The airwaves are buzzing with good news for RTÉ Radio 1! The latest Joint National Listenership Research figures are in, and it seems more people than ever are tuning in. RTÉ's radio services are collectively capturing a significant 29% of the national audience, with nearly two million individuals tuning in weekly. Even more impressively, RTÉ dominates the charts, holding 18 of the top 20 programmes and the entire top ten!
But here's where it gets truly exciting for RTÉ Radio 1: it has achieved a monumental milestone, now boasting four flagship shows that each command over 400,000 listeners within a single reporting period. This is a first for the station!
Morning Ireland continues its reign as the nation's most popular program, drawing in a remarkable 467,000 listeners. While there's a slight dip compared to the previous book, it's up by 1,000 year-on-year, showing enduring appeal. Hot on its heels is Today with David McCullagh, securing the second spot with an impressive 440,000 listeners tuning in between 9 am and 11 am. Following them, Oliver Callan garners 308,000 listeners daily in his 11 am to 1 pm slot.
Even the news programs are pulling in substantial numbers. News at One has 279,000 listeners, and Liveline, now helmed by Kieran Cuddihy, stands strong with 280,000 listeners.
And this is the part most people miss: the weekend programming is also a massive draw! Brendan O'Connor is a weekend powerhouse, with his Saturday show attracting 429,000 listeners (a significant increase of 10,000 from the previous book and a staggering 71,000 year-on-year!). His Sunday show isn't far behind, with 418,000 listeners.
Other weekend favorites are also seeing strong performance: Sunday Miscellany has jumped by 79,000 year-on-year to 338,000 listeners, Sunday with Miriam has 341,000 listeners, The Business has climbed to 370,000 listeners, and Playback reaches 349,000 listeners. Even Countrywide has seen an increase to 272,000 listeners.
Patricia Monahan, Director of Audio at RTÉ, beamed, "The new Radio 1 schedule is all about delivering for the audience, and this book shows that RTÉ Radio 1 is delivering across seven days and a wide variety of genres." She further emphasized, "With four flagship shows now attracting over 400,000 listeners, it’s clear that more and more people are making the move to Radio 1."
Meanwhile, RTÉ lyric fm continues its upward trajectory, achieving an all-time high share of 3.1%, up from 2.6% over the past year. It now reaches 342,000 listeners weekly. Marty Whelan's Marty in the Morning is a bright spot, with 77,000 listeners tuning in. He expressed his delight, stating he was "absolutely over the moon" with the figures.
RTÉ 2FM, while experiencing some dips, still reaches a considerable 645,000 listeners weekly. Programs like 2FM Drive with Demi and Mikey are showing positive movement. The station is also actively introducing new talent through its expressions of interest recruitment process, with five new voices now on air. Dan Healy, Head of RTÉ 2FM, acknowledged the "small dip" in adult market share as unsurprising with schedule changes and assured that "great plans rolling out in 2026" are in place to keep the 15 to 34 audience engaged.
A point of discussion: While RTÉ Radio 1 is celebrating significant growth, RTÉ 2FM is seeing some declines, particularly in the adult demographic. Is this a sign of a changing listenership, or are the new schedules still finding their feet? What are your thoughts on these shifts in the Irish radio landscape? Let us know in the comments below!
