Thursday, 8th February: The latest JNLR listenership figures for the twelve months to the end of December 23 have been released, showing further growth for Irish radio. Today’s results, show a daily radio audience of 3.4 million listeners, an increase of 193,000 compared to 2022 daily listenership levels.
Today FM continues to reach new heights, with a daily audience of 520,000 (+5,000 BoB) and a staggering weekly reach of 981,000 (+22,000 BoB / 106,000 YoY), charging ever closer to an audience of 1 million weekly listeners. Today FM also sees an increase in market share, which currently stands at 9.7%, with the station still commanding the largest audience on independent radio.
The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show (06:00 – 09:00) continues to grow its army of early risers with the King of breakfast radio adding a further 3,000 listeners, bringing his audience figures to their highest in over a decade to 228,000 (+3,000 BoB). Commenting on another sharp performance, Ian said: “What a way to kick off the year, our highest figure in over a decade! We’re all delighted with the latest results here on the Breakfast Show. We love nothing more than getting the opportunity to wake up the nation each morning and we’re delighted to see that even more people are joining us for their mornings!”
Meanwhile, Dave Moore on Today FM celebrated his first full JNLR book for his new solo show with 230,000 listeners (+2,000 BoB) now tuning in, an all-time high for the 9:00-12:00 slot. The latest results show that Dave Moore is hitting the right note with his new Music Master segment, as well as the ever-popular Dave’s Bad Jokes and a raft of international celebrity interviews over the past few months. Celebrating today’s milestone audience figures, Dave said: “We cannot express just how over the moon we are with these results. It’s so positive to see that we are already being so well received by audiences and even picking up a few new ears along the way! And the best part is we’re only getting started!”
Today FM’s rising star, Louise Cantillon, who took over the lunchtime slot (12:00-14:00) last month sees her show grow year on year to 140,000. Ray Foley in the afternoons (14:00 – 16:30) holds firm with an audience of 163,000 and continues to be the most successful show in that timeslot ever on Today FM.
The Last Word with Matt Cooper (16:30-19:00) continues to add new listeners off the back of a very successful Gadget Show in November 2023. Today FM’s drive time listenership now increases to 186,000 (+4,000 BoB). An incredible figure for The Last Word as it now boasts its highest audience figures in over a decade.
It was a case of ‘Return of the Mac’ for Paula MacSweeney (19:00-22:00), who increased her audience to 35,000 (+4,000 BoB). On returning from maternity leave recently, Paula is thrilled with today’s results: “I am so grateful that listeners are choosing to spend their evenings with yours truly. You always worry when you’re away for an extended period that results may suffer but to see the show is on the up just fills my heart with so much joy. Thanks for tuning in!”
Today FM also saw great increases across the weekends as well. Weekend Breakfast with Alison Curtis, led the charge as she continues to win new audiences on both her Saturday and Sunday shows. Weekend Breakfast with Alison Curtis now reaches a Saturday morning audience of 198,000 (+6,000 BoB) while on Sunday, the audience increased to 169,000 (+3,000 BoB). Weekend favourite Stephen Daly (Saturday 11:00 – 14:00) also celebrates an incredible additional 11,000 listeners to his show since his last book and Claire Beck’s All Irish which airs on Sunday mornings (08:00 – 09-00) has seen an impressive year-on-year growth of 20,000 listeners. On another great day of results, Alison Curtis said: “Weekends are very busy times for families all across the country and to see that even more people are choosing to tune in to the show during this precious time really means a lot to me and the team. So whether you’re listening on the way to matches, swimming lessons, off to the shops, or whatever it is you find yourself up to at weekends, we’re so grateful you’ve chosen us to keep you company”
Commenting on the figures, Fyona Smith, Managing Editor of Today FM said:“Our dedication to delivering exceptional content has yielded phenomenal results. The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show, Dave Moore, and The Last Word with Matt Cooper have reached unparalleled levels of listenership, marking a milestone achievement spanning over a decade. The latest JNLR results reaffirm our commitment to those who choose Today FM each day. Your loyalty and trust inspire us to strive for excellence every day, and for that, we are immensely grateful! The record-breaking audience growth of Today FM is a testament to the commitment of our exceptional team. Here’s to reaching new heights together and creating countless more extraordinary moments in the future!”.
James Brownlow, Managing Editor, Music & Entertainment at Bauer Media Audio Ireland commented: “With listeners across Ireland making Today FM their destination for the best music and entertainment above others is a testament to everyone involved in steering the magic of the station. After the results were published I asked Ian Dempsey, back when he started on his breakfast show journey did he predict he’d be scoring his highest show ratings 25 years on, driving the station to do the same? Ian pointed out that Today FM has the best team and anything is possible when you have that, I couldn’t agree more.”