INDEPENDENT radio continues to increase its listenership, according to the latest JNLI/MRBI interim report. FM 104 is winning the battle of the airwaves in Dublin.
Covering the six months from April to November 1996, the report shows that an average 54 per cent of all adults listen to a local radio station each day, 2 per cent up on the same period last year. RTE suffers a corresponding decrease, from 62 percent to 60 per cent.
However, RTE's commercial stations have held their own over the period, with RTE Radio 1 recording a 1 per cent increase to 34 per cent nationally. Both 2FM and RTE Cork remained at 29 per cent and 9 per cent respectively, suggesting that any losses were confined to RTE's non commercial stations, FM3 and Radio na Gaeltachta.
FM 104 is the big winner in Dublin, according to the figures. The station recorded 28 per cent daily listenership among all adults, up 7 per cent on the same period last year. The success appears to be at the expense of Classic Hits 98 FM, which fell four points to 23 per cent, while 2FM was unchanged at 25 per cent.
The figures cover "yesterday listenership", respondents indicating what stations they had listened to the day before. They are not the same as market share and involve some overlapping as respondents may have listened to more than one station.
Among nationwide listeners in the social class ABC1 - much sought after by advertisers - RTE Radio 1 recorded a drop of three points, to 44 per cent, while 2FM increased a point to 31 per cent.
In the same category in Dublin, the best performer is again FM 104, which accounted for 25 per cent of ABC1s, up 3 per cent. Classic Hits 98 FM drops from 25 per cent to 19 per cent among the ABC1s, while both RTE Radio 1 and 2FM also suffered losses of 3 per cent and 1 per cent respectively.
RTE's director of radio programming, Mr Kevin Healy, said the report showed the combined national strength of its stations.
The chief executive of the Independent Radio and Television Commission Mr Michael O'Keeffe, said the figures showed that the independent stations had once again reinforced their positions.
