Are RTE’s digital radio stations going to be closed down?

thejuggler

Are there firm plans to close down RTE’s digital radio stations (other than RTE Gold which was confirmed to be saved)? This was announced as part of cost saving measures but will it actually happen now that RTE got their government bailout and the ongoing license fee revenue? There were similar noises made about closing the Limerick studios and/or lyric fm but that never materialised either. I would like to see R na G and lyric go online/saorview only. The cost per listener may be cheaper than running two national fm networks

Shan Doras

Around the start of summer, they reaffirmed that they'll be closed by December 31st this year, but as @RoTelly recently mentioned, no formal application has yet been made to the minister to shut them down. RTE have a track record of announcing the closure of services that either never happen to take years to happen. LW 252 famously took 11 years to close, The closure of Aertel was formally announced in 2019, didn't close until 2023.

TheBMG

they’re not closing RTE Gold however

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058376577/are-rte-s-digital-radio-stations-going-to-be-closed-down

RNAG and lyric going online/saorview only is not going to happen, no point in thinking about it.

hardly anyone listens to radio via tv, and not a chance are 2 national networks going to be closed that are carrying minority/public service content, well at least not RNAG's network.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058376577/are-rte-s-digital-radio-stations-going-to-be-closed-down

When RTÉ were announcing the "closure of" lyric FM they were basically saying if we don't get an increase in funding Lyric will have to close, basically testing the water to see what people thought of closing down an actual public service broadcaster under their remit. The next day it was we are "moving it out of" Limerick City. It was purely designed to suggest that RTÉ is the ultimate arbiter of the services they run and if they don't get an increase in funding then services will have to be closed. Lets not forget this was all while they were mismanaging the service.

Their new direction is not much better than Strategy 2024 which saw them axe DAB and suggested the closure of all of the digital services until RTÉ GOLD got some kind of lifeline and is now saved to continue broadcasting on Soarview and online.

Neither RnaG or Lyric will be moved off FM, until FM is closed but who knows when that will happen.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122737668#Comment_122737668

My mam uses Saorview all the time to listen to Radio 1. Do you have any stats for listening to Radio on TV? My local GP has GOLD on via Virgin Media on the TV!

Last month the question was asked in the dail if RTÉ had put forward a proposal to close the services, the answer from the minister was NO.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2024-09-09/718/#pq_718

To date, a proposal from RTÉ has not been received and, when it is forthcoming, the merits of the proposal will be assessed as outlined above, prior to any decision being made.

Based on other proposals put forward, it is unlikely that this minister will actually make the decision and she may not even start the process.

RoTelly

BTW making a proposal to close the digital services down would not take much time. They can just copy and paste the following from the PQ answer given to Robert Troy in the link above: -

Dear Minister,

Under Section 103 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 RTÉ wishes to, with the consent of the Minister, close the following the number of sound broadcasting channels operated by RTÉ: -

RTÉ Radio 1 extra

RTÉ 2XM

RTEjr Radio

RTÉ Chill

RTÉ Pulse

As part of our Statement of Strategy 2025-2029, published in June 2024, RTÉ proposed ceasing a number of digital radio services, as well as time shift channels over the duration of the strategy. RTÉ investment in digital services will allow the content on these services to be available more widely through on-demand services and that closing the plus one channels will allow RTÉ to reduce the cost of traditional broadcast distribution and prioritise delivery of live and on-demand content through digital platforms.

RTÉ remains committed to Public service broadcasting and believe the merits of the proposal above will be assessed by all stakeholder positively.

Best wishes,

Dee Four

Kevo BeeFour

Widescreen

I’ve a DAB radio in my car, what’s the point of that!

Maybe put RTÉ Gold on it😂

problem with RTÉ gold is that if they put it on FM the listenership to RTÉ radio 1 would likely be affected.
Leaving it ‘hidden’ online and Saorview restricts listenership too!

Well done RTE

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122737832#Comment_122737832

to be fair it's well known that listening via tv to radio is so small as to be irrelevant.

i listen to LBC via TV sometimes but there will come a day where that won't be possible as the numbers are tiny.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122737956#Comment_122737956

TBF, where are you getting this information from?

Only real reason that the Digital Channels still exist is that RTÉ and the BAI realised (with someone help I might add) that the digital station came under the act due to their broadcast on Saorview and Virgin Media, Jimbo Jennings even asked at an event if the BAI considered them test services, unfortunately they sat on just one test service, DAB, which RTÉ axed under Strategy 2024. Leaving them with Radio stations as part of 2 broadcast services.

However unlike their temporary cut to Executive wages in that Strategy they've reintroduced most of the ideas from that strategy and renamed it "New Direction".

Lick of paint Mr. Faulty.

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122740443#Comment_122740443

the information is well known, which is why only a few stations from the uk are still broadcasting via sattelite.

if the numbers listening to those via tv is small which it is, it is certainly so small as to be irrelevant in ireland's case to RTE stations.

it's irrelevant anyway as lyric and especially RNAG won't be losing their fm networks.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122741736#Comment_122741736

So you basing it on some research that may or may not be carried out in the UK?

22-25 radio stations on Freeview mainly BBC and National radio.

While RTÉ broadcasts on Satellite I some how doubt they are about to drop them from Satellite.

That's not to mention the fact that there are fewer number of TV stations on Saorview, which may lead people to radio stations on that platform faster than those with Freeview.

Based on your assessment then surely RnaG should be resigned to Saorview and Satellite only.

it's irrelevant anyway as lyric and especially RNAG won't be losing their fm networks.

And much like the digital radio stations RTÉ would have to make a proposal to the Minister and the Minister would have to agree to the closer of any broadcast radio station

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122742508#Comment_122742508

i never said rte wouldn't have to make a proposal to the minister to close the digital stations and personally i'm not in favour of them being closed anyway given rte needs to compete in a digital world.

but it looks like i will lose that argument so so be it.

Shan Doras

Even though shutting down those 4 digital radio stations will save only peanuts, it's the right decision because unlike RTE Gold, the general public has showed absolutely no interest in any of the 4 stations earmarked for closure, indeed online listening stats posted here in the past showed 2k people listening to RTE Gold while the other 4 had less than 30 listeners between them.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122743144#Comment_122743144

Called promotion. RTÉ have promoted RTÉ GOLD far more then than the others. This idea that RTÉ will now promote alternative music through their online platform is the biggest lie, when they don't do it now.

RTÉ RADIO 1 Extra should be able to gain an audience much like that of GOLD. IMO CnaM should tell RTÉ to seek a commercial partner that might be interested those channels for those purposes.

Same for the +1 channels, if RTÉ don't want them CnaM should seek replacements.

In anycase at this point they are on the air until June 2025

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122743761#Comment_122743761

Well then you'd only Drop RTÉ GOLD and keep the other stations.

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122743144#Comment_122743144

well it's not surprising given their music policies are all over the place.

tune in to pulse as a perfect example and you will hear stuff that is irrelevant to what was supposed to be a dance and electronic station.

i have heard similar jarring stuff with chill and xm as well.

unless the plan is just for a core news service which seems unlikely, closing them is the wrong decision given rte needs to remain relevant in an online world and that means actually providing more targeted services to audiences paying the license fee, even if the audiences are small.

bureau2009

What is the business case - if any - for RTE Gold? The payroll for it must be substantial.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122744739#Comment_122744739

You'd assume that their Director of Strategy would have had a strategy for this stations and this type of content.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122744805#Comment_122744805

Seems to me that both Rick and Will are RTÉ staff and they had nothing for them to do.

Madeoface

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122743761#Comment_122743761

100%. There's no true alternative station since Phantom went off the airwaves. Nova is gick.

All those RTE stations should be put to sleep.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122745112#Comment_122745112

RTÉ 2XM should be that alternative. So you want to close all the RTÉ digital stations because

How many stations are needed to play Toto and dad rock? You already have Nova, Classic Hits and thousands of internet stations playing very safe MOR

But Nova is "gick"… so close that also?

Even though only 1 of the 5 digital stations is a classic pop /dad rock-ish station.

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122745059#Comment_122745059

you would have thought so but to me it sounds like they clearly don't and never did.

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122743761#Comment_122743761

if we are closing stations on the basis of that then we would be closing commercial radio seeing as they would play that song a lot more and play a smaller selection.

nova and classic hits would never be a suitable replacement for gold for the audience that listen to that, as if it was then that audience would already be listening to just those given they would be easier to access then gold.

RoTelly

IMHO if RTÉ want to close them then CnaM should invite alternative to take those places on Soarview: -

RTÉ Radio 1 Extra = NEWSTALK

RTÉ GOLD = CLASSIC HITS

RTÉ 2XM = TODAYFM

RTÉ Chill/Jr = Spin

RTÉ Pluse = Beat

And if no interest community Radio should be put on for free.

TAFKAlawhec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122742508#Comment_122742508

OTOH about a year ago it was estimated that something like 4% of all radio listening in the UK was via digital terrestrial or satellite platforms. It more or less gave Bauer the excuse to withdraw their stations from both such platforms at the end of last year & beginning of this (presumably carriage rights on both platforms were up for renewal at these points). Some stations owned by Global and TWG are still on both platforms, for now. Both platforms used to be more popular for radio listening, but IP based services and (to a lesser extent) DAB have eaten into it.

Given the small-ish general penetration of Saorview into Irish homes, I can't imagine the listenership figures via the platform are terribly high (though it probably suits the likes of Radio Maria in terms of demographics).

Shan Doras

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122745249#Comment_122745249

Do you mean with free carriage? Because all those radio stations could join saorview tomorrow (& could have been there since day 1) by paying the relevant tariff to 2RN

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122745549#Comment_122745549

But you are talking about a well developed Freeview platform, many Irish homes in Soarview / Satellite homes will often hit of those radio stations, so they know they are there.

ford fiesta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122743761#Comment_122743761

please dont compare the Dublin based stations with RTE Gold.

RTE Gold is far superior than Classic Hits, Q102, Nova ……

TAFKAlawhec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122745712#Comment_122745712

Does the JNLR record an audience share of people using DTT/DST for listening to radio stations compared to other platforms?

How many people leave their telly on to listen to RTÉ Gold, for example?

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122745745#Comment_122745745

So they should sell off 2FM? We know the saving is minimal. You'd might save more dropping RTÉ GOLD than the other 4 stations.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122746289#Comment_122746289

RnaG and the RTÉ Digital Radio stations are not part of the JNLR. AFAIK Radio1, 2FM and Lyric's audience on TV is not recorded, am not sure though if the JNLR care if how you are listening, so I assume they are mixed into the general average.

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122745745#Comment_122745745

rte is always going to be defacto involved in the commercial market not just because it is funded by advertising to an extent, but because it is funded by a license fee meaning it does have to provide some popular programming so as to bring in an audience and be relevant to people.

it's unfortunately the difficult balance in terms of providing a state owned and funded broadcaster, whether it should be providing any commercial and popular programming at all and if not, how does it insure it can be relevant and engaging to a decent sized audience.

Antenna

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122736804#Comment_122736804

It hardly applies just to RTE?

The BBC announced the closure of digital radio channel BBC 6 Music some years ago, but due to opposition it did not happen.

Again the BBC's 'digital teletext' was due to close in 2020, but due to a level of opposition it did not happen

regarding '252' , 11 years prior to the closure of RTE on 252, there would have been a not insignificant level of opposition from listeners in GB, areas in NI beyond RTE FM range, mariners etc.

Since then the level of cars that can receive LW would have hugely decreased (and the days of it being easily possible to swap an original car radio for another with a mode you wanted, is a thing of the past). Internet radio listening in cars, unlike homes/workplaces now, is still very small, but LW is no use if you can no longer access it on your present car. And the surreal level of shutdowns for "maintenance"/"engineering work" in its final few years during peak listening hours , would have weaned remaining listeners off the expectation of it being dependable. So for a combination of reasons they managed to do it after 11 years.

10000maniacs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122745665#Comment_122745665

RTE single handedly killed DAB in Ireland. RTE (or we, the License fee payer) got on free while everyone else had to pay. So the independents refused to chalk up for carriage. What we were left with was RTE R1, RTE R2, Lyric, Gold, Pulse, XFM. A great excuse not to get a DAB radio. So very few did or if they did, it ended up in Balbriggan car-boot market when RTE switched off their DAB stations.

Shan Doras

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122765665#Comment_122765665

I don't disagree with any of that, but the fact of the matter is, RTE are definitely going around in circles recycling the same 5 year plans. As @Rotelly said, closing the digital radio stations was already part of the 2019/2024 plan, Then they got a covid reprieve & only the DAB network closed and now here we are again with the same radio services (bar Gold) earmarked for closure in the 24/29 plan 🤷‍♂️

RoTelly

It is now the end of October, these stations to remain on until 2025. RTÉ's excuse will be simple.

RTÉ need to give time to the New Head of Content (Audio) to allow her vision of the service take fruition. It was for this reason that we decided to hold off closing the stations. Now that she has been able to make her stamp on the new audio app, RTÉ will close the radio stations down in line with our Strategy 2024. We never intended the stations to close in 2024.