JNLR figures: Focus on The Late Late Show boosts Radio 1, while 2FM enjoys big DWTS bounce-back

The latest Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) figures, released today, show Morning Ireland has gained 4,000 listeners from the last survey three months ago and now stands at 437,000.

Ryan Tubridy is up 4,000 to 335,000. Claire Byrne had been in the headlines recently as a potential replacement for Tubridy on The Late Late Show.

Despite ruling herself out, the attention did no harm to her radio listenership. Byrne has added 6,000 listeners to her mid-morning slot and is now at 327,000.

Louise Duffy’s one-hour noon slot is down 9,000 listeners to 213,000. However, she only took over the programme from Ronan Collins in January, so future figures will provide a more balanced reading.

Current affairs show News at One has seen a significant drop of 11,000 listeners and is now at 299,000, while Joe Duffy’s Livelineis now at 306,000, a drop of 4,000.

There is some good news for Ray D’Arcy in the latest results, as he has gained 4,000 listeners and is now at 181,000. Drivetimehas also gained on the previous book of figures. It is up 6,000 to 214,000.

The results are not as positive when it comes to RTÉ Radio 1’s weekend shows, with Brendan O’Connor’s Saturday show down 11,000 to 327,000. His Sunday show has shed 10,000 listeners and is now at 319,000.

Sunday with Miriam has dropped 25,000 in the latest survey and is now at 292,000.

Overall, RTÉ Radio now claims a 9.7pc share of the available audience, which is up from 9.6pc.

Sean Moncrieff’s show is up 2,000 to stand at 98,000, while Lunchtime Live with Andrea Gilligan has maintained its audience with no change from last time, standing at 106,000

Over on 2FM, its flagship shows have all enjoyed an increase in listenership, which is likely attributable to three of its presenters appearing on Dancing with the Stars.

Its early morning show 2FM Breakfast, fronted by Doireann Garrihy, Carl Mullan and Donncha O’Callaghan, is up 6,000 listeners to 135,000.

Jennifer Zamparelli’s mid-morning show is down just 1,000 to 133,000, while Tracy Clifford has dropped 7,000 to stand at 109,000. The 2 Johnnies are starting to find their feet with their show, which is up 11,000 to 130,000.

An RTÉ spokesperson said the trend across the board is that breakfast and drive-time shows are performing the best.

“Mornings are so strong. To have over 300,000 listeners on Radio 1 is just phenomenal. Radio is a medium that remains strong in an environment flooded with competitors,” she said.

In the commercial radio sector, Newstalk is also holding its own. Newstalk Breakfast now has 149,000 listeners, a slight drop of 3,000 from the last survey, while there’s no change for Pat Kenny with 174,000.

Sean Moncrieff’s show is up 2,000 to stand at 98,000, while Lunchtime Live with Andrea Gilligan has maintained its audience with no change from last time, standing at 106,000.

The Hard Shoulder is down 7,000 to 152,000 while weekends tell a strong story for Anton Savage, who has gained an impressive 9,000 more listeners to bring his listenership up to 116,000.

Sports fans have been backingOff the Ballat the weekends, with the Saturday show going up 9,000 to 137,000 while the Sunday show is up 6,000 to 146,000.

Over on Today FM, nearly half a million people are tuning in on a daily basis, an increase of 11,000.

Early-morning stalwart Ian Dempsey has added 5,000 listeners, with a figure of 208,000. He said he is “over the moon” with the results.

Ray Foley, who returned to the station in January 2022, got an extra 3,000 listeners

Dermot & Davehad a slight drop of 2,000 to stand at 205,000 while Pamela Joyce has added 2,000 listeners to her lunchtime show to stand at 136,000.

Ray Foley, who returned to the station in January 2022, got an extra 3,000 listeners and is now at 163,000. Matt Cooper’s The Last Word is down 4,000 listeners to 168,000.

On weekends, Alison Curtis has gone up 9,000 for her Saturday morning show while Louise Cantillon is up 12,000 to 134,000.

Fyona Smith, managing editor of Today FM, said she was “incredibly proud” of the team at the station.