Listenership figures (JNLRS) just out : Disaster for RTE

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118315833#Comment_118315833

It would be more likely that she would be biding her time rather than biting it!!

JJKC

It's always pointed out how Gerry Ryans death caused 2fms weekday listenership to collapse but it's never pointed out that axing Ireland's biggest jukebox was what caused weekend ratings to collapse. Daytime weekend shows only fell below 100k when the jukebox was removed from the schedule and they've hardly recovered 7 years on.

nomoedoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118312747#Comment_118312747

Id listen to Tracey Clifford and Jenny Greene most days and there is constant ads on for the breakfast show ,just from listening to the ads i feel like throwing the radio out the window!, Doireann should of been given a chance on her own it can’t be any worse than the drivel that’s on it now.

Ger Roe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118316595#Comment_118316595

The first time I heard multiple presenters on a specific breakfast show format, it was The Zoo Crew on pirate Radio Nova in the mid 80's. It launched with Bob Galico, Colm Hayes and Dave Harvey doing the honours of providing zany and off the cuff entertainment. It was OK for a few days, but soon grew tiresome. It is an american concept that doesn't work here.

There is an old radio principle that 'quality is king' and quality output takes time and money to produce ... it doesn't happen at the drop of a hat, day after day, after day. It ends up as lazy and unfunny bottom of the barrel scraping before long and usually where the presenters genuinely think that the content they are providing, is far better than it actually is.

It is hard enough for radio professionals to keep the Zoo concept content quality high, but when you add in personality names from other platforms or media genres, then you are relying on attracting an audience already associated with the personality, rather than developing a radio audience on a radio platform with good radio content.

You end up pleasing nobody, the existing radio audience doesn't get the quality content that they expect and the associated personality audience have to experience their existing personality interest, operating on a platform that they are floundering in.

It eventually becomes a cringe fest for everyone.

RINO87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118316595#Comment_118316595

It's funny you mention Tracy and Jenny here when the poster above mentioned most DJ's (or presenters...) not having their own unique style anymore. I have found Clifford and Greene DEFINATLEY have their own style, and must have some input into their playlists, which is very very rare on daytime radio. Maybe its why I like Tracy's show and find it to be a breath of fresh air, as I said in an earlier post.

radiotrickster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118324754#Comment_118324754

This is a fantastic point. The only breakfast show I can think of that's going at the moment with a zoo format is on Capital but the programme is anchored by Roman Kemp and really, it's his show with two additional presenters. They all have very clear roles, the links are structured and each presenter knows when to hop in and out.

With 2FM's breakfast, I was expecting that it was similar where Doireann was the anchor and the other two were co-presenting but she would lead. But whenever I've listened, it's always seemed to be Carl that steers the ship but it seems messy rather than structured. I do believe that they all think the show is better than it is and so it's not going to change either.

Just Some Young Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118315751#Comment_118315751

I am going to dig a grave for myself here but my rationale is:

• Two stations is enough state controlled media through any one medium. I do not believe in overloading of "state-approved" messages. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-vax or anything like that. I just don't like when we see the state use it's monopoly in a negative way, such as when, on TV they didn't invite SF to the debate. (I'm not in the SF camp either but I digress.)
• Competition breeds innovation and helps to advance technology and talent. I'm no free-marketer but this is definitely a proven theory. I think that if Lyric and 2FM were done away with then it would free up a listener base that could then transfer to the private stations and help to increase the competitiveness of the market. It could result in more of market for newer private stations.
• I'm a believer that the cost of the TV license, that funds these stations, is too high for the quality of entertainment that we can avail of. I would prefer to see these stations "de-funded" and all of the top talent that they have spread across the stations brought together in one place.

It's not from a dislike of Lyric and 2FM. I just think that the Irish public could probably receive more for their money.

Pussyhands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118295042#Comment_118295042

Yeah but does Clifford talk about sex, ridin', the shift???

Muahahaha

Personally I hate those zany and wacky breakfast shows with the hosts and their fake 'bants' and even faker laughter.

The only person who does zazy radio well is Sean Moncrieff but with him it is his guests who are zany with Moncrieff providing the disbelief. His show isnt for everyone but he bounces very well off whatever zany guest they have lined up.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118314810#Comment_118314810

Broadly agree re 2FM - let it go from RTE radio, plenty of options out there. Agree that RnaG is niche but a useful service for a national broadcaster. As for Lyric, who else would you see stepping into that space from a commercial POV? It would be a poor return if that type of radio simply disappeared. What RTE need to do in terms of radio is to cut the pay of their so called 'stars' and other high earners and/ or let them go.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118330860#Comment_118330860

Do you think people were going to label you anti vaxer, Sinn Feiner or Free Marketeer if you did not make those defensive caveats?

Only a small part of the licence fee (which is the same price since 2008) goes to 2 FM, RnaG and Lyric. They are catering for minority interests, not some vehicle for state approved messages. All the broadcasters are catering for minority interests, if you look into the JNLR. RTE stations get less than 50% of the listening audience in every geography, every age group, and every time division. Even Morning Ireland is only about 11% of the available audience, over 15 years of age. The other 89% are listening to other stations, or have found a better use for their time than listening to any radio. Not much need to worry about state control.

RTÉ Radio 1

RTÉ RADIO 1 WEEKDAY MARKET SHARE 21.3% 

RTÉ RADIO 1 REACHES 888,000 LISTENERS ON WEEKDAYS  

• Morning Ireland is the most-listened-to radio programme in the country with 450,000 people tuning in each morning.

https://www.thejournal.ie/jnlr-rte-suffer-drop-in-listeners-5623623-Dec2021/

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118330860#Comment_118330860

there would be no listener base freed up for any private station from the closure of lyric, just not going to happen.

even with 2fm it's debatable since that if it's listeners wanted to listen to the similar private stations they would already be doing so and they aren't most probably.

cutting rte services won't bring new services or innovation realistically, putting an end to the forcing of stations to adopt the highest cost base model of doing radio along with the removal of the most expensive form of regulation possible might bring those.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118305188#Comment_118305188

I switched car earlier this year and can now pick up the BBC channels crystal clear. Most days I get home and wish I had a decent antenna in the house so I could keep listening, then by the time I'm sat in front of the TV I want TV alas. :P Point was going to be that wow, listening to properly formatted, professionally produced radio is so completely different to listening to Irish radio. I barely bothered with radio the last few years, stuck with streaming/YouTube but it's just because I was never exposed to decent radio.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118334633#Comment_118334633

BBC Sounds App, the only way to go. Incredible content and, of course, all the BBC radio programmers. You’ll never look back 😀

KildareP

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118331663#Comment_118331663

100% on RnaG and Lyric, which, in my mind are the dictionary definition of what a PSB should be - focusing on niche artistic and cultural content not catered for elsewhere and making that the core of your output, not paying mega money for social media influencers and trying to make them into stars whilst pushing out the same narrow playlists as all the commercials are doing.

2FM in its current form serves zero purpose:

• it offers nothing that isn't already well catered for by Beat, iRadio or the two Spin stations (all of whom trounce 2FM in each of their respective markets)
• it doesn't play anymore Irish music than the regionals
• it's news bulletins are the shortest on any radio station (BBC R1 haver regular fifteen-minute "Newsbeat" blocks throughout the day - big PSB fulfillment)
• they run commercials and sponsorship
• they go into automation from 10PM most evenings until 6AM the following day

and yet it requires over €10m a year to operate, over half of which comes directly from the license fee. For what?

However, rather than letting it go, I'd love to see a pop raidio format for 2FM would much better serve the PSB element than 2FM, Top 40 playlist with all presentation as gaeilge. Cut back on all the unneeded bloat like full-time entertainment correspondents who read whatever is on their Twitter and Instagram timelines for 60 seconds an hour. Don't need three presenters on a breakfast show. Put on specialist programming in the evening. Use overnights to train new talent in. Couldn't cost them anymore to put together than 2FM does today and I can't imagine the output would be any worse.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118354779#Comment_118354779

Yeah but will that not involve dicking about with a VPN etc.?

10000maniacs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355248#Comment_118355248

If you have Virgin Media, all of the BBC radio channels are "piped" down the cable in analogue.

Antenna

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355312#Comment_118355312

In Dublin yes, but there are other parts of the country where this used to be the case (FM on cable) - it got discontinued ages ago

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355248#Comment_118355248

I use Google Nest, “Ok Google, play BBC Radio 4 from the BBC”, and off it goes. No VPN involved. I also have the BBC Sounds App on my phone. Works a treat on that, too. Hope this helps

Atlantic Dawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118355406#Comment_118355406

Freesat official box or combo box has them too via satellite.

Yeah so I signed up for the BBC Sounds App. Wasn't sure whether to be honest but I put in Ireland and it's grand. I wonder if I'm missing some archive stuff for some programmes maybe but it's been bloody faultless so far.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118369612#Comment_118369612

Goodo, I’m delighted. Happy Listening!

JeffKenna

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118369612#Comment_118369612

The only problem with putting Ireland in is a lot of the live sports events are rights restricted. You'll need a VPN to listen to matches etc.

RoTelly

https://www.newstalk.com/news/newstalk-records-another-another-strong-jnlr-listenership-result-1310075

https://about.rte.ie/2022/02/10/rte-radio-keeps-its-connection-to-listeners-as-numbers-increase-across-the-board/

https://radiotoday.ie/2022/02/radio-nova-records-an-all-time-high-in-the-latest-jnlr-results/

seanin4711

RTE Down listenership

RTE response = look for TV license increase to camouflage the gap indefinitely.

Main thing that galls me about radio in Ireland(lived abroad for may years USA, NZ & Australia) is the amount of ads on the "music stations" i-radio and spin etc.

End up listening to Lyric as the other stations would melt if the played a non-Irish new song.

Failing that its Tidal on the phone in the car.

saves my sanity!!!