Thursday, 6th February 2020: The latest Joint National Listenership Report (JNLR) for the period January ’19 – December ’19 has been released and Today FM’s newest recruit, Mairead Ronan has grown her audience since taking over the lunchtime slot last September. The Mairead Ronan Show (12-2pm) now entertains an audience of 91,000 (+2,000).
Commenting on her first JNLR, Mairead said: “I’m delighted with today’s result. I’ve had lots of experience of JNLR’s from the producer side but never as a presenter so it’s nice to start off on a positive note. I’m loving being back in Today FM and really enjoying the show each day. We’ve lots of plans for 2020 to get out and about and engage with the listeners. They’re the people who make it.”
Fergal D’Arcy, who follows Mairead in the afternoons (2-4.30pm) also added an extra 2,000 listeners bringing his audience to 105,000.
Meanwhile, Matt Cooper continued to attract more listeners to The Last Word (4.30-7pm) with an increase of 1,000 bringing his audience to 149,000, up 5% year-on-year. The Last Word has spent the past few weeks bringing listeners the insights and analysis in the run up to the General Election, with Matt having chaired a number of live leader debates with all political parties.
Although The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show (7-9am) dipped slightly in this book to 174,000 (-3,000), Ian is ‘the host with the most’ as the biggest breakfast show on commercial radio: the most competitive time slot. The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show has just returned from Austria where they celebrated their 21st annual Topflight Ski Trip with 750 listeners.
Dermot & Dave (9am-12pm) remained steady in their mid-morning slot. Their current listenership of 164,000 positions them as the most listened-to show for 20-44’s. As the biggest mid-morning programme on commercial radio, Dermot & Dave’s unique blend of comedy, colour, celebrity and topical content is keeping audiences tuned in.
TODAY FM RTÉ 2FM Difference
Market Share: 7.4% 6.4% 1%
Listened Yesterday 404,000 371,000 33,000
Weekly Reach: 862,000 823,000 39,000
Alison Curtis was the big winner on Today FM’s weekend schedule increasing her Saturday morning (8am-11am) audience by 8,000 to 136,000, a jump of 10,000 listeners in a year. In November, Alison was the ambassador for Cadbury’s Soundtown campaign which saw her show award a €10,000 Community Bursary to Fartown in Galway.
Regionally, Today FM saw audience gains in Leinster, Munster and Connacht / Ulster. This month, Today FM will continue to bring their listeners unique events around the country; next week Mairead Ronan will host a station-led singles event ‘Loco for Love’ in Cork ahead of Valentine’s Day, while Fergal D’Arcy is giving one lucky Irish artist the chance to support Gavin James at his 3Arena gig next month.
Keith McCormack, CEO, Today FM said: “Today’s results re-enforce our Number 1 position for 20-44s in Ireland. In an increasingly competitive landscape, it’s reassuring to see listeners still choosing to spend more time with Today FM than any other commercial station. Our mix of personality, great music an original content continues to resonate with audiences, regardless of where and how they choose to engage with us.”