Lots happens in the radio industry each week so here’s a summary of the week we just enjoyed.

Here’s What Happened

So, we officially know how RTÉ will be funded, and they know what they’re getting.

725 million over the course of three years. this will mostly be made up by the existing Licence fee, but any shortfall will be made up by the exchequer.

In 2025 RTÉ will get €225 million, in 2026 they will see €240 million, and the final year of the deal will see RTE funded with €260 million. Let’s say in a wild world that the licence fee brings in €200 million in 2025, the exchequer will then add on the missing €25 million RTÉ needs. This should hopefully give them enough funding to evolve the services and remain relevant.

While RTE seemed mostly happy, some were not. RTÉ’s biggest competitor Virgin Media weren’t happy that they didn’t get a slice, while the NUJ didn’t like that the licence fee was retained. You’ll never please everyone when spending public money, so this is all just to be expected.

The NUJ do have a fair point, but the deal is done now and should hopefully result in some boosts for journalism even if it’s not perfect.

The press conference after all of this was extremely heated, with the Irish Independants Ireland Editor Fionnán Sheahan raising his voice towards the minister and officials. The minister called him on it, and the whole thing was kind of ugly. The Journal had an excellent recap of the incident here that’s well worth a read.

Hopefully now we can start moving on. I hope to see RTÉ and other broadcasters doing cool stuff rather than fighting for funding, and For a few years at least there’s some clarity.

Read about the funding here

The IBI have launched a new equality strategy for independent broadcasters, following the recent publication of guidelines by ⁨Coimisiún na Meán⁩.

I don’t talk about it too much here, but I personally have a disability. I think anything we can do to help improve inclusion both on air and in media workplaces is very welcome.

This is definitely a step in the right direction, and I just hope we see genuine action over the next few years in this area.

It’s not just minorities either. We’ve heard calls from Why Not Her to better playlist female artists, so I definitely think stuff like that should be worked on over the next few years.

Radio is a great industry, but strategy documents like this can help make it better. I’d love if more stations started including accessibility alt text on social media as an example, as it’s such an easy win.

Well done to everyone behind this, it really is great to see.

Read about the new strategy here

And finally for now, defamation law is getting much needed reform.

It’s not a sexy topic by any stretch, but reforms to Irelands defamation legislation is something journalists have wanted for a long time. Let’s take a look at some of the changes and see what it’s all about.

The key points include…

• The end of Jury’s in defamation cases. Now a judge will decide if a defendant had been defamed, and will also set the damages to be paid.
• New mechanisms to defend against SLAPP suits, Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. This can help if a journalist is sued to stop legitimate reporting for example.
• Measures to protect broadcasters from what guests might say on live shows. There are strict rules on this but it all seems reasonable.

This is all good stuff, but not everyone is happy. Understandably some in the justice system argued this week that Jury’s should still be involved, but many in media will argue that just raises costs for everyone.

Time will tell how this plays out, but it will likely come as a relief for many journalists and producers.

Read about the new laws here

Quick Bits

RTÉ will audition 150 people for 2FM

John Bennett who co launched BBC Radio Ulster has passed away

Adrian Flannelly⁩ who was a huge voice on Irish radio in the states has passed away

Louise Cantillon is becoming a style icon

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

Broadcaster Joe Malloy is set to leave Newstalk sports show Off The Ball.

Joe is making the move over to The Independent, where he will be launching a new daily podcast. He will also continue to host sports coverage for Virgin Media Television.

The Independent already has some success in the Podcast space, with The Indo Daily performing particularly well. This new podcast will be a new audio venture for the newspaper, and with a name like Joe Molloy attached it will likely be a good move.

It’s fascinating to see how traditional Newspapers are starting to really invest in audio. Both The Irish Times and The independent now have audio operations of note, and it seems to be a growing area for the traditional players.

This will be a big shift for OTB, as Joe Molloy has been involved for 14 years. Time will tell how it all plays out. Best wishes to all involved in the new podcast and the new Off The Ball. Exciting times ahead for sure.

Read about Joe Molloys new gig here

Leaks this week seem to suggest that a plan is nearly ready to go for the future funding of RTÉ.

In an agreement set to go before cabinet on Wednesday, it’s believed that the €160 licence fee will remain, with some form of exchequer funding set to make up the shortfall.

In a move unique in Ireland, RTÉ would become the only state body funded on a multi year basis, allowing for better planning and resource management. This also ensures for example that RTÉ’s funding is somewhat secure, minimising the risks of political pressure.

We’ll likely get more details next week, but, this is definitely interesting to see. a licence fee will always be unpopular so it’s not ideal, and it definitely leaves an attack vector open for the broadcaster, but with that said if this can stabilise RTÉ for a few years then it should be worth it.

Definitely an interesting week ahead as a long running drama seems to be reaching its conclusion.

Read about the new RTÉ funding here

Finally for now, RTÉ might be on the verge of getting more secure government funding, but their commercial revenue is also super important.

RTÉ isn’t allowed carry nearly as many ads as commercial broadcasters, but it still makes up an important chunk of change.

The broadcaster is now looking to find a new sponsor for the Laura Fox Show, which recently replaced the Jennifer Zamparelli show on 2FM. How much does it cost you might ask? Well…

• A 6 month sponsorship of the show will set a brand back €100,000
• If you want the whole year, you can grab that for €195,000. That means you’re getting €5,000 off.

It’s definitely an expensive sponsorship, but I guess the show has a good youth audience so may well be worth it to some brands.

I always find it interesting to see how much sponsorships cost, as ultimately its sponsor money that keeps presenters employed. Time will tell what brand jumps on board,

RTÉ are actually hiring someone at the moment to take care of digital audio ads, so this is definitely a very important area.

Read about the sponsorship here

Quick Bits

New local journalism reporting schemes are open for applications now

Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has called for more funding of local radio

98FM are looking for presenters with the new Get On Air Search

Adrian Kennedy has apologised after he lost his temper during a podcast

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 woman who was recently the subject of an RTÉ true crime podcast has been arrested and charged in Kerry.

Just 1 week after the conclusion of the podcast series The Real Carrie Jade, Carrie Jade, who’s real name is actually Samantha cookes was arrested in a Kerry post office in what’s been described as a sting operation.

The charge for welfare fraud comes after the podcast series detailed a number of incidents where Samantha Cooke’s allegedly deceived a number of people using many fake identities.

RTÉ have already released a short bonus episode to the podcast updateing listeners, hosted by the shows series producer. This really shows the advantages of podcasts compared with traditional radio in some ways.

You can get a podcast episode out near instantly, without needing to wait for a broadcast schedule to adapt. Massive well done to RTÉ for the investigation work, and for brilliant podcast production as always. RTÉs true crime podcasts are consistently good and I’d definitely recommend having a listen.

The Real Carrie Jade is available wherever you get your podcasts, and is making its way to television later this year.

Listen to the Real Carrie Jade from RTÉ here

How effective are radio ads? Radiocentre are trying to find out.

For a long time radio has struggled to provide brands with quality information about how effective their ad campaigns are. With something like Google or Meta you can have specific targeting and get results on how many people see your ad, click your ad, convert from your ad, and so on.

With radio it’s different. Loads of people hear your ad all at once, but how effective it is in turning listeners into customers is anyone’s guess. Radiocentre Ireland have launched a new study to try and establish ad effectiveness in a number of categories , hopefully encouraging advertisers to spend more.

It’s an interesting one as I can see radio finding it very hard to get close to providing the ad data modern brands want. Like a small business these days might spend €50 a day with something like Google, that adds up to €18,250 a year that radio misses out on because there’s a lack of a high quality data solution.

Hopefully that will change in time, but who knows. We’ll need to wait and see.

Read about the Radiocentre study here

Should car manufacturers be required to keep radios in cars?

The IBI are fighting a war to keep radios in vehicles, in a move to attempt to keep commuters listening to traditional broadcasters.

Many people now opt for Spotify or Apple Music in the car, with plenty more just listening to their own music library via Bluetooth. That has lead to FM radios falling out of favour in cars, much to the frustration of the radio industry.

Now the IBI are fighting back, with the issue being raised on an EU level.

In some ways I see the industries point, but they are also missing a trick. Surely the radio industry would benefit more from having something like Irish Radioplayer pre installed on all car entertainment systems. Use FM as a fall back, but use internet in the first instance to try get that valuable ad data we spoke about earlier.

Who knows if we’ll still be listening on FM in 20 years, but the radio industry won’t give in that easily.

Read about the IBI’s fight here

Quick Bits

RTÉ is bringing pay of Raidió na Gaeltachta staff in line with English language services

A new major DAB multiplex is launching in Northern Ireland

Fiachna Ó Braonáin has been interviewed on Newstalk

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

RTE shared their new strategy this week. While there isn’t a massive amount we didn’t know, it is worth looking at what’s on the horizon.

• RTE will cut 400 jobs over the course of the plan, significantly reducing its workforce.
• RTE Radio 1 Extra, Pulse, 2XM and RTEJR Radio will all close this year.
• A new daily RTE News Podcast will be launched in 2025. I hope this has high production values as it’s honestly something that isn’t hard to get right.
• Some shows like Fair City and the Late Late Show may move off site and involve independent producers. This is reportedly being resisted by unions.
• RTE Player will require people to sign in, and will get its own exclusive live streaming channels in time, as rTE focuses more on becoming a streaming service.
• New radio and news apps will launch next year.

RTE are pointing out that their ability to evolve depends on funding, so hopefully that argument can be put to rest soon too.

It’s a shame that such downsizing is required, but let’s hope it all works out.

Read the details of RTEs new strategy here

Radio stations are going mad for Taylor Swift.

Earlier in the week a massive Taylor Swift sign appeared on a beach. Today FM shared the post and got tons of views, later revealing that they were behind the installation in the first place.

The Ireland Taylor’s Version sign is just one example of stations getting on board with this weekends concerts, as many stations have been giving away tickets. GoLoud even had a dedicated Taylor station for a time.

Hope everyone enjoys the tour if they get to attend. Reviews have been good so hopefully the rest of the run is as enjoyable for people.

Read about the Today FM sign here

Finally for now, the deaths were announced this week of two major RTE broadcasters

RTE Sport commentator Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh passed away aged 93 on Tuesday. He had a career spanning 61 years, with his first gig coming back in 1949. He had many legendary quotes over the years and was a hugely respected broadcaster.

Also hugely respected was Tommie Gorman, who passed away this week aged 68. He had a hugely successful career in journalism over 40 years, retiring from RTE in 2021.

This story really is sad. Both men had a huge impact on broadcasting in Ireland, and left behind an incredible legacy. May they both rest in peace.

Read the statements from RTE on their press site here

Quick Bits

Independent broadcasters say news could disappear if they don’t get funding

Northern Irish broadcaster Sean Rafferty has stepped down from BBC Radio 3

Lottie Ryan says she knew she’d only be on 2FM drive for five weeks

RTE, The Irish Times and The Independant have been blocked in Russia

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.