MEDIA & MARKETING:Almost half of listeners to the country's most popular station are over 55 – but advertisers prefer a younger market, writes SIOBHÁN O'CONNELL
CLARE DUIGNAN, managing director of RTÉ Radio, is on a mission to lower the age profile of Radio 1 listeners. So much so that she recently refused a proposed sponsorship of Derek Mooney’s afternoon show by Seven Seas Active 55, the range of health supplements targeted at greying consumers.
Seven Seas was prepared to pay €50,000 for a four-month link-up but Duignan felt the association would send out the wrong message about where Radio 1 wants to be.
Duignan is reluctant to discuss the specifics of the Seven Seas proposal, beyond observing: “We have to pick very carefully any specific brand that is being associated with any particular programme. We try and match the programme and the brand in a way that is beneficial to the programme and the brand.”
Radio 1 is by far the most popular radio station in Ireland, with a market share of 23 per cent. But an increasing proportion of its audience (49 per cent) is aged over 55. Among Derek Mooney’s audience, 58 per cent is over the age of 55, according to the most recent JNLR listenership figures.
But younger listeners are what advertisers want. Duignan explains: “A lot of our older listeners to Radio 1 began listening when they were younger and have stayed with the station. So if we don’t continue to recruit younger listeners – and I’m not talking about teenagers but people in their 30s and 40s – when our older listeners eventually shuffle off to the next world, there will be nobody there to replace them.”
In the drive to attract younger listeners, the changes to Radio 1's schedule so far have been minor. Drivetimewas extended by a half hour to 7pm, followed by Sport at Seven while two new arts shows and a rural affairs programme have been added to the schedule.
Duignan is using social media to recruit younger listeners and has begun cross-promotions for programmes across each of the RTÉ radio stations. She has overseen the introduction of an iPhone app for Radio 1, 2FM and Lyric and a number of programmes are now linked to Twitter. By year’s end, she hopes to have an online player service set up for radio as has been established for TV.
Meanwhile, over at pop station 2FM, Duignan’s objective is to raise the age profile of that station’s audience.
She and her RTÉ colleagues have decided that 2FM can’t compete successfully in the youth market, where Denis O’Brien’s Spin has cut a swathe through the teen market. Duignan’s stated strategy now is to shift 2FM’s focus from catering for 15 to 34 year olds to older listeners aged between 25 and 44.
In March, 2FM will unveil a new identity. Some programming changes have already taken place, with veteran Larry Gogan back behind the mike every day for one hour in the afternoon and Dave Fanning given a two-hour early evening slot. On Saturday mornings, comedians Tommy Tiernan and Hector Ó Eochagáin now entertain the nation for two hours. Shows that have been axed include Robbie Irwin's Sports Bagon Sunday mornings, Dave Redmond's weekend show and the All Request Lunch.
But if Radio 1 is trying to attract younger listeners and 2FM is trying to attract older listeners, what will be the difference between the two stations? Duignan insists both stations will retain their individual tone and identity which will make them clearly different. But what do the advertisers think?
Aidan Greene, managing director of advertising agency Mediavest, said: “There will still be an age difference between Radio 1 and 2FM. But advertisers are losing a national radio station targeting 15-34 year olds. That is a concern. One reason 2FM has never been able to crack the 15-34 year old market is Gerry Ryan. He belongs to Radio 1.
In 1987, Gerry Ryan had a cutting edge late-night radio show which attracted lots of 19 year olds and those same 19 year olds who have stayed listening to him are now in their early 40s.
“There is more than enough broadcasting talent available for 2FM to headhunt to make a station for 15- 34 year olds work. But 2FM has given up on the 15-34-year-olds and has made a commercial decision to chase the 25-44 year old audience which will deliver it more advertising revenue, probably at the expense of the Today FM.”
Today FM’s chief executive Willie O’Reilly is not concerned by the changes. “Radio 1’s Drivetime has a larger audience than our evening show the Last Word. But the Last Word has twice as many listeners as Drivetime under the age of 45.
“As for 2FM, it has a lot of problems. You must have the resources to deliver to a 25-44 year old audience and it can take two to three years to gain traction. Nobody is quaking in their boots.”
Although Duignan says every programming possibility is discussed, including moving Ryan Tubridy back to 2FM, and Gerry Ryan to Radio 1, she thinks Gerry Ryan sits very much more comfortably in 2FM as it has been redefined.
While the repositioning of RTÉ Radio 1 to attract younger listeners has now begun – a project which is likely to take years rather than months – RTÉ has suggested to Seven Seas that Marty Whelan at Midday on Lyric FM would be an ideal fit for their cod liver oil.
