The first objective indication of the size of Radio Ireland's audience will be available today when MRBI/JNLR figures, indicating listenership levels for the State's radio stations over the past 12 months, are published.
Included will be the first official "listened yesterday" figures for the new national radio service, covering the 10-week period from the station's launch on March 17th to June 30th last. Today's figures, however, will not disclose Radio Ireland's share of the overall radio audience. That will not be available until February of next year. "Listened yesterday" figures for the other radio stations, are for the six-month period from January to June of this year. The JNLR committee agreed Radio Ireland would be measured for the shorter period on this occasion.
It is understood that at the station today's figures are expected to be "disappointing". Meanwhile, a series of meetings there yesterday were described as "routine". At one meeting, the chief executive, Mr Dick Hill, denied rumours that the station's general manager, Mr Robbie Wootton, was leaving. Private research by other radio stations and by advertising agencies, suggests that Radio Ireland has a current "listened yesterday" audience of about 7 per cent in Dublin, and 5 per cent in the country as a whole. Its estimated market share is put at 1 to 2 per cent.
The station's most popular programme is believed to be the Last Word, which is broadcast between 5 and 7 p.m. every weekday evening. Daybreak, which is on air from 7.30 to 10 a.m., is believed to be next.
Meanwhile, the Association of Independent Radio Stations (AIRS), which represents 19 of the country's local stations, has called for the setting up of a Radio Advertising Bureau. The group's chairman, Mr Charlie Collins, has asked for "an immediate meeting" of AIRS, RTE and Radio Ireland with this in mind.
He said that research by Lansdowne Market Research, conducted in March of this year, showed that while radio in Ireland had a total market share of 48 per cent of media consumption, it only attracted 13 per cent of the total advertising spend in 1996. The medium was "failing to translate its share of media consumption into advertising revenue", Mr Collins said, and called for "greater industry unity". He also called for "a moratorium" by the radio stations on "the circus of claim and counter claim on audience size and share" which normally follows the publication of MRBI/JNLR figures.
Mr Collins said this should be replaced by a series of public service announcements from the JNLR committee only, giving details of each station's listenership figures.
