Today FM stars Dermot Whelan and Dave Moore have a lot to celebrate this week, as they recorded their “biggest ever audience” in the latest JNLR figures.
The Joint National Listenership Report (JNLR) for the period October 2020 – October 2021 was released on Wednesday, marking a 7 year high for Today FM as the station surpassed 900,000 listeners weekly (911,000).
Dermot & Dave, who won Best Radio Show at The Gossies 2021 back in March, saw their listenership increase to 205,000, which is their highest recorded audience ever.
Over the past year, their mid-morning slot (9am-12pm) has welcomed 22,000 new listeners, making them the most listened to show in that time slot on commercial radio.
The duo have focused on balancing the news of the past year with entertaining and engaging radio moments, and the latest JNLR figures shows it’s a winning formula.
Dermot Whelan commented: “We are so excited by these figures that show that more people than ever are enjoying our show.”
“It has been a very tough couple of years, and we try every day to lighten people’s mood and bring them some laughs and support with our show. A heartfelt thank you to all our amazing listeners who make the show the success it is.”
Mairead Ronan, who recently announced her departure from Today FM, is leaving the station on a high as her lunchtime audience grew by 33,000 over the past year, hitting a peak of 136,000.
Fergal D’Arcy also celebrated a bump in audience figures, up 7,000 to 132,000.
Another broadcaster who has a lot to celebrate today is Matt Cooper, as his show The Last Word increased its listenership by 18,000 over the past 12 months, with an audience of 170,000.
Commenting on his show’s success, Matt said: “The numbers suggest to us that we’ve managed to strike the right tone and balance with our Covid coverage but also that our conscious effort to offer listeners a wide variety of other things on each day’s show that have nothing to do with Covid has really appealed to them.”
The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show also maintained its leading position as the biggest breakfast show on national commercial radio with an audience of 178,000 (-1,000 YoY).
With less commuting in the survey period due to the pandemic, Today FM credited Ian for his “stellar performance”.
With a weekly listenership of 911,000, Today FM is now the 2nd most listened to station in Ireland on a daily basis.
Commenting on Today FM’s success, James Brownlow, Managing Editor, Music & Entertainment, Bauer Media Audio Ireland commented: “This is a huge result for Today FM and a performance that’s testament to the super content developed by a highly talented and committed team, the best music and the most entertaining personalities on Irish radio.”
“Every day on air we say, ‘It all happens here’ and every day we make sure it does. I’m thrilled that our audience chooses to spend more time with us and that we continue to bring in new listeners – everyone’s welcome at Today FM!”
