Today FM has gained considerable ground on RT╔ radio, according to the JNLR/MRBI latest interim listenership figures. Today FM won twice as many more listeners as RT╔ Radio 1, Lyric FM and 2FM combined when figures of October 2000- March 2001 and October 2001- March 2002 were compared.
Today FM won 82,000 more listeners over that period while the three RT╔ stations combined won 40,000 more listeners.
Gains by RT╔ Radio 1 and Lyric FM were countered by a loss of 8,000 listeners by 2FM.
An RT╔ spokeswoman said this was not surprising because the music station was facing so much more competition in recent years. She noted that RT╔ radio had gained 44,000 listeners in Dublin while Today FM had lost 6,000 over those two periods.
The figures cover the period October 2001-March 2002. They show that 32 per cent of those surveyed had listened to RT╔ Radio 1 on the previous day, up 1 per cent on July-December 2001. Some 27 per cent had listened to 2FM, the same figure as the previous six-month period.
The figures show Today FM with an audience reach of 16 per cent, also a 1 per cent increase.
Lyric FM records a listenership figure of 4 per cent, a 1 per cent increase compared with the previous six months.
The Dublin station Lite FM is shown to be gaining ground on the established stations FM104 and 98FM. Lite FM has increased its audience reach by 1 per cent to 13 per cent on the previous six-month period, while FM104 and 98FM have lost 1 and 2 per cent of listeners respectively.
Outside Dublin the listenership of independent local stations remains the same, at 53 per cent. The listenership figures are higher in Connacht-Ulster and Munster, with 62 and 61 per cent tuning in respectively.
Mr Willie O'Reilly, Today FM's chief executive, said the figures were more good news for the station. Ms Helen Shaw, director of RT╔ radio, said it was "an excellent result for RT╔ radio and in particular Radio 1 which shows great growth nationally with quite a significant jump in the Dublin region."
