RTÉ unveils new FM frequency for listeners in the North

State broadcaster RTÉ is to open a new FM frequency for listeners in the North.

From next Friday people in Belfast, Armagh, Down, and some border areas of the Republic, particularly Louth and Monaghan, should retune to 87.8 FM in order to receive Radio 1.

The broadcaster faced heavy criticism in the last few months after it revealed it was ending its Medium Wave services with fears thousands of listeners in the North would not be offered an alternative.

RTÉ said today its popular Radio 1 station would swap frequencies with Lyric FM on the Clermont Cairn transmitter near Dundalk, Co Louth improving the signal in the greater Belfast area.

In a statement the broadcaster said: “RTÉ has prioritised RTÉ Radio 1 versus RTÉ Lyric FM for cross-border transmission to enable more Northern Irish listeners receive RTÉ’s main speech service.”

Radio 1 will also continue to be broadcast on Long Wave 252 to Britain and beyond, and on the internet at www.rte.ie/radio1.