Dublin's only talk-based radio station, NewsTalk 106, is facing a serious struggle to reach listeners with new figures indicating it has zero market share in the city.
The station's management yesterday accepted the latest JNLR/MRBI figures were highly disappointing, but chief executive, Mr Aidan Dunne, said a new marketing campaign should help to reverse the situation.
The station's major shareholders were forced to raise fresh finance in recent weeks and another round of fund-raising may be needed. Advertisers have so far been lukewarm about the station, but Mr Dunne said in the last month the station had talked to over 100 advertisers about NewsTalk's potential.
One of the station's main shareholders, Mr Dermot Hanrahan, of Capital Radio Productions, stated recently that the station needed to take "remedial action" in certain areas if it wanted to grow its share of the market. Many of the staff working in the station have been unhappy about the promotion of NewsTalk, but a new campaign has allayed much of this concern.
Based on figures for the second half of 2002, the station had a "yesterday listenership" (the number who have heard a given station) of 2 per cent, while its market share (known as "share of listening") was recorded at zero. Even the niche station, Country FM, reached a higher number of listeners for the second half of 2002.
Mr Dunne said that by the end of the summer the station was certain it would have a "yesterday listenership" figure of 8 per cent, with a strong representation among ABC1s in the Dublin area.
He said the station was spending €600,000 on a press and outdoor campaign, mainly promoting presenters, David McWilliams, George Hook and Daire O'Brien.
He said the battle was to get people to sample the station. Once they did, almost half of them were prepared to stick with it, he added.