ANALYSIS: Latest radio listenership figures may create a headache for RTÉ bosses

Brendan O’Connor’s 11am - 1pm Saturday slot has surpassed 400,000 listeners for the first time on RTÉ Radio 1, new figures have revealed.

This makes O’Connor RTÉ’s - and the country’s - most listened to radio presenter, according to the latest JNLR/ Ipsos MRBI listenership figures.

While this may seem positive on the face of it, it may create headaches for RTÉ management in the not-to-distant future.

The national broadcaster's Director General Kevin Bakhurst said upon taking up his the role (post the Ryan Tubridy payments scandal) that no RTÉ presenter should be paid more than the Director General (currently €250,000) and that no new contracts will be signed above this amount. 

A spokesperson for RTÉ has confirmed to Iconic Media that this will remain the case. However, the question is if the €250,000 cap will be enough to keep O’Connor with the national broadcaster. 

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O’Connor’s most-recent earnings from RTÉ haven't been publicly disclosed, however Kevin Bakhurst is on the record as saying that two RTÉ broadcasters are currently being paid €250,000 each. The talent in question are on legacy contracts, according to Bakhurst. 

According to the most-recently disclosed figures, Joe Duffy - who has since departed from LiveLine - earned €351,000 in 2023. RTÉ’s second highest paid star was Claire Byrne at €280,000, followed by Miriam O’Callaghan, who was paid €263,500. 

O’Connor’s pay was disclosed, in 2023, as being €245,000 and if Bakhurst has kept his promise on stopping the gross inflation of presenter payments, O’Connor’s fees are effectively capped - despite him bringing in the highest listenership out of any presenter in the country.

Newstalk’s Pat Kenny, believed to be Ireland's highest-paid radio presenter - earning in the region of €400,000 a year for The Pat Kenny show. His daily mid-morning show is the highest-rated show on commercial radio in Ireland, attracting 216,000 listeners every weekday.

The former Late Late Show host left RTÉ in 2013 for a Newstalk offer having spent 41 years with the national broadcaster.  

Radio Popularity

The latest JNLR/ Ipsos MRBI has revealed that RTÉ’s Morning Ireland continues to be the nation’s most listened to radio programme, with 11% of Irish people over 15 years old estimated to tune in each day. 

The poll also revealed a huge listenership for regional and local radio: 59% of those surveyed in Mayo had listened to Midwest Radio the day prior to polling, while Donegal’s Highland radio had attracted 57.7% of the available audience the day before. 

Bauer Media has the largest radio audience in terms of weekly and daily audience - with over two million listeners weekly across its network of stations - Today FM, Newstalk, iRadio, 98FM, SPIN1038, SPIN South West, Cork’s Red FM, and Beat.

The most-listened to show on RTÉ 2FM is 2FM Breakfast which has 139,000 listeners while Marty (Whelan) in the Morning has 75,000 listeners on RTÉ Lyric FM - the highest listenership for any of its programming.

Top 20 Radio Programmes in Ireland 

1 Morning Ireland | RTÉ Radio 1 | 469,000 listeners
2 The Brendan O'Connor Show (Saturday) | RTÉ Radio 1 | 412,000 listeners
3 The Brendan O'Connor Show | RTÉ Radio 1 (Sunday) | 409,000 listeners
4= Oliver Callan | RTÉ Radio 1 | 354,000 listeners
4= Today with Claire Byrne | RTÉ Radio 1 | 354,000 listeners
6= Playback | RTÉ Radio 1 | 351,000 listeners
6= The Business | RTÉ Radio 1 | 351,000 listeners
8 Sunday with Miriam | RTÉ Radio 1 | 317,000 listeners
9 News / Papers / Sunday Miscellany | RTÉ Radio 1 | 300,000 listeners
10 Liveline with Joe Duffy | RTÉ Radio 1 | 299,000 listeners
11 News at One | RTÉ Radio 1 | 298,000 listeners
12 News / Papers / CountryWide | RTÉ Radio 1 | 264,000 listeners
13 Saturday with Colm Ó Mongáin | RTÉ Radio 1 | 229,000 listeners
14 Saturday Sport / Doc on One | RTÉ Radio 1 | 226,000 listeners
15 The Louise Duffy Show | RTÉ Radio 1 | 219,000 listeners
16 Drivetime | RTÉ Radio 1 | 217,000 listeners
17 The Pat Kenny Show | Newstalk | 216,000 listeners
18 Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show | Today FM | 213,000 listeners
19 Sunday Sport | RTÉ Radio 1 | 211,000 listeners
20 Papers / World Report / Bowman | RTÉ Radio 1 | 210,000 listeners