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[article] RTE and Today FM Shed Listeners

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  • 11-02-2004 6:02pm
    #1
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,978 ✭✭✭✭


    Thousands of listeners deserting Pat Kenny and Joe Duffy, survey shows

    PAT Kenny and Joe Duffy were among the major casualties of the latest radio listenership figures on a disastrous day for RTE's big guns.

    Listeners to 'Today with Pat Kenny' fell from 352,000 to 332,000 while Joe Duffy's 'Liveline' was down by 24,000.

    More than 7,000 listeners, meanwhile, tuned out of Marian Finucane's morning show, amid speculation that the programme is about to be axed.

    Yesterday's JNLR figures for 2003 were bad news across the board for the national broadcaster, with 2FM also faring poorly.

    Rachel English of 5-7 Live emerged as one of the few RTE presenters who increased their audience, with an extra 6,000 listeners.

    On 2FM, Gerry Ryan lost 24,000 listeners. But a bright spot on the same station was a respectable showing for breakfast show host Ryan Tubridy, whose audience increased from 218,000 to 224,000. John Creedon's blend of music and chat following the Pat Kenny show also brought in extra listeners.

    However, RTE was not the only broadcaster to take a hit. There was also bad news for Today FM where Eamon Dunphy's replacement on 'The Last Word', Matt Cooper, lost almost 50,000 of his predecessor's audience - plummetting from 192,000 to 146,000.

    Today FM chiefs said that it would take some time for Cooper to settle in to the slot and claimed that it had been a "poor year" in terms of suitable news material for the show.

    The station's chief executive, Willie O'Reilly, said that the 192,000 listenership achieved under Eamon Dunphy had been due in large part to the Roy Keane controversy during the last World Cup.

    Figures indicate that 'The Last Word' is losing listeners to RTE's 5-7 Live and to Newstalk's George Hook, its other rival in the battle for the Dublin 'drivetime' market.

    Reacting to Today FM's 3pc listenership drop, Mr O'Reilly said that it was "not the brightest day" for the station, which has committed €1m to a high-profile national advertising campaign.

    "We were quiet on the marketing front last year but intend to be more aggressive this year," he added.

    The battle for the airwaves throughout the day in the capital continues to be an intense one.

    RTE Radio 1 remained the station with the most listeners in Dublin (31pc) despite a 5pc drop, followed by 98FM on 22pc and FM104 on 20pc.

    There was good news for under-pressure station Newstalk 106, which doubled its listeners last year from 2pc to 4pc.

    Newstalk managing director Dan Healy said the station and others continued to enjoy an "enormous erosion" in RTE's audience in Dublin.

    He added that Newstalk was losing listeners over the age of 44 and growing its share of the 25-30 group.

    By Ben Quinn

    From www.unison.ie

    Mike.


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