d really recommend having a listen to the podcast clip linked below. The very best of luck to Gavan going forward, he’s probably one of the biggest voices in irelands independent broadcasting sector so it’s going to be interesting to see what comes next.
Broadcaster Bob Brolly has left his bbc job after more than 30 years. He hosted Bob Brolly’s Irish Show on BBC local radio in the UK, but this show came to an end on BBC during the pandemic.
Bob alleges he was asked to audition for a new contract, something he refused to do. After expressing anger about this on his show the show was pulled, with his contract left to expire. That contract expired this week.
The bbc dispute this somewhat, saying nobody was asked to “audition”. In a statement they said “Last year we announced there would be changes to all local radio schedules across England, to achieve this fairly we followed our usual recruitment policies for interviewing candidates for presenter/producer roles in local radio,”.
BBC local radio has been going through huge cuts recently and bob is far from the only one to lose his show unfortunately. Bob is in fact one of the lucky ones as he’s announced this week that he’s bringing Bob Brolly’s Irish Show to a new station in the form of BRMB. BRMB relaunched in Birmingham earlier this month after the station which originally used that name became FreeRadio 10 years back.
It’s sad to see what’s happening in the world of UK radio, and we can only hope we don’t see a repeat of that over here.
Beat 102 103 presenter Megan O’Regan Byrne is taking part in irelands answer to Love Island Grá ar an Trá. I watched the first episode and it’s legitimately really good.
Basically the singletons live in the Love Teach (Love House) with one half of each couple tasked with teaching the other Gaeilge. Gráinne Seoige keeps an eye on proceedings, deciding which couples stay, and which are going to have to take their pack of Tayto and hop on the bus home. At the end the couple with the most focail win €10,000, and hopefully fall in love.
Megan was coupled up with Sean, who is a big fan of flirting as Gaeilge. Megan on the other lámh only has a cúpla focal, but loved Irish in school. They already seem to be settling in well so who knows what might happen.
It would be cool to have someone from the world of radio do well in the show so we’ll be hoping it went well for Megan and Sean. The show is prerecorded and only airs once a week unfortunately, but if you’re looking for something fun to watch you can catch up on Virgin Media Player.
And that’s the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio news📻 and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more fun from the world of radio.
Lots happens in the radio industry each week so here’s a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Here’s What Happened
Going forward commercial stations renewing their licenses will need to agree to more Irish language, programming, following a decision made by Coimisiún na Meán in July.
The Irish times report that when agreeing new licence terms for Galway Bay FM, the board of the regulator introduced two new conditions. “ a requirement to review and update Irish language programme commitments, and that the station collect data and, on request, report to the commission about their performance on the Irish language, media literacy and sustainability.”.
This comes ahead of an expected review of Irish language services to be carried out by Coimisiún na Meán in 2024. We don’t know the full scope of this review, but the regulator seem to be pushing forward with a plan to get more Irish language content on air.
It’s been a relatively good time for Irish media recently following the launch of a new dedicated kids TV channel broadcasting in the Irish language. Recent rule changes have led to more Irish advertising, and we’ve also heard rumblings of a new Irish language youth music service.
2023 has been a big year for Irish, and it’s looking like there are plenty more changes to come.
I haven’t even started my Christmas shopping yet, but we got another sign this week that the festive period is just around the corner.
2FM are looking for a brand to sponsor the sound of Christmas, with a 10 second sting before each Christmas song played on the station this December. It’s the first time this deal has been on the market in 4 years, so demand will probably be high for such an important advertising opportunity.
The sound of Christmas will kick off on Friday December 1st, with 12 songs played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. From Monday 4th 24 songs will be played in total each day that’s a total of 2 per hour. This will basically continue until Christmas Eve.
If you want a slice of the Christmas pudding that will set you back a cool €60,000. It sounds pricey, but 540 highly prominent stings is a big deal right before Santa comes. Exciting stuff kids, 93 sleeps to go.🎄
We’ve seen the Christmas ad opportunities for the toy show and Christmas RTE Guide hit the market too, so even if you feel it’s too early, reality tells us it’s nearly time. So, stop being a grinch.
Unfortunately we’re ending on a sad note this week. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta presenter Rónán Mac Aodha Bhuí has passed away at the age of just 53.
The presenter hosted many shows on both TV and Radio over the course of his career, but was probably best known for Rónán Beo on RnaG which started in 2006. He was a well respected name in Gaeltacht communities.
He was sadly diagnosed with cancer a number of years ago, and he went through many rounds of chemotherapy as well as 2 surgeries. You might remember we covered a fundraiser for Rónán earlier this year which raised over €171,000 for further treatment.
He’s a voice that will certainly be missed by many, with tributes being paid by everyone from Kevin Bakhurst to Michael D. Higgins.
You can read some of the tributes in the journal article linked below.
And that’s the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio news📻 and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more fun from the world of radio.
Lots happens in the radio industry each week so here’s a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Here’s what Happened
Bauer are buying another radio station. Yes, another one.
This time it’s Iradio’s turn to become part of the big radio family, subject to them getting all the necessary go ahead from regulators, competition bodies, etc.
We can speculate about what this means, but realistically we know the playbook at this point. Cash Machine, GoLoud, and maybe a presenter shakeup. Bauers already huge grip on the industry was clear to see, and now it’s getting even tighter.
It’s hard to know how to put this, but Bauer is at this point taking over not just radio stations, but also the industry as a whole. There buying more and more stations, but even stations operated by other operators are doing things the Bauer way. That can’t be healthy.
Rather than do big analysis of this deal, we’re just going to ask a simple question. Is Bauer too big? Go vote on our Instagram story now.
It’s been another crazy three months, and it’s time to see who’s going up and down with the latest JNLR results.
Let’s start with Radio 1
RTE has had a disastrous few months, but at least for now listenership seems okay. With Tubridy leaving we might see big changes here soon, but let’s look at where we’re at now.
440,000 listen to Morning Ireland, which is a boost of 3,000 from last time. Every little helps
Last time I covered listenership numbers for tubs I called him “the most talked about man in Ireland”. i mean at least I know my content is evergreen. Anyway, unfortunately Tubridy won’t be going out on a high, he lost 1,000 listeners and had 334,000 tuning in.
Today with Claire Byrne has 323,000 listeners. That’s down 4,000 but she gain 6,000 last time so it’s not too bad.
News at One is up 3,000 and now sits at 303,000 listeners, or so RTÉ say. There seems to be an error here somewhere as RTEs last reported listenership was 299,000 from the show. Either the slot gain 4,000 listeners, or RTÉ under reported listeners last time. It’s also possible that they’ve over reported listeners in this book. We’ve reached out to RTÉ media sales to clarify and will update the article if we receive a response.
LiveLine is down 1,000 and sits at 305,000. This is based on numbers from the Irish Times, as RTÉ didn’t include the numbers for the show in their press release.
183,000 listeners tune into Ray Darcy which is up 2,000. Ray was on a down hill slope there for a while but he’s up 6,000 in the last two books.
Drivetime also did well and has seen listener numbers grow. It’s up 6,000 for an audience of 220,000.
Seems like an okay book for the station, with strong growth being seen at the weekend too. RTE haven’t shared numbers for Louise Duffy, so I’ll update the article if I get those. All in all an okay book though.
RTE 2FM is also doing okay
Really 2FM has seen good results for key shows. Let’s take a look at how things are going
2FM Breakfast with Doireann, Donncha, and Carl has 138,000 listeners. They’ve shown consistent steady growth and are up another 3,000 this book.
133,000 listen to Jennifer Zamparelli, which is the same as last time.
Tracey Clifford is having a bit of a bad time at the moment losing yet more listeners. She’s now at 107,000 which is a 2,000 drop. She’s lost 20,000 in the last 4 books, so that’s got to sting a little.
The 2 johnnies had a lovely boost of 10,000 and now sit at 140,000. That’s really as good as it gets. Fair play.
Generally all good news, but it’s looking like it’s time for some changes for Tracey. Hopefully she gets a boost next time as otherwise I’d be very concerned for her. Can she do a ray Darcy and turn it around?
“2FM is in good health following the publication of listenership results for the most recent period. In general, most of our programmes have experienced an increase in audience. Particularly pleasing for all of us at 2FM is the continuous growth at breakfast time with Doireann, Donncha and Carl. With each quarter the show experiences steady growth. Producer Grace Callaghan and right hand person Willem McCarthy also deserve credit for the good shape the show is in. The two lads from Cahir , not yet on air two years, are out performing 2FM’s primetime share by 25%, this is a phenomenal result for The 2 Johnnies. Our new weekend schedule is also bedding in well and I look forward to the next set of results. As ever a massive thanks to our loyal audience and big welcome to our new listeners.”
2FM boss Dan Healy
Today FM will be happy out
Today FM will be happy out with their results as most weekday shows are up. Some of the gains aren’t small either.
221,000 tune into Ian Dempsey each morning, which is a boost of a huge 13,000 from last time. Well done Ian.
Dermot and Dave had a listenership of 216,000, an 11,000 boost. Dermot has left the show now but it’s cool to see that he left on a high. We’ll need to wait and see if Dave can hold the audience solo.
Pamala Joyce has gained 9,000 listeners and now sits at 145,000. Today FM say she’s up nearly 10,000 listeners, which is mildly entertaining. 9,000 is nearly 10,000 so I suppose it’s fair enough.
Ray Foley continues to crush it. He’s up, again. He’s gained 10,000 and now has 173,000.
Matt cooper now has 174,000 up 7,000. This more than reverses his drop from last book.
Really it doesn’t get much better than this. Today FM are doing amazing on Basicaly every metric, and I’d imagine the German bosses at Bauer will be happy campers.
What’s the news with Newstalk
Newstalk has only recently undertaken a visual rebrand, and they’ve also been doing some advertising. While we won’t see the results of that in this book, let’s take a look at how they’re getting on.
Newstalk breakfast had another drop, and now sits at 145,000. That’s down 4,000.
179,000 people are tuning into Pat Kenny, a 6,000 listener increase according to the station. That doesn’t quite add up as they claimed he had 174,000 last time, so there’s an error somewhere. He’s up, but the details are a bit unclear.
Lunchtime live is down 4,000 and sits at 102,000. That’s dangerously close to that 100,000 clif edge
Moncrieff reached 103,000 daily listeners which is an increase of 5,000. Back over the 100,000, how bad.
149,000 listen to The Hard Shoulder, that’s down 3,000. The show has now lost 10,000 in the last 2 books.
Outside of Kenny it’s not really great news, and even pats numbers are slightly unclear. We’ll need to hold out and see if the advertising makes any difference, but this book could have gone better.
“delighted to see more listeners tuning in every day, choosing us as their talk station. We welcome them and look forward to engaging with them in conversation that counts in the coming months,”
Newstalk Managing Editor Patricia Monahan
Overall
Things are still ticking along nicely. The next few books will be interesting as we see the fallout from all the RTÉ drama, but that’s for another day.
Finally this week a story that in some ways I didn’t expect. It’s official, Ryan Tubridy is not going to be returning to radio 1, at least for now.
The news came on Thursday evening when RTÉs Director general Kevin Bakhurst issued a statement saying he was concluding negotiations. Kevin spoke of a breakdown in trust between the parties, following a statement from Ryan responding to a Grant Thornton report.
Despite having agreed some of the fundamentals, including fee, duration and hours, regretfully, it is my view that trust between the parties has broken down. Public statements made without consultation appear to question the basis for the necessary restatement of fees paid for services for 2020 and 2021.
Section of the statement from Kevin Bakhirst
The debate is now over. Love or hate Ryan, you won’t be hearing him on radio 1. Following the announcement there were some nice tributes to Ryan on the news, which in many ways felt like eulogies to his career. we also had Kevin Bakhurst give an interview to Morning Ireland, confirming that Tubridy is perfectly entitled to head over to Newstalk or virgin now.
Who knows what’s next for Ryan. He could certainly make money with a podcast if he wants to. It’s also unclear what’s going to happen to his slot on radio. It’s the end of an era in some ways, but it can also be seen as an exciting time for change. this might well be the making of Ryan, but perhaps that’s too optimistic. I certainly don’t envy how he feels right now as if you think about it, he’s actually been canceled.
Best wishes to Ryan and RTÉ. Hopefully this relationship can heal in time.
And that’s the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio news📻 and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more fun from the world of radio.
Lots happens in the radio industry each week so here’s a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Here’s What Happened
A radio station in Galway produced a radio play about a radio station in Galway, and it’s really good.
One Day gives us a glimpse behind the scenes at Soft FM, a radio station which we’re told has lots of listeners in its franchise area. Narrated by the stations former CEO, we get fascinating insights into all aspects of the stations operations.
From a journalism student reading her first bulletin to a late night shows bid to give away tickets to a Saw Doctors tribute band, this play really has it all.
One Day features 36 different Galway Bay FM staff members, and really does a brilliant job of telling a fun and entertaining story. The play is written by Ollie Turner and produced by Matthew Lyons.
You can listen to the play for free on the Galway Bay FM website, which I’d highly recommend. Well done to all involved in creating this fantastic piece of radio.
RTE has been directed by The Information Commissioner to release findings of a workplace audit at its current affairs department. RTE previously resisted the release, as they argued that it contained “the views and opinions of others about certain individuals” which were “akin to performance appraisals”
RTE has been instructed to release the findings, but some details can be redacted. RTE have told staff they don’t intend to appeal, so the report will likely be released to the National Union of Journalists current affairs branch who originally requested it under Freedom of Information.
comments on the “communication style, editorial direction and people management skills of identifiable individuals can be redacted, however,generalised comments about gender equality, “fairness in promotional opportunities”, problem resolution and dignity and respect standards in RTÉ, as well as the consultant’s recommendations, should all be released.
Who knows if the report will ever make it to the public domain, but either way at least the staff will get access to it. It would be interesting to know how people find working in Irish media. Are the managers good? Do people feel respected? These questions are important in any workplace, so it would be good to know.
Head over to our Twitter now and tell us, do you feel respected by your employer? Hopefully more radio stations are asking these questions and paying atention to the result.
There’s a great article on this story from the Irish times, so if your interested check it out below.
Brands who want to go all in on sport over the summer now have the perfect sponsor opportunity.
RTE are bundling a number of sports sponsorships together in order to give brands the ability to be associated with all RTEs sports offerings.
The offer consists of 7 day sports updates for both Radio 1 and 2FM, as well as sponsorship of 2FM’s evening sports show Game On. Even though RTÉ is bundling these together, it could still be bought by an agency who choose to split it for 3 brands.
The overall cost of the bundle is €140,000. It’s certainly expensive, but it could be worth it to a brand who are in the sports field.
I do think RTÉ should consider offering a digital ad on with sponsorships of their sports podcasts and sports updates on RTÉ Gold, as that would be a good way to increase revenue for the broadcaster. It’s certainly good to see RTÉ offering competitive sponsorships though, and it will be interesting to see who picks up the package.
And that’s the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio news📻 and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more fun from the world of radio.
