Gareth O'Callaghan: Claire Byrne's move from RTÉ to Newstalk means radio battle is finally on

Two decades after Newstalk’s launch, Irish radio is witnessing a real contest as RTÉ Radio 1 faces a challenger worth tuning into

Was I the only one last week not surprised by Claire Byrne’s imminent move back to Newstalk? File picture: Andres Poveda

Back in 1999, Dell’s chief information officer, Jerry Gregoire, prophesied the future of digital transformation with the words: “The customer experience is the next competitive battleground”. 

These days, Gregoire runs a company called Redbird Flight Simulations, based in Austin, Texas, which manufactures flight simulators for pilots. Redbird was founded in 2006 — the same year Newstalk brought its style of talk radio to a national audience.