Ireland

Radiostar, the international radio talent search run by OnAirCoach, has returned for its eighth year.
For 2025, the competition is focused on music radio presentation.
The contest is open to anyone working in or aspiring to join the industry, with feedback provided by experienced professionals from around the world. Entry is free and closes on 1 September.
Last year, Stephen Daly of Dublin’s Q102 finished in third place, continuing a strong record of Irish entrants achieving recognition in the contest.
Nails Mahoney of OnAirCoach said: “This is a chance to be heard by industry experts across the globe and open up new opportunities.”
Radiostar is promoted as the only international radio talent search, highlighting presenters and creators with potential to progress in broadcasting.
More information and entry details are available on the OnAirCoach website.
Radiostar has been running annually since 2017, with past winners and finalists going on to secure roles in commercial and public radio.
The competition has attracted participants from Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, making it one of the few radio talent searches with a worldwide reach.

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Today FM presenters will once again take centre stage at Electric Picnic this year.
The station has confirmed a packed Sound Garden schedule featuring its biggest names, alongside headline acts including Le Boom, Bingo Loco, Bryan Kearney, Maria Lawlor and Smash Hits.
Ian Dempsey, Dave Moore, Louise Cantillon, Ray Foley and Matt Cooper will all be part of the action, broadcasting and performing from Stradbally across the weekend.
Alongside the live shows, themed sets will bring back classic dance and pop tracks with Steve K on Today FM 80s, Claire Beck on Today FM 90s and Jamie Maguire on Today FM 00s.
The station has also announced the launch of Electric Picnic Radio, a new digital station streaming via the GoLoud app. The pop-up channel will play songs from this year’s festival lineup as well as highlights from previous headline acts.
Ian Dempsey said: “We’re back and we’re bigger than ever before. Expect to see all your favourite Today FM stars, some rockin’ DJ sets, live bands, floor fillers and so much more. I’ll be bringing back my own ‘Rose of EP’ event, so make sure to pop over for the official crowning ceremony of that.”
The Sound Garden has become a regular feature of Electric Picnic, drawing large crowds to see Today FM presenters mixing live entertainment with music across the weekend.

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John Giles is stepping down from punditry after more than two decades on Off The Ball.
The Republic of Ireland football legend, now 84, has been a fixture on Thursday nights since the programme launched in 2002, making him the longest-serving current pundit in Irish media. His departure also ends almost 30 years with Bauer Media Audio Ireland.
Off The Ball marked the occasion with a special tribute night at Dublin’s Sugar Club, attended by John’s wife Anne, his children Joanna, Catherine, Chris and Paul, as well as Brian Kerr, Eddie Gray and Joe Jordan. The evening featured stories from his playing and broadcasting career.

Ger Gilroy, Managing Director of Off The Ball, said John’s contribution had been “a titan of Irish sport” and that his “weekly explanation of football truth… helped deepen what the country knows about football”.
John’s football career began in 1956 when he joined Manchester United at the age of 15. He went on to win two league titles with Leeds United, earned 59 caps for the Republic of Ireland, and served as player-manager for six years.
After retiring from playing, John became a familiar face as a senior pundit on RTÉ television before joining Off The Ball in 2002. His detailed analysis and forthright opinions have made him one of the most influential voices in Irish football.
John’s career in football and broadcasting spans nearly 70 years, and he leaves the microphone with a reputation for combining deep tactical insight with a clear love for the game. […]

Former Beat 102-103 CEO and Programme Director Gabrielle Cummins is joining Waterford-based Nemeton as its first Head of Media Development.
The new position will focus on expanding and improving the company’s digital content across all platforms, building on its television and online output for clients including TG4, RTÉ, BBC and Sky Sports.
Founded in 1993 by CEO Irial Mac Murchú, Nemeton employs 75 full-time and part-time staff, with additional regular freelance contributors, and is best known for GAA Beo and other TG4 productions.
In her new role, Gabrielle will help drive the company’s ambitions to diversify its media output and develop commercial opportunities internationally, including in emerging areas such as AI-driven content.
Irial said: “We’ve had ambitions for a long time to develop and commercialise our digital content internationally. This has never been as important as it is now in an era of great change and opportunity. Gabrielle’s experience will enable us to do just that and we are delighted to have her on board.”
Gabrielle began her media career with WLR FM, later moving to Beat 102-103 where she served as Head of News and Sport before leading the station as CEO and Programme Director for 17 years. She has also worked as a local television producer.
Speaking about her move to Nemeton, Gabrielle said she was “impressed by the team’s authentic positive culture” and their “obvious passion to challenge themselves further in diversification and innovation”. She added: “At the heart of Nemeton’s output is great storytelling; I’m excited to join Irial and the team and confident that together, we will achieve a lot and create new opportunities in the industry.”
Originally from Tipperary, Gabrielle has lived in Waterford since 1998 and highlighted the value of being able to continue working in the county while contributing to a company with national and international reach. She will take up her role in October this year.
Photo: Irial Mac Murchú (CEO, Nemeton), Gabrielle Cummins (new Head of Media Development), Niamh Nic Ghiolla Chuda (Operations Manager), Barbara Creane (Financial Controller) […]

98FM is making changes to its weekday line-up with new voices joining the station from later this month.
From Monday 25 August, Leanne Hanafin will present weekdays from 10am to 1pm, playing Dance and R&B anthems alongside guests and competitions. Leanne has been with 98FM since 2019, working on a variety of shows across the schedule.
Leanne said: “I am grateful for every opportunity I’ve had within 98FM and every person who has supported me and offered the most valuable words of advice in this industry… Now I’m ready for this new and exciting chapter, and I hope you’ll join me for it.”
From Monday 1 September, Andy Preston will host evenings from 7pm to 10pm, Monday to Thursday, and Sundays from 2pm to 6pm. Andy is well-known in Dublin radio for his music knowledge and presentation style.
Also starting on 25 August is a new on-street roving reporter role. Luke Thomas will be “the guy about town”, giving live updates from around Dublin, visiting local businesses, and sharing the Best of Dublin on-air.
Pat Gill, 98FM Managing Editor, said: “These changes bring fantastic talent to key slots across our schedule, ensuring Dublin listeners have a dynamic, entertaining, and music-filled experience every day. Leanne, Andy and Luke join a brilliant team of on-air presenters and we’re excited for them to get started.”
New weekday schedule
07:00 – 10:00: 98FM’s Big Breakfast with Rebecca & Brendan10:00 – 13:00: Leanne Hanafin13:00 – 16:00: Barry Dunne16:00 – 19:00: 98FM’s Big Ride Home with Brian Maher19:00 – 22:00: Andy Preston (Mon–Thu) | 98FM Dance with Paul Ryder (Fri) […]

A record 3.5 million people are now tuning in to radio every weekday across Ireland, the highest figure recorded by the JNLR/Ipsos survey.
That number is up by 57,000 listeners compared with the same time last year, and includes the busiest time of day on radio – between 9.00 and 9.15 a.m. – when 1.65 million people are listening, equal to 35% of the adult population.
Almost four out of five adults in Ireland (79%) now listen to radio on a weekday. While that’s slightly below the 84% recorded a decade ago, the overall daily radio audience has grown broadly in line with population increases.
Listening among 15–24 year olds has seen a long-term percentage decline, reflecting the growth in digital media, but the reach remains high at 63% every weekday. With more people in this age group than ever before, the actual number of 15–24s listening to radio daily has reached a new peak of 686,000.
Local and regional stations also remain strong, with more than 2.3 million adults choosing a local service on weekdays. Regional weekday listening figures are: 74% in Dublin, 78% in the rest of Leinster, and 84% in both Munster and Connacht/Ulster.
Among other highlights:
* 90% of adults and 85% of 15–34s listen to radio each week* 68% of 15–34s tune in on weekdays* 79% of ABC1 adults and 81% of main shoppers listen daily* 12% of all radio listening is now done through a connected device* For 15–34s, that figure rises to 19%, with smart speakers and mobile devices both used by around 7.5%
The figures also support findings from the Irish Audio Report, which showed that live radio continues to dominate audio habits, with a 76% share of total audio listening, compared to 12% for music streaming and 3% for podcasts.
In Dublin, competition between Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio and Today FM is growing. Classic Hits Radio has reached its highest ever audience levels, now tying with Today FM for primetime market share across the multicity franchise area, according to today’s JNLR results.
The station posted a 6.5% market share (7am–7pm) across the country’s most populated counties — including Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow and Clare — home to around 2.6 million people.
This places Classic Hits on equal footing with Today FM, and ahead of RTÉ 2FM, which holds a 4.3% share.
Classic Hits also increased its daily reach to 210,000 and weekly reach to 383,000.
CEO Kevin Branigan said the figures marked a turning point for the station: “It’s a major milestone for us to be neck and neck with Bauer’s heritage brand Today FM in the large multicity franchise area of 2.6 million people. Radio is changing and listeners choose what they want to listen to.”
BAUER
Bauer Media Audio Ireland has once again claimed the largest radio audience in the country in terms of weekly and daily reach (listened yesterday), with 2.28 million adults tuning into one of its stations every week.
The group now holds 28.8% of the national primetime market, and a 41.52% market share among 20–44-year-olds, according to the latest JNLR figures.
For comparison, RTE’s market share is just above at 29%.
Today FM increased its weekly audience to 928,000, with 499,000 people listening daily. The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show remains the most listened to commercial radio breakfast programme with 213,000 listeners, while The Last Word with Matt Cooper saw a sharp increase to 181,000. Dave Moore, Ray Foley and Louise Cantillon also grew their audiences.
Weekend programming also saw further audience growth. Alison Curtis’s Saturday show increased by 9,000 to 186,000, Ben Murray added 9,000 to hit 180,000, and Dara Quilty’s Sunday audience grew to 152,000. KC’s Saturday show reached 148,000, up 7,000 year-on-year.
Newstalk reached 871,000 listeners weekly, with The Pat Kenny Show remaining the most listened-to programme on commercial radio at 216,000. The Hard Shoulder added 12,000 listeners and now reaches 165,000, while Off The Ball hit a joint record 59,000 on weekday evenings and saw further increases on Saturdays and Sundays.
Nationally, Newstalk’s market share remains steady at 8.2%, with a weekly audience of 871,000 and a daily reach of 498,000.
Anton Savage set a new record for his Saturday morning show, now at 139,000.
Outside of the national stations, Cork’s Red FM continues to lead locally, with 174,000 tuning in each week and 20.9% market share. The Neil Prendeville Show attracts 82,000 listeners, while Colm O’Sullivan’s Home Run grew to 60,000. Red FM Breakfast with KC increased to 54,000.
SPIN 1038 maintained its lead with younger listeners in Dublin with a weekly reach of 155,000, while SPIN South West recorded 160,000 listeners and 13.3% market share.
iRadio grew across all major metrics. It now has a market share of 9.3%, a weekly reach of 335,000 and daily reach of 192,000. The biggest programme on the station, Dave & Fionnuala, rose to 91,000.
Beat 102-103 added 1,000 new listeners to reach 182,000 each week, with Beat Drive growing to 51,000.
Across the board, Bauer’s national and regional stations saw either increases or stability in most key shows and time slots.
Chris Doyle, CEO of Bauer Media Audio Ireland, said the group would continue to build on the latest results and focus on entertaining existing listeners while bringing in new ones.
ONIC
Onic has posted continued growth in both market share and reach, according to the latest JNLR figures released today.
The radio group now reaches 516,000 adults every day across Ireland, giving it an 11.7% national daily reach. Weekly, Onic connects with 793,000 listeners – or 18% of the adult population. Its national market share has also grown, now standing at 10.6%.
These increases mean the Onic group, which includes FM and DAB+ stations as well as podcast and sports content, is reaching nearly one million weekly listeners through its Urban National Package. That includes Galway Bay FM (131,000) and WLR (67,000), along with other services.
Elsewhere across the country, there were gains for individual Onic stations. Cork’s 96FM grew its market share (7am–7pm) to 17.5%, and when combined with sister station C103, the weekly reach across Cork stands at 224,000 listeners.
In Dublin, FM104 reached 265,000 adults weekly, while Q102 now reaches 170,000.
LMFM continues to dominate in Louth and Meath, increasing its market share to 36.4% and achieving a daily reach of 73,000. In Limerick, Live 95 reaches 62,390 listeners each day.
Sean Barry, Managing Director of Onic, said the latest figures show the strength of their FM and digital platforms. He said: “These results highlight the importance of our content in the daily lives of our listeners. Onic is committed to enhancing the offering to our listeners through our core services and new digital products.”
The latest results reflect a strong showing for the radio industry overall, with 90.2% of adults tuning in each week – a total of 3.973 million listeners aged 15 or over.
RTÉ
With a 29% market share, RTÉ’s radio services are the most-listened-to in Ireland for All Adults. RTÉ now holds 18 of the top 20 programmes and the entire top 10.
RTÉ Radio 1 stays ahead of all stations nationally with a weekly audience of 1.4 million and a 14% market share among 35–54 year olds. It also continues to hold 18 of the country’s top 20 radio programmes, including the entire top 10.
Morning Ireland remains Ireland’s most listened-to radio show, drawing 469,000 listeners. Both Today with Claire Byrne and Oliver Callan have 354,000 daily listeners, and weekend programming has seen notable increases. Brendan O’Connor added over 70,000 year-on-year, now reaching over 400,000 listeners on both Saturday and Sunday.
Joe Duffy’s last survey showed 299,000 listeners – down 8,000.
RTÉ 2FM reaches 677,000 people each week and holds a 10.3% share of the 15–34 audience. 2FM Breakfast attracts 139,000 listeners, Laura Fox has 122,000, and Doireann Garrihy entertains 125,000 on weekday drive. Weekend shows have also grown, with Demi & Mikey reaching 127,000 on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
RTÉ lyric fm has achieved a record national market share of 2.8%. The station now reaches 329,000 weekly listeners. Marty in the Morning increased to 75,000, and Classic Drive with Lorcan Murray grew by 7,000 year-on-year to 64,000.
Raidió na Gaeltachta also saw gains, with 102,000 weekly listeners.
Across the entire RTÉ portfolio, the organisation holds a 29% national market share, the highest of any broadcaster, with gains across music, entertainment, current affairs and cultural programming.
ELSEWHERE
Radio Nova has scored another all-time high daily and weekly listenership, with 269,000 tuning in every week and 159,000 daily.
The station has also shown strong growth in its breakfast and mid-morning shows, with growth across the schedule generally
CEO / Programme Director, Kevin Branigan, said, “We’re delighted with the latest set of results. Not only are daily and weekly listenership again, we continue to the the largest music station across the entire Dublin Commuter Belt region, showing that Radio Nova continues to be seriously addictive for so many people”
WLR has maintained its position as the most listened-to radio station in Waterford, with 70,000 people tuning in each week and 50,000 listening daily.
Michael Byrne, CEO of WLR FM, welcomed the latest results and said they reflect the station’s strong relationship with its audience and local business community.
Tipp FM has hit a new high, reaching 84,000 weekly listeners, according to the latest JNLR figures. The station is comparing this to surpassing the capacity of Croke Park locally.
And South East Radio has gained 4,000 new listeners over the past three months, bringing the daily total to 53,000 adults.
For the fourth consecutive quarter, Kfm has increased its listenership, bringing an overall increase over the last 12 months of 5.1%. CEO Clem Ryan says the latest research is a major reflection of the power of radio and a huge vote of confidence in Kfm: Kildare’s local radio station.
“Our results are extremely encouraging given that county Kildare is officially part of the Dublin Commuter Belt, has experienced decades of population influx from other counties, mainly Dublin; resulting in Kfm having competition from up to a dozen national, regional and Dublin local stations which are all heard throughout Kildare.” […]