Margaret E Ward: Will Bauer grasp the poisonous nettle of Irish commercial talk radio?

The Bauer takeover of five radio stations has the potential to completely shift the landscape of Irish commercial radio

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Host and radio personality Robin Quivers speaks onstage at the T.J. Martell Foundation's Women of Influence Awards on May 1, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for the T.J. Martell Foundation)

Radio has a special place in society: it connects us to ourselves, our neighbours and our culture. In many Irish homes, radio is on throughout the day like a talkative friend keeping us company. It’s on in farm sheds, accompanies us on our daily walks, plays in our home offices and our local takeaways. Radio can push away the Covid-imposed loneliness, help us have a deeper understanding of the world and allow us to discover new music and talent.

A recent Joint National Listener Report (JNLR) claimed 80% of us listen to radio every single day. When it comes to younger age groups, the JNLR says almost twice as many 15 to 24-year-olds listen to radio than to Spotify. It’s no wonder then that European media giant Bauer Media Audio wants to snap up Communicorps’ five stations NewsTalk, Today FM, 98FM, Spin 1038, Spin Southwest and digital radio platform Off the Ball.