Is 2FM dead in Dublin?

Thats quite a good suggestion. And the same for Lyric FM.

Also they should return a couple of Digital channels to use for special interest programming, like live Sport and magazine shows to compensate for the demise of both full time FM stations.

Going back to Dublin as per the thread title....

2FM as a music station is being aimed at young adults and they are already covered in Dublin on FM by FM104, Spin1038 and even 98FM and maybe to some extent Q102. Then you have Spotify and online stations like 8Radio.Com. If 2FM decided to go for slightly older adults as a music station, there is a fair bit of competition there too between Q102, Sunshine 106.8, Radio Nova and Classic Hits, and not to mention competition from its other RTE stations. The field is crowded. I'm not saying this is realistic, but would it work if 2FM was replaced by, or merged with, RTE Gold, becoming an oldies station?

Is 2FM dead full stop.

I'm not the target audience, but I am a life long radio fan.

I cannot believe how unappealing the presenters are. There's a Saturday presenter on 2FM screeching about a "bones day". I would rather listen to a dripping tap.

I cannot believe that 2FM has been allowed to deteriorate so much. Don't forget this is the best resourced station in the country. There are several highly paid management, producers and broadcast assistants in 2FM. It has been established for...........44 years this year.

There is a lack of talent, of musicality, of originality, of hard work, of proper presentation and production skills in 2FM.

I am eternally grateful to BBC Radio 2 to show what thoughtful, quality radio sounds like.

I remember leaving 2FM on from 8am until 7pm when I was younger. It seems to me that their first blow was the loss of Ian Dempsey as they could never get a winning formula with their breakfast show. Although in fairness I still listened to it as far as early 2007; Colm and Jim-Jim were too much for me after that. But then they lost their way completely after Gerry Ryan died. Once Dan Healy arrived and Will Leahy was taken off drivetime, that was it for me. I'd never listen to the station voluntarily now.

Remember “Livin’ the life lovin’ the music”? That’s the sort of cool that 2FM has.

It’s a disgrace that a public service broadcaster has such a nakedly commercial station with virtually no specialist programming whatsoever. And it’s an embarrassment that it’s so bad at it.

I’ve heard Laura Fox do that “bones or no bones“ day feature which is terribly out of touch with the youth audience. It’s based around a dog on TikTok hat went viral for deciding what type of day people could expect to have and it was very popular among the TikTok audience for a while but after a week or two, her feature would have become stale.

When I first heard her do the feature, it was a couple of months after “bones or no bones“ had been popular and it was so irrelevant by that point that it was embarrassing.

The dog has passed away so I would assume she’s stopped the feature at this point, but it does show how uncreative 2Fm presenters are.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Influencer(s) doesn't = Radio Presenter. Lets face it most of our successful radio presenters in this country are all radio trained or have come through the ranks i.e starting from the bottom and gradually worked their way to the top and or people who have studied broadcasting. Radio people in other words. Ian Dempsey, Tony Fenton, Colm Hayes, Ray Foley, Jim McCabe , Larry Gogan, Doireann Garrihy, Carl Mullen , Tracy Clifford, Debbie Allen , Dee Woods, Marty Miller, Marty Guilfoyle to name but a few all of a background in radio before getting the gigs they have / had now.

If 2fm want to be back at the top of the game I would suggest hiring people who have the knowledge of how to run a simple music orientated show and build from it. Sure the names above all started and nobody had one iota who they all where at the beginning, What I am trying to say is don't just hire the latest "Influencer" when there are literally 100's of people trying to break into the industry that could be the next big thing if given the chance.

I put it on once in the car by mistake bloody awful woman on full of beanz playing sh1te

I don't know why they don't consider a Raidió Ri-Rá style format for 2FM, the lolz and bantz format is well covered elsewhere throughout Ireland.

I don't see any PSB remit provided for by 2FM for several years now - nor would I personally see any PSB remit being provided by putting something like Gold on the 90-92 network instead.

Go for the BBC R1 style format that they try to emulate currently, but with all presentation as Gaeilge.

Give up and coming presenters a chance and provide an actual PSB remit by promoting the Irish language.

Use the FM network as the shop front, and use the online, podcast, video, social and digital themed stations to draw younger listeners in properly.

Your typical target audience that 2FM is supposed to be going after is going to have little to no interest or even association with the Dancing with the Stars cross promotion. Dancing with the Stars is something parents and grandparents watch.

I haven’t listened to 2fm since the days of Dave Fanning in the ‘80’s

So, just an hour of 'light Classical' on a Friday night? And what about contemporary classical music, electro-acustic sound art? Do you want Rick and Ronan Collins to set up and play part of a Schumann symphony or The St. Matthew Passion by JS Bach?

Please, tell me how you'd see it going.

And how RTE management are to justify that to both Gold fans and those who pay a licence fee for a specialist music and arts channel?

For 2FM to be relevant for audiences in Dublin, it needs to have a distinct identity. I mentioned the possibility of merging with RTE Gold. Another angle might be to merge with 2XM, i.e. an alternative-leaning service. Dave Fanning, Dan Hegarty and Cormac Battle would fit in. It would also serve that FM radio listener who misses Phantom/TXFM.

Oh , I thought he was a daytime talk host. Shows how much I listen to 2FM

The reason 2fm was launched was to provide an irish radio station that played pop music , now young people listen to spin fm, spotify it would be better off copying radio 2 in the uk.Having programs presented in irish would reduce its audience by 90 per cent.i think its at least 10 years since 2fm was relevant to young people. if it closed down tommorow would anyone under 30 care ,i think the dave fanning show is good but you can listen to that as a podcast.

its probably impossible for rte to close 2fm, even if it has as awful audience figures its basically a semi state operation.

I would be a fan of Q102 in the mornings, its less chat. I'm listening to the radio on the way to work for a bit of banter and a few tunes. But I've noticed morning radio is all chat, and what I dislike most about 2fm is it feels like they are trying too hard, to be funny, relevant or whatever else, sometimes it just comes across as either cringey or mean. Now I have listened to the 2 jonnies a few times, couldn't pick them out of a line up, but in terms of banter they seem to just gel, it doesn't sound like they are being forced to come up with a topic of conversation. But in saying that I wouldn't listen to them for my whole journey.

How's it doing in Mullingar?

It only gets those numbers in the south east because the choice on FM is appalling.