RTÉ Radio 1 and 2FM continue to dominate the airwaves as figures show the national broadcaster remains the leader in the battle for the nation’s ears.

2FM is battling to hold on to listeners following the death of the station’s top presenter Gerry Ryan last April after new figures show thousands of fans are continuing to switch off RTÉ’s pop station.

RADIO listeners are deserting many of the big name broadcasters in their droves with listenership figures showing worrying trends for the four national stations.

RTÉ director general Cathal Goan is set to step down from his lucrative €320,000-plus a year post after completing a seven-year term.

RTÉ Radio last night paid tribute to the late Gerry Ryan as the latest listenership figures showed he remained a popular host even though his audience fell below 300,000 for the first time in many years.

HIS voice was instantly recognisable and his views instantly rousing, but it was the immediacy and immensity of the shock that followed Gerry Ryan’s death that spoke volumes for the broadcaster’s extraordinary appeal.

A HEARTBROKEN Joe Duffy struggled to hold back tears as he spoke of his utter shock over the death of his “bold, bold boy” RTÉ colleague Gerry Ryan.

THE man who looks set to rejuvenate the tourist industry in the south-west region got a standing ovation yesterday when he received the Cork Person of the Year Award from President Mary McAleese.

IN the wake of figures showing a drop-off in audience numbers, John Clarke, the head of RTÉ 2fm, has decided to quit.

GERRY RYAN has once again seen a slump in his radio audience in the latest Joint National Listenership Research figures while his fellow RTÉ host Marian Finucane enjoyed yet another significant increase.

DO YOU have this business idea that you think just might work? Do you fantasise about turning your dream into reality and earning millions if only you had the cash and know-how to get your idea off the ground?

TRIBUTES poured in yesterday to Fair City and stage actress Joan O’Hara, best known in recent years for her portrayal of Eunice in RTÉ’s Fair City.

TV beauty Gráinne Seoige is to quit Sky News Ireland and join RTÉ for a five-days-a-week show, it was announced last night.

RTÉ is set to alter its upcoming dramatisation of the 1981 Stardust disco fire following feedback from relatives of the victims who attended a special screening of the two-part series over the weekend.

A COMPANY co-owned by comedian Patrick Kielty has won the contract to replace RTÉ’s popular afternoon TV show, Open House.

Investigations were today under way into how a ship sailing around Ireland in a television reality show sank off the coast of Co Donegal.