Gold Radio - launching online 4 May 2020

It is very exciting news and I wish it every success going forward. It could run long side RTE Gold if they decide to keep it online.

zorro2566 wrote: »

Enjoying it so far, mostly 80s stuff but not the usual 80s you hear everywhere else. The website doesn’t seem to be 100% working yet and the apps aren’t up either!

The website is not too bad although; it would benefit from further tweaking alright. It would give the station more personality if the following is completed:

(1) Provide and display visual facial images of it's station DJ/Presenters, (Should not be too costly addition given today's technological scene)
(2) Include a Biography on each DJ/presenter across the station.
(3) Add a Programme description/synopsis for each time slot in schedule. (RTÉ is not great at always providing detailed synopsis for some of it's content)

I'd like to hear a few more DJs in the station line-up, perhaps some from the below suggestions:

Jim O'Neill
Mark Byrne
Gerry Wilson
Dave Heffernan
Alf McCarthy
Nails Mahoney/Brian McColl
Dusty Rhodes

I think they would be better if they were on FM or dab.

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Before it's official launch last Tuesday, Gold Radio had been available for a while on the Radio Garden platform in automated mode.... but not in a loop!

Hopefully Gold Radio will be available on the Irish Radio Player soon, I don't see it at the moment.

Tork wrote: »

I think they're already in trouble, because of RTE Gold's stay of execution. It's obvious that the station was designed to step into the breach once that went off the air. Instead, RTE Gold is getting more exposure and listeners than it ever did before Covid-19 struck. If you go to google and type in Gold Radio, the first few entries are all referring to RTE Gold. It's hard to know whether now was a good or a bad time to launch - time will tell.

Very true.
Hmmm - I reckon GoldRadio.ie should have kept their powder dry as RTÉ closing down any service has often been dogged by controversy. Officially launching last week in this way at a time when RTÉ Gold is on every Sat/Sun afternoon on RTÉ Radio 1 was probably the wrong move at the wrong time.

Here at 10am Monday morning and Gold Radio is still silent, I don't think its looking good, maybe it was all up in the air with them and now its off the air. If RTE close DAB I hope they keep RTE Gold and Pulse on saorview and online.

Just checked if any updates were posted on Twitter for GoldRadio.ie in case the station wanted to inform listeners of a glitch/technical problem but last post came from someone congratulating the station on it's recent launch on 5th May. Not a good sign to have this complete silence. The website is still stuck displaying "Gold Evenings with Mike Moloney" which was the same late last night! This looks doomed before it ever established itself properly which is such a shame as it did not last a whole week since it's official launch.

I hope it does not deter others from following suit especially if RTÉ Gold is still to close down later in the year.

Ireland needs a nationwide GOLD type music formula available in various formats including FM without all the hourly news bulletins, sports content, traffic updates etc; (i.e.) when the "new normality" eventually emerges on a phased basis.

Its gone, its gone gone gone gone, and without any explanation as to what happened, I just wondered if the retention of RTE Gold have had an impact on it? or will it wait till RTE Gold close. I hope Dee Fobes DG keep RTE Pulse and RTE Gold on saorview and online. I'm only repeating myself at this stage.

Infoanon wrote: »

Gold radio is an Irish based online radio station joining an already saturated market. It's USP should be it's on air personalities and exploiting their knowledge of Irish airplay hits.
Gold radio appears similar to the UK station United DJS - however Gold do not / will not have the option to expand on to DAB in the future.

The station suggested by awaityour reply will never happen on FM - BAI regulations,the 20% rule AND listener's to 'Gold ' type stations want news / sport / traffic - gold format listeners want more than a 'jukebox'.

The BAI evolved out of various bodies. The first one to regulate Ireland's independent commercial radio and television sector was the IRTC (Independent Radio & Television Commission). In the early years of independent commercial radio & tv in Ireland originally had no direct remit over RTÉ Radio & Television output which fell under the control of the RTÉ Authority from what I recall although; this changed in subsequent years and the BAI now controls both private & public sector. That 20% rule goes back to the IRTC days of the late 1980's and should be reviewed as long since outdated.

I do not wanna listen to News & Sport & Traffic if I'm tuning into classic pop/rock as I can easily change station for hourly news on RTÉ Radio 1, NewsTalk 106-108, Cork's 96fm, Cork's RedFM and so on.

I tuned in to RTÉ lyric fm just to get a break from Coronavirus only to hear Marty going on about it followed by a news bulletin also covering the same dreaded content which is NOT what that station should be doing as it had a clever campaign about listeners getting away from the stresses of daily life only a few years ago by switching to Lyric fm but if it's gonna air listener views on the Covid-19 and broadcast the same RTÉ News, it defeats what this niche station should be about! - Same would apply with a station like Gold - listeners want music not news/current affairs when they tune into it.

I realise that when the Department of Communications/IRTC came up with the minimum 20% news & current affairs content rule (RTÉ probably insisted as this was first time they had legal competition from the independent commercial sector) it was all intended to prevent wall to wall pop music like many of the pirate radio stations but the BAI now need to be more imaginative in this day and age as listeners probably also prefer to know which stations are news-free.

As for a Gold station broadcasting on FM, I think the hugely positive reaction of new listeners to RTÉ Gold on RTÉ Radio 1 each Saturday+Sunday afternoons only confirms to me that it would probably perform really well on FM full time as a large cohort of this audience would generally tend to be more traditional in terms of accessing such a service in my opinion. DAB is not available in many parts of Ireland and I'm sure listeners would enjoy the ability of hearing the station on the move even where broadband internet connectivity is non-existent or well below par. GoldRadio.ie still off-air as I type this post which does not bode well for a station that only had it's official launch last week which is a shame for all involved. Menawhile, RTÉ Gold as a station will struggle even if it gets another reprieve to remain on air unless it gets more exposure on FM beyond the current sports drought which will not last forever. I would listen to a station like RTÉ Gold in the car once back in regular commuting mode or heading up/down the country and I'm fairly sure that I'm not alone. I'd close 2FM or move it Online as it's younger audience demographic would not be as reliant on FM nowadays.