Lots happens in the radio industry each week so hereâs a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Hereâs what Happened
A judge in Dublin has ordered the arrest of those who failed to turn up for court dates regarding them not paying the TV Licence.
Judge Anthony Halpin issued bench warrants for the arrest of 35 people who failed to show up, saying the âlaw is the law and one must have respect for the law, and one must obey the law,â
He criticised RTĂ and its godlike personalities quite strongly earlier in the summer, but despite this he seems to be unhappy with the levels not showing up to court for TV Licence cases.
This is a dramatic escalation as untill now heâs generally just issued a fine, but he said this week that âthe patience of the court can be exhausted by those who refuse to buy the licence and seemingly try to justify same so as to ease their conscience,”
Itâs a no win situation really. RTE arenât happy with the licence fee, the public arenât happy with the licence fee, and across Europe the concept of licence fees is becoming less and less common.
Mary Lou Mcdonald said this week she believes direct exchequer funding has merit, but ultimately itâs a complicated matter. Direct exchequer funding does leave RTĂ open to political interference, but then again so does the licence fee, and direct funding has worked for TG4.
Itâs a crazy state of affairs, but hopefully things can regulate a bit in the budget and beyond. Now that theres a hiring freeze at RTĂ weâll certainly start seeing cuts, which is really bad news.
DAB never really took off in ireland, despite attempts from both RTĂ and the private sector. RTEs multiplex shut down in recent years leading to the world of DAB becoming a pirate only space.
DAB does have potential though and would hopefully allow smaller stations access a wider audience without massive costs. Iâm immediately thinking of services like RiRa, 8Radio and RTĂ Gold, but there are plenty others too.
Itâs hard to know if this will have much impact ultimately, but itâs a conversation that keeps rolling on.
Should Ireland have DAB? Vote on our Instagram story now.
Finally this week, the IMRO Radio Awards have inducted four new broadcasters to their hall of fame.
The new inductees are Mary Wilson from RTĂ Radio 1, John Bennett MBE from BBC Radio Ulster, Joe Finnegan from Shannonside Northern Sound, and Paddy Halpenny, formerly of Communicorp.
Whatâs great about the hall of fame is it often recognises those from smaller stations. Yes itâs recognising the work of those at RTĂ, but itâs also recognising the huge impact of those working for the likes of C103 or Shannonside Northern Sound. Itâs fantastic that these people get the credit they so rightly deserve.
Congrats to the new inductees, and well done for your great work in radio. Next stop is the 6th of October for IMRO Awards Night.
And thatâs the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio newsđ» 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 hereâs a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Hereâs What Happened
RTĂ released their annual report this week, but despite containing loads of interesting info it didnât get nearly as much traction as in other years.
So, sit back, relax and enjoy a list of interesting rte info. Remember this is all from 2022, so the organisation wasnât exactly on fire then.
RTĂ lost just âŹ2.8 million last year, despite inflation and the war in Ukraine. The organisations commercial income was up 2.6% to âŹ152.1 million, while licence fee income fell by âŹ500,000 to âŹ195.6 million. Wait untill they see that number in 2023
They had a 1.8% drop in spot ads on radio, but sponsorship and promotions offset this drop leading to a 1.2% boost for radio revenue. Radio ads from the government fell to 13.3% of total income. down from over 18% in 2021. Much of this drop is as a result of less money being spent on health messaging around the pandemic.
Out of each âŹ160 licence fee, âŹ13.49 was spent on RTĂ Radio 1. 2FM cost âŹ2.60, whileâŹ3.54 was spent on Lyric FM. A total of âŹ8.36 was spent on RnaG. This adds up to a total cost of âŹ27.99 on radio from each licence fee.
When you bring together TV, Radio, Online, Saorview, orchestras, admin, and government charges, RTĂ used âŹ134.97 From each licence fee. The rest was spent on the BAI sound and vision scheme, An Post, and support for TG4.
Thereâs tons of facinating info in the annual report, so itâs well worth a look. Iâve linked the financial section below, but you can go around the site to find the bits youâre interested in.
RTĂ is going to have a huge problem in 2023, and unless they can get a boost in the budget theyâll be in real trouble. Itâs going to be politically messy to give money to the broadcaster, but thereâs no reason why the government couldnât just buy advertising to keep the organisation afloat. Have ads for different health initiatives, mental health schemes, social welfare programmes and stuff like that. Any ads you donât need could be used to promote charities.
Who knows what the future holds, but somehow I feel RTĂ might have a slightly less successful 2023 Unfortunately.
Beat 102-103 has created its first Outside Broadcast Unit, and thatâs not even the interesting part. The boys and girls in Waterford went and converted a three tonne Land Rover Defender, as you do, calling their end product the Beat Beast.
Waterford based company Mad Racing did the upgrades for the unit, with the project given the green light earlier this year by station owners The Irish Times and Des Whelan.
The unit has 5G broadband from both Three and Vodafone, and as a backup it can also use Broadband from Elon Musks Starlink brand.
This is a really cool project and provides another opportunity for brands who want to advertise with Beat. the station plan for the Beat Beast to almost become its own brand, which could be a nice revenue generator for the station.
Well done to everyone involved in the project, hopefully it goes well.
Finally this week, we had an absolutely fantastic analysis of the state of the industry published in the Irish Times.
The Newspaper spoke to the bosses at RTĂ, Bauer, and Wireless, while also catching up with the heads of a few independent broadcasters like Beat 102 103.
We learned a huge deal about the thinking of these bosses and it has lead to a fascinating read. Iâll summarise a few points from the
article below, but Iâd highly recommend giving it a look.
2FM are happy enough. Kevin Bakhurst has visited the station four times in the last 6weeks, which Dan Healy says is a good thing. They are working on a new BBC sounds style product for 2024, calling the recent RTĂ Radio Player upgrades an interim upgrade. Bauer avoids the question of purchasing 2FM, but said âWe actively review all opportunities for acquisitions in Ireland that fit with our business model, but we donât comment on speculation,â. Interesting stuff.
Wireless seem happy enough with life too, but it sounds like FM104 is a bit of a sore point. Theyâre launching a new show soon, and I donât think the details of that are public yet so I wonât say anything that could get me in trouble. They spoke positively of Bauer, indicating that they work well together on wider industry initiatives. It seems that despite the poaching from one another in the Cork market, they seem to be doing okay.
Bauer on the other hand are flying along. Theyâve had great JNLR success, and had no major complaints. The most interesting statement about Bauer actually came from 2FM boss Dan Healy, who said heâd expect a listenership drop in the 9am slots for both Today FM and Radio1. Dermot left today FM recently leaving Dave to go solo, while Tubridy, well, letâs not talk about that.
Thatâs only scratching the surface, so Iâd highly recommend this article from the Irish Times. A huge amount of work went into this and itâs clear to see. Fantastic journalism.
And thatâs the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio newsđ» and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more fun from the world of radio.
Media Central operate as the quiet backbone in radio really, but they sell ads for Bauers stations, as well as other clients such as Classic Hits Radio and Beat 102 103.
The company say that it will continue to serve these other clients, but itâs slightly concerning to be relying on your competitor to sell your ads too.
Its certainly not unheard of, Urban Media sell ads for other stations even though theyâre owned by Wireless Group, while over on the TV side, Sky Media sell ads for tons of channels despite owning many themselves. The relationship can work, but itâs scary in some ways for these stations as they never signed up to have Bauer selling their ads.
Itâs a fascinating time to see a company expanding so quickly, but for those who already saw Bauer as too big, this wonât exactly calm their unease.
Red FM breakfast with KC kicked off on Monday, and it sounds decent to be fair.
The shows not radicaly different to whatâs been there before, or even whatâs airing over on 96FM, but despite the Pop Quiz effectively being a rebranded instagrand. (KCâs words not mine), the production feels a bit slicker in my view.
Like any new show or station it takes time to get muscle memory down for a new desk with new production elements ETC, but KC is generaly really good at production, and it showed.
Long time 96FM news reader Victoria Nichols has joined the show as head producer and co presenter, so itâs going to be interesting to watch this relationship develop in the coming weeks and months.
Generally itâs a quality show even if I do feel some elements like the pop quiz could have been revamped a bit. KCâs strong presenting style is familiar to listeners in Cork, and I donât think theyâll be disappointed.
Classic hits have a new logo, but will they have a new presenter?
Could Tubridy be off to the home of the 80s and 90s, Irelands Classic Hits Radio?
The station have said theyâd match his âŹ170,000 offer from RTĂ, but in exchange theyâre looking for a two hour show each morning instead of one.
This would likely be a game changer for Classic hits, giving them an immediate listenership boost. At the same time though itâs double the airtime for the same cost. Youâd expect that Tubridy would try push for the âŹ250,000 as Classic hits are also allowed twice as many ads as RTĂ.
A deal like this would work wonders though, meaning that Classic hits would be taken as seriously as Newstalk in the market. Tubridy could earn nice money on Classic Hits, and earn TV money on the side, so itâs not a bad offer if they went to the âŹ250k mark.
Will it happen, who knows. But now at least Tubridy and his agent know Classic Hits are interested.
And thatâs the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio newsđ» 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 hereâs a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Hereâs What Happened
Itâs been oficialy confirmed that the Adrian Flannelly show, the longest running Irish radio show in America wonât be returning to the airwaves this Autumn. The show had an incredible 54 year run.
Adrianâs show reached 2.5 million listeners across America in the â80s and â90s, and was responsible for huge political movements within the Irish community in the states.
The show ended in July, but itâs now been announced that it wonât be making a return. There are wonderful tributes to the show, many of which can speak to its importance with much more authority than me.
Even if you havenât heard the show though, one thing is obvious. If you host a show for 54 years, your going to have impacted many peoples lives. The impact is truely huge.
This marks the end of an era for Irish radio in America. Congratulations to the shows team on an incredible run, and very best wishes for the next adventure.
Itâs now been a week since we heard that Ryan Tubridy wouldnât be returning to radio 1. Weâve had some interesting reaction both around Tubridyâs future career and his replacement.
The most interesting news around Tubs himself has been the rumour that heâs been approached by conservative UK News Channel GB News.
The channel have focused a lot on cancel culture, so maybe thatâs where this has come from, but itâs impossible to know. Before everything exploded for Ryan, a deal was nearly signed for him to return to his radio show and launch a podcast, with a pay package of âŹ170,000. Itâs unclear if GB News would pay that amount, but itâs interesting all the same.
The other news has been around a replacement in the 9am radio 1 slot. The show was rebranded on Monday to the nine o clock show, but doesnât have any of its own imaging or branding yet. Itâs currently using a generic entertainment theme from the Reel World package made for radio 1 a few years back.
Youâve had the expected suggestions, alongside Louis Walsh requesting a reality tv selection show, but ultimately itâs just a waiting game. Whoever fills the slot will have big shoes to fill, but itâs unclear as of now whoâll take on the challenge.
RTE have had other interesting moments this week including the reveal of the payments for the reports into the payments, as well as a press conference interrupted by climate change protesters, Really this is all starting to become a standard RTĂ week at this point, so things are still a bit of a mess.
RTEs new programme launch is this week so hopefully that can be a line in the sand for some of this. Itâs been a rocky few months and itâs really been a damaging incident for broadcasting as a whole.
Finally this week, itâs IMRO time again. The shortlist was published this week marking the countdown to the big night. There was a record number of entries, with organisers saying âLocal and national stations from every corner of Ireland brought their A-game, resulting in a challenging yet rewarding judging process.â
That judging process involved a Huge 110 judges from accross the industry, so a wide set of views should be reflected in the shortlist.
The event will return to the Lyrath Estate Hotel on Friday 6th October, where Iâm sure there will be absolutely no RTĂ Jokes. Itâs great to have this event encouraging the industry and itâs always great to see those who love broadcasting come together for a Big party, where the achievements in the industry can be celebrated.
Well done to everyone who was nominated. We look forward to bringing you more IMRO coverage in the weeks ahead. Let us know on our x account now, whatâs your favourite IMRO memory?
And thatâs the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio newsđ» 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 hereâs a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Hereâs what Happened
Bauer are buying another radio station. Yes, another one.
This time itâs Iradioâs 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 itâs getting even tighter.
Itâs 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 canât be healthy.
Rather than do big analysis of this deal, weâre just going to ask a simple question. Is Bauer too big? Go vote on our Instagram story now.
Itâs been another crazy three months, and itâs time to see whoâs going up and down with the latest JNLR results.
Letâs 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 letâs look at where weâre 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 âthe most talked about man in Irelandâ. i mean at least I know my content is evergreen. Anyway, unfortunately Tubridy wonât 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. Thatâs down 4,000 but she gain 6,000 last time so itâs not too bad.
News at One is up 3,000 and now sits at 303,000 listeners, or so RTĂ 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 RTĂ under reported listeners last time. Itâs also possible that theyâve over reported listeners in this book. Weâve reached out to RTĂ 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 RTĂ didnât 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 heâs up 6,000 in the last two books.
Drivetime also did well and has seen listener numbers grow. Itâs 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 havenât shared numbers for Louise Duffy, so Iâll 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. Letâs take a look at how things are going
2FM Breakfast with Doireann, Donncha, and Carl has 138,000 listeners. Theyâve 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. Sheâs now at 107,000 which is a 2,000 drop. Sheâs lost 20,000 in the last 4 books, so thatâs got to sting a little.
The 2 johnnies had a lovely boost of 10,000 and now sit at 140,000. Thatâs really as good as it gets. Fair play.
Generally all good news, but itâs looking like itâs time for some changes for Tracey. Hopefully she gets a boost next time as otherwise Iâd be very concerned for her. Can she do a ray Darcy and turn it around?
â2FM 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 2FMâs 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.â
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 arenât 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 itâs cool to see that he left on a high. Weâll 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 sheâs up nearly 10,000 listeners, which is mildly entertaining. 9,000 is nearly 10,000 so I suppose itâs fair enough.
Ray Foley continues to crush it. Heâs up, again. Heâs 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 doesnât get much better than this. Today FM are doing amazing on Basicaly every metric, and Iâd imagine the German bosses at Bauer will be happy campers.
Whatâs the news with Newstalk
Newstalk has only recently undertaken a visual rebrand, and theyâve also been doing some advertising. While we wonât see the results of that in this book, letâs take a look at how theyâre getting on.
Newstalk breakfast had another drop, and now sits at 145,000. Thatâs down 4,000.
179,000 people are tuning into Pat Kenny, a 6,000 listener increase according to the station. That doesnât quite add up as they claimed he had 174,000 last time, so thereâs an error somewhere. Heâs up, but the details are a bit unclear.
Lunchtime live is down 4,000 and sits at 102,000. Thatâs 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, thatâs down 3,000. The show has now lost 10,000 in the last 2 books.
Outside of Kenny itâs not really great news, and even pats numbers are slightly unclear. Weâll need to hold out and see if the advertising makes any difference, but this book could have gone better.
âdelighted 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,â
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 RTĂ drama, but thatâs for another day.
Finally this week a story that in some ways I didnât expect. Itâs official, Ryan Tubridy is not going to be returning to radio 1, at least for now.
The news came on Thursday evening when RTĂs 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 wonât 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 whatâs next for Ryan. He could certainly make money with a podcast if he wants to. Itâs also unclear whatâs going to happen to his slot on radio. Itâs 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 thatâs too optimistic. I certainly donât envy how he feels right now as if you think about it, heâs actually been canceled.
Best wishes to Ryan and RTĂ. Hopefully this relationship can heal in time.
And thatâs the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio newsđ» and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more fun from the world of radio.