RTE radio has suffered further losses in listener-ship as independent radio secures its dominance of the market, according to new audience figures.
Independent local radio stations and Today FM now control a 52 per cent share of weekday listener-ship, compared to 48 per cent for RTE stations.
The latest Joint National Listenership Research figures are particularly disappointing for Radio 1, which has seen its market share dip to 27 per cent, from 31 per cent a year ago. 2 FM has managed to hold on to its 20 per cent stake in the market.
The figures show that Liveline and the News at One have each lost at least 50,000 listeners between 1998 and 1999. Joe Duffy took over the Liveline programme from Marian Finucane in January 1999.
Of Radio 1's flagship programmes, only Tonight with Vincent Browne has increased its listener-ship, by 8,000.
Lyric FM, the classical music station RTE launched last year, suffered a slight fall-off in market share. While retaining a daytime market share of 2 per cent, Lyric saw its share of evening listening drop from the impressive 7 per cent recorded in last year's preliminary figures to 4 per cent for the period to the end of December 1999.
The JNLR was compiled by the market survey company MRBI and covers the period January to December 1999.
Today FM appears to have reached a plateau in terms of market share, remaining stuck at 7 per cent during weekdays.
However, recognition of the station, as measured by the "listened yesterday" category, continues to creep upwards. Twice as many men as women listen to the station.
The station's biggest success is undoubtedly The Last Word, presented by Eamon Dunphy. Its listener-ship now stands at 142,000, within striking distance of the 192,000 listeners to Radio 1's drive-time programme, Five Seven Live. In August 1998, the margin between the two programmes was 115,000.
However, 2FM's drive-time programme is also performing well, with a current listener-ship of 175,000. Eamon Lawlor's Into the Evening show on Lyric FM has also done well, with 42,000 listeners, the station's peak listening period.
At weekends, RTE's share of the market falls even further, to 40 per cent on Saturdays and 38 per cent on Sundays.
Radio 1's problems seem set to deepen unless it attracts younger listeners. Just 6 per cent of teenagers were recorded as listening to the station the previous day, compared to 68 per cent of those 65 years and over.
The station's highest listener-ship is for Morning Ireland (438,000). It drops slightly when Marian Finucane starts broadcasting (395,000) and the fall continues for Today with Pat Kenny (347,000). Listenership for the lunchtime news stands at 303,000, while Liveline, presented by Joe Duffy has 278,000 listeners. Tonight with Vincent Browne, at the off-peak time of 10 p.m., has an audience of 47,000.
In Dublin, the three main music stations, 98 FM, FM 104 and 2 FM, were relatively level at 18 per cent, 17 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively. 98 FM made the biggest gains, particularly among younger listeners, in an otherwise stable pattern. Three new stations are due to start broadcasting shortly in the Dublin area.
Highland Radio in Co Donegal remains the most popular local radio station, with a 73 per cent market share. Mid-West Radio, North-West Radio, 96 FM and 103 FM all have market shares greater than 50 per cent. Carlow Kilkenny Radio has the lowest market share outside Dublin, at 22 per cent.
