JNLR Quarter 1 2026

Expunge · 14-05-2026 10:18AM #1

It's published today after midday, I believe.

First book of the new schedules of both Radio 1 and Newstalk. (Jan to March 2026). Book on Book (BoB)

Also a look at the year April 2025 to March 2026. Year on Year (YoY)

It'll be interesting to seewhat the early indications are.

Also worth watching is the rise or (probably) decline in total listenership to radio in this country, despite the population continuing to rise.

Expunge · 14-05-2026 12:24PM

A stellar performance from the "new" Radio 1.

RTÉ Radio 1 loses listeners across every show after schedule shake-up

Is Patricia Monahan like former Celtic manager Wilfred Nancy?

Or is she secretly still working for Bauer, trying to pull RTE Radio down from the inside?

bureau2009 · 14-05-2026 01:23PM

Any figures for Newstalk? What about Claire Byrne? I know she only started on 1st February.

poppers · 14-05-2026 01:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124467550#Comment_124467550

No Change

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/slump-in-rte-radio-listeners-but-broadcaster-says-it-was-fully-expected-after-major-shake-up/a1751808964.html

rte today fm and Newstalk figures here

ford fiesta · 14-05-2026 02:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124467369#Comment_124467369

fine job she has done. getting rid of the music show from 12 to 1 was the start of it.

kieran cuddihy…..well what can I say - at best he's a fill in Liveline presenter for the odd day or 2 (per year).

squonk · 14-05-2026 03:18PM

Have to wonder how Patricia Monaghan qualifies for her job. I’m no radio exec but even I can figure out that if you want to retain or grow listeners kn a national radio station you don’t

1 Put your headline current affairs show running 9-11 when mort listeners are involved in start of day meetings or activities where they’ll find it hard to listen

2 Put a dead duck fluff show on mid morning prime time.
3 Negate the main lunchtime news to 45 minutes, actually 40 when you take out the useless sport.
4 Take a well performing late morning music slot and put it in the middle of the afternoon. Also add stupid interviews.
5 Dumb down your prime time drive time news show. Start it when most are doing end of day activities and aren’t listening.
6 End your prime time drive time show at 6 when most are actually commuting

7.Fill the air with a niche dead air format like a sports show that would be better on later in the evening.

Most have been working all day so want to catch up with developments on the way home. Not listen to the same cliched sports interviews.

ford fiesta · 14-05-2026 03:35PM

And she'll put the same old spin on the declining Radio 1 figures each time along the lines of "this is to be expected with any recent schedule changes", just like dan healy has for the past 13 years for 2FM.

sad really to see these 2 mighty stations slowly die.

Sheep Shagger · 14-05-2026 03:35PM

Like it or hate it, they retain number 1

its_steve116 · 14-05-2026 03:39PM

What are the stations in Northern Ireland getting?

waywill1966 · 14-05-2026 03:41PM

Well done Nova and great that they're now on DAB+ in the west of Ireland.

dxhound2005 · 14-05-2026 05:03PM

I didn't see any comment so far on YOY numbers. Some of them are good for RTE, especially at the weekends.

https://about.rte.ie/2026/05/14/latest-jnlr-rte-listenership-figures-released-7/

"Brendan O’Connor on Saturday has 414,000 listeners (+51,000 YoY), with 409,000 listeners (+40,000 YoY) tuning in on Sunday."

Expunge · 14-05-2026 05:56PM

There was an uplift in numbers for Today FM, Lyric, Nova and Sunshine so that might suggest disgruntled Radio 1 listeners have gone to these stations instead.

The Radio 1 marketing is very clear about branding themselves as a 35 to 55 year old service now, so maybe this is just a a result of all of that change.

The easy bit is losing the older listeners who don't like it. The hard part is attracting new 35 + year olds to turn to Radio 1.

We'll see.

squonk · 14-05-2026 06:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124468397#Comment_124468397

I’m 51 and in their demographic but finding tge new lineup quite poor. I drifted towards radio 1 in my 30s away from youth music radio. I liked the in depth presentation on RTE RAadio 1. They had done heavy hitters. I couldn’t see 35 year old me being that bothered these days. I’d likely go elsewhere. Even back in the day I was a fan of the Matt Cooper show on Today FM. RADIO 1 has just gotten worse now really.

Dublin Calling · 14-05-2026 08:24PM

Everything is great, according to RTE. Yet they only give the Year on Year change for the (mainly weekend) shows with an increase. All other shows have lost listeners. Louise Duffy being the worse, losing almost 10% of Ray's audience!

Any reports on how Q102's 10 am to 1 pm slot did?

For Petes Sake · 14-05-2026 08:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124467964#Comment_124467964

Agree with a lot of what you say (actually, nearly all of it), but News at One has been 45 minutes for as long as I can remember. Long before Patricia Monahan was running Newstalk never mind Radio 1.

I said it at the time but the schedule is a mess. Oliver Callan at 9 and Louise Duffy at 12 offered relief for listeners who didn't want to listen to hard news all day.

This book wouldn't have taken in the new jingles either. I think it's a case that this is too much change in too short of time.

dxhound2005 · 14-05-2026 09:15PM

The change at 9am has worked out well for RTE. Q1 2025 Oliver Callan 9 to 10 was 355,000. Claire Byrne 10 to 12 348,000.

Q1 2026 David McCullagh 9 to 11 423,000. Oliver Callan 11 to 1 is 296,000. The figures show that Callan did not maintain nearly as much of the Morning Ireland audience a year ago as McCullagh does now. And they also drop off sharply now when Callan takes over from McCullagh. That shows the wisdom of following Morning Ireland with more current affairs.

squonk · 14-05-2026 09:18PM

I think a better lineup for Radio 1 would be to move Callan to weekends and proceed as follows;

9-11: Liveline. 9-12 was never a problem for Gerry Ryan. It would bring back the kind of feel and also Gay’s old spot. Keeps people engaged.
11-1: McColloygh. Keeps people doing what he’s doing.
1-2: News. Carry on as you are.
2-4: Louise Duffy. Keep the silly artist interviewed fine but let her play a good selection if music too.
4-7: A proper drive time news and analysts show with hardcore presenters. Maybe look at the news at 1 staff for potential hosts. Send Katie and her man off to do a Saturday afternoon show.
7-8: Sports show… if you really must.

dxhound2005 · 14-05-2026 09:27PM

Bad idea to move the sport to 7 where it would be up against the long running Off the Ball on Newstalk. Off the Ball struggles to get an audience much over 50,000. Blue sky thinking to move Liveline to 9 o'clock. But I don't think that would get a bigger number than McCullagh's 423,000.

For Petes Sake · 14-05-2026 09:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124468915#Comment_124468915

Callan was 355,000 for a one hour programme, whereas McCullagh is 423,000 for two hours.

It is simply impossible to read into those numbers at this stage because they were two completely different programmes at two completely different times.

You won't be able to get a proper read on it until this time next year, which would be a full year book for the new schedule.

squonk · 14-05-2026 09:34PM

Well I think the 9am start is a bad shot for his kind of show but you could I suppose make LL mid morning. I think though the engagement factor of LL might keep some listeners after the morning Ireland slot

For Petes Sake · 14-05-2026 09:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124468995#Comment_124468995

Absolutely not. Morning Ireland (which is depressing enough in its own right) followed by Liveline is the stuff of nightmares.

Also, Gerry Ryan is gone 15+ years. The radio world has completely changed since then.

squonk · 14-05-2026 09:43PM

It’s not a problem fur BBC with Jeremy Vine. Liveline attracts and indulges idiots in some cases. A better structured and produced show would help. It’s come on since Joe left but the numbers don’t bear that out.

For Petes Sake · 14-05-2026 09:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124469024#Comment_124469024

RTÉ is not the BBC and Ireland is not the UK. Just because something might work in the UK doesn't mean it works here. The audience behaviours are completely different.

I'm not having a go at you in particular because I hear it all the time on Newstalk. Not necessarily on BBC/RTÉ but anything. Just because the UK does something doesn't mean we should follow.

dxhound2005 · 14-05-2026 10:04PM

Jeremy Vine is on from 12 noon to 2pm. And listener calls are only a part of the programme.

squonk · 14-05-2026 10:50PM

Not having a go at anyone either and not willing to die on the hill of a 9AM liveline type show but to me Callan’s show is an obvious dead duck. It evolved from Tubridy’s pity fùck hour as Late Late presenter and instead of being axed it was expanded with Callan at the helm. I honestly switch off at 11 because it’s just a bunch of small talk and friends of the show til 1.

I’m genuinely interested to hear what should replace this show based on what the current radio landscape is here. If you give people interesting radio they’ll come. The goal is to keep ears on your station without letting listeners think of moving elsewhere. Right now R1 is just too soft in parts of its schedule.

dxhound2005 · 14-05-2026 11:12PM

Boards probably needs life saving surgery more than Radio 1. The danger for the Radio Forum is that Liveline at 9 o'clock would not get many posts. Even Tubridy at 9 in his prime was nowhere near Liveline at 1:45 when it comes to the number of posts.

bureau2009 · 15-05-2026 12:34AM

My radio ears note that Claire Byrne's show manages to pick relatable, relevant items with listener appeal. I'm not a CB fan but she is a smooth operator and a significant player in today's radio landscape. One to watch in the JLNRs.

ford fiesta · 16-05-2026 02:34AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124468008#Comment_124468008

Pity the music on Nova is so predictable and overplayed. As soon as i hear "I'm the defectOR......" I change station or radio goes off.

The J Stands for Jay · 17-05-2026 09:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124468397#Comment_124468397

I'm in their new target demographic and I wouldn't dream of listening, based on what I hear as I flick through stations

JNLR Quarter 1 2026

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