More people listening to the radio on weekends, but fewer tune in to RTÉ's weekday shows

The JNLR/Ipsos report showed 3.49 million listeners tuning into radio every day, covering some 79.3% of adults. File photo

Weekend radio shows have received a boost in listener figures, but weekday shows at RTÉ have taken a hit, according to the latest figures.

The quarterly Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) figures showed Brendan O’Connor leading the charge with his weekend slot on Radio 1 with similar boosts for Miriam O’Callaghan and This Week on RTÉ, along with Anton Savage on Newstalk and Alison Curtis on Today FM.

On the other hand, Liveline was among the RTÉ shows to lose figures as Joe Duffy’s long tenure as presenter came to an end in June.

When compared with the last quarter, RTÉ's Morning Ireland has shed 2,000 listeners but is still Ireland’s most listened to radio programme at 469,000 listeners.

The next highest is the Brendan O’Connor Show at weekends which has increased its audience numbers significantly, from 363,000 on Saturdays in the last survey to 412,000 listeners. Similarly, on Sundays, it has boosted numbers from 369,000 to 409,000.

While Oliver Callan and the Louise Duffy Show on Radio 1 are down on the previous survey, Today with Claire Byrne has added listeners at 354,000 (up 6,000). 

News at One is up slightly to 298,000 while Drivetime is down to 217,000. Ray D’Arcy, meanwhile, has shed listeners from 192,000 to 182,000. Liveline, for which a permanent successor to Joe Duffy has yet to be announced, fell from 307,000 to 299,000 listeners.

Continuing the positive weekend theme, RTÉ’s Sunday with Miriam [O’Callaghan] now enjoys 317,000 listeners, up from 304,000. This Week, on Sundays, has risen from 184,000 listeners to 200,000 in the latest figures.

“RTÉ Radio 1 has consolidated its position as the biggest radio station in the country and continues to be the number one destination for listeners in the competitive age 35 to 54 demographic,” head of RTÉ Radio 1 Tara Campbell said.

Commercial radio

For Today FM, Alison Curtis has an audience of 186,000 for her Saturday show, which is a rise of 8,000.

The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show added 10,000 listeners to reach 213,000. Dave Moore added 5,000 listeners to reach 198,000 for his 9am-midday show.

The Last Word with Matt Cooper had a significant jump of 18,000 listeners to 181,000 since the last JNLR survey.

On Newstalk, the Pat Kenny Show dropped from 224,000 since April-May to 216,000 but remains the most popular programme on commercial radio. Kieran Cuddihy on the Hard Shoulder , however, added 12,000 new listeners to reach 165,000.

Anton Savage, meanwhile, has increased his listenership by 6,000 since the spring to enjoy an audience of 139,000 for his Saturday show on Newstalk. There was also good news for Off The Ball, up 8,000 to 59,000 listeners.

Both Newstalk and Today FM are owned by Bauer Media Audio Ireland, whose CEO Chris Doyle said: “These results are a reflection of the appeal, diversity and engagement of our programming across our national and regional network.

“While today is an important benchmark, it’s one that we’re going to build on, entertaining and informing current audiences while also attracting new listeners looking for the type of radio and audio that they can’t find elsewhere.” 

In Cork, the radio wars continue at pace, as The Neil Prendeville Show enjoys 82,000 listeners on RedFM. But PJ Coogan is closing the gap on The Opinion Line for Cork’s 96FM with 69,000, which is up 10,000 on the previous year.

Last year, broadcaster Paul Byrne joined The Opinion Line as a producer, with the former Virgin Media journalist also a regular on the air.

More generally, the JNLR/Ipsos report showed 3.49 million listeners tuning into radio every day, covering some 79.3% of adults. Among 15-34s, two thirds (67.5%) listen every day.