More people in Ireland are listening to radio than this time last year.
The latest JNLRs have been released and cover the period October 2019 to September 2020. Radio continues to dominate the audio landscape in Ireland despite increased competition from other platforms. With an increase of 38,000 year on year, 3,187,000 adults now listen to radio daily.
In the South East, Beat 102-103 has seen an audience increase on all daytime shows compared with this time last year. The regional station has also seen its Average Quarter Hour figure reach its highest ever number.
As people sought companionship during lockdown this year, they turned to Beat – with a 20% audience increase on Beat’s Big Lunch, hosted by Ireland’s Best Radio DJ, David Hammond. Weekends on Beat also saw some big increases with the Saturday Tweet Chart up 22% year on year, Sportsbeat Roundup up 55% and the legendary Old Skool Sunday now reaching 51,000 listeners each weekend.
Chairperson of Choose Radio and Beat Boss Gabrielle Cummins has welcomed the latest survey results “we often talk about the unique human interaction that radio provides consistently to millions of people in Ireland each day. During Covid 19, however, that reliable, trusted friend provided vital information and entertained so many of us, at times when we needed it most. The unique value that radio provides to people has really been accentuated during these exceptional times”.
Gabrielle Cummins has also paid tribute to the work behind the scenes at every radio station in Ireland, highlighting that “hundreds of journalists and content creators the length and breadth of the country had to change how they delivered news and entertainment to their much-valued listeners during this pandemic. Our interaction with our loyal audience remained a two-way process throughout Covid 19 and we’ve never taken that special relationship for granted. We’ve heard both the harrowing and heartening stories from our listeners; we’ve been there to listen and share those unique stories. We believe our radio stations have played a key role in strengthening that community spirit which has been to the fore so much during Covid 19.”
With over 3.1 million listening daily, advertise on radio and you'll be putting your business in front of Ireland's biggest crowd! 🔊#TrustRadioChooseRadio #JNLR pic.twitter.com/5dbWshdDtF
— Beat 102 103 (@beat102103) November 5, 2020
The survey conducted by Ipsos MRBI involved a reduced face to face interview panel of 12,200 compared with pre-Covid panel of over 16,000. Due to Covid-19 restrictions imposed earlier this year, there was no interviewing conducted in Quarter 2 (April, May and June 2020). This means the report incorporates 9-months of data across the 12-month period Oct ’19 to Sept ’20.
The message from the Choose Radio group remains focused on the fact that radio’s dominant position in Ireland means it continues to provide a powerful commercial audio offering. Unlike some of its competitors, the group highlights that radio has continued to deliver important messaging promptly, has adapted easily; and at a time when every business owner is cautious about advertising spend, radio remains solid value for money.
People continue to listen to radio for over four hours daily and they’re listening in new ways, with 330,000 now listening on non AM/FM platforms. Evolving radio remains omnipresent.
