Dublin's two newest radio stations have made a limited impact on the market since they were launched six months ago, new radio listenership figures show.
A JNLR/MRBI interim report, which was published yesterday and covers the period April to September this year, estimated that 3 per cent of Dubliners listen to Spin 1038 while just 2 per cent listen to NewsTalk 106.
Despite its small overall listenership figure, NewsTalk 106 welcomed the report, saying it showed the station had been successful in attracting listeners from the ABC1 higher income brackets. It said 82 per cent of its audience was from this market.
The station's chief executive, Mr Aidan Dunne, added the figures showed "we have the right product offering. Now we need to increase our listenership base and have designed a comprehensive marketing campaign to roll-out over the next six months to market the station. We are committed to showing Dublin that there is a real alternative to RTÉ Radio 1."
Spin 1038 chief executive Ms Naomi Maguire said it was "very pleased" with its figures. "The results are bang on target. They show there is now a viable niche market which we can build upon."
The figures show Spin 1038, which broadcasts mainly pop and dance music, had a listenership in Dublin of 12 per cent in the 15-24 age bracket and 6 per cent in the 15-34 age bracket.
As for the national market, the report shows some fluctuations, with RTÉ Radio 1 dropping by 2 per cent to 29 per cent compared to the year ended June 2002. Today FM and "all local radio" each rose by 1 per cent over the same period to 17 per cent and 54 per cent respectively.
In Cork, the "yesterday listenership" figure for 98FM County Sound stood at 55 per cent, down 2 per cent, and Red 104-106 FM at 20 per cent.
Yesterday's figures only showed the "reach" of different stations, estimating the proportion of adults tuning in at some time during the weekday prior to surveying.
A more accurate measure of listenership is audience share, which is included in biannual reports of JNLR/MRBI.
