Beat 102 103 is delighted to announce Sligo native Odhrán Johnson as the station’s newest member of the newsroom at the Broadcast Centre in Ardkeen, Co. Waterford.
Originally from Ballymote Co. Sligo, Odhrán joins the station as Beat’s new SportsBeat Xtra Presenter and News & Sports Journalist with an extensive background and interest in audio production.
While studying for his undergraduate degree in Law and History in DCU, Odhrán began a podcast series called ‘Young People in Politics’. In this series, he interviewed members of each political youth party which stemmed from a keen interest in current affairs.
After completing a BA in Law and History in Dublin City University, he then went on to do an internship with the Irish Times. From there Odhrán completed an MA in Media & Broadcast Production in Queen’s University Belfast. At Queen’s, he strengthened his News experience when he was appointed Deputy Head of News.
Odhrán has made the move to Waterford from Dublin with an array of achievements including winning ‘Best Journalistic Programming’ for the Scoop on Sunday at the Studio Radio Awards (SRA) in 2021 and 2022, and making the Smedia shortlist for work on the podcast ‘Indie Insight’ in 2022.
Odhrán says that he’s excited about the career move to the South East and is looking forward to settling into the News & Sports position at the Broadcast Centre.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to tell people's stories. I knew I wanted to start my career in regional radio once I finished college and I'm delighted that I gotta make that start covering news and sport throughout the South East for Beat.
“I've already been given so many fantastic opportunities since starting at the end of April and everyone in both Beat and the South East has been so welcoming.
“I'm delighted to be working with such an enthusiastic and passionate team here at Beat.”
Beat News and Sports Editor Aoife Kearns says; "Odhrán is a huge asset to the team with a wealth of knowledge in sport, news and current affairs.
"He has a passion for radio and has already hit the ground running in the short time he's been with us here at Beat.
"It's fantastic to be able to nurture new talent, and I really look forward to seeing Odhrán continue to grow in his new role in the coming months".
Odhrán began his new role in April 2024. SportsBeat Xtra airs every Saturday evening at 5:30pm on Beat 102 103.
