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RTÉ 2fm shows suffer loss in listeners amid the coronavirus pandemic

The latest JNLR figures have been released, and RTÉ 2fm has suffered a loss in weekday listeners across the board.

However, it’s not all bad news, as the station’s most popular weekend shows are up – proving Louise McSharry is a hit in Dave Fanning’s old slot of 9 – 11am on Saturday and Sunday.

First up, 2FM Breakfast with Doireann and Eoghan is down from 135,000 listeners to 126,000 on weekday mornings, compared to last year’s JNLR figures.

Doireann Garrihy and Eoghan McDermott took over the early morning slot on 2fm as part of the station’s schedule change last summer, going live every week day from 6am – 9am.

Doireann Garrihy and Eoghan McDermott | Kinlan Photography.

They took over from Breakfast Republic, which was hosted by Keith Walsh, Bernard O’Shea and Jennifer Zamparelli for five years.

Jennifer Zamparelli lost the least amount of listeners on weekdays, as she’s down to 152,000 listeners, compared to last year’s figure of 156,000.

Amid the station’s major schedule shake-up last May, Jennifer landing her own show from 9am-12pm every weekday.

The popular presenter effectively replaced The Nicky Byrne Show with Jenny Greene, which aired from 10am – 12pm on weekdays, after it came to an end last March.

Jennifer Zamparelli | Kieran Harnett

The latest JNLR figures also recorded a loss for Tracy Clifford, as she’s down from 142,000 listeners to 130,000.

Jenny Greene’s drivetime show is also down to 113 listeners, compared to last year’s figure of 139,000.

Despite losing listeners midweek, RTÉ 2fm recorded a boost in listenership over the weekends.

Back in January, Louise McSharry took over Dave Fanning’s 9-11am slot on Saturdays and Sundays.

On Saturdays, the 9-11am slot has jumped from 96,000 listeners to 113,000 – and on Sundays, 97,000 people are tuning in, compared to last year’s figure of 63,000.

Chris Greene and Ciara King are also celebrating a rise in listenership.

On Saturdays, they’ve gone from 105,000 to 114,000 listeners – and on Sundays, they’ve jumped from 72,000 to 105,000.

Dave Fanning’s new 1-3pm slot has also jumped from 99,000 to 131,000 on Saturdays, and 89,000 to 91,000 on Sundays.

RTÉ 2fm’s weekday figures may be down, but it’s worth noting people’s routines have massively changed over the past few months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With a large amount of the public working from home, it’s less likely people would be listening to their usual radio station on their way to work or in the office.

It’s also understood people are favouring stations that focus on news and current affairs, and the latest JNLR figures for RTÉ Radio 1 have proved just that.

An RTÉ spokesperson told Goss.ie that the station has recorded a “phenomenal book” this year, with “numbers we’ve never seen before”.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, RTÉ Radio 1 has generated a younger audience across the board, with a boost in the 35+ age range.

Morning Ireland has seen a huge increase in listenership, jumping from 429,000 to 491,000.

Meanwhile, Ryan Tubridy has gone up to 381,000 listeners, compared to last year’s figure of 334,000.

The popular Today slot, which went through a lot of change this year, went from 315,000 listeners to 369,000.

Sean O’Rourke stepped down from hosting the show back in May after announcing his retirement, and was temporarily replaced by seasoned broadcaster Sarah McInerney.

Months later, Claire Byrne was announced as Sean’s permanent replacement in August, and she’s been fronting the Today programme ever since.

Credit: Andres Poveda

Joe Duffy’s Liveline also recorded a huge boost in listenership, going from 363,000 to 404,000 this year.

The radio programme attracted a lot of attention this year, after a debate about the TV series Normal People captured the nation on social media.

Ray D’Arcy also saw an increase in listeners this year, jumping from 219,000 to 242,000, and RTÉ Radio 1’s Drivetime programme went from 211,000 to 265,000.

Sarah McInerney and Cormac Ó hEadhra were announced as the new hosts of Drivetime at the end of August, after Mary Wilson moved to Morning Ireland.

Sarah McInerney and Cormac O hEadhra | Ruth Medjber

As for the weekends, Brendan O’Connor’s slot, previously fronted by the late Marian Finucane, has jumped from 343,000 listeners to 382,000.

Brendan took over Marian’s 11am – 1pm slot earlier this year, after she sadly passed away in January.

Miriam O’Callaghan also has a lot to celebrate today, as her Sunday slot on RTÉ Radio 1 has gone from 236,000 listeners to 318,000.

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