Local radio stations triumphed again in the listenership figures, with a 2 per cent rise for the six months to March 2003.
The stations have been growing steadily in recent years and this time they passed out all the RTÉ radio stations put together. RTÉ stations had a "listened yesterday" figure of 50 per cent nationally, while local stations managed 55 per cent.
According to the latest figures, the most intense battle appears to be between Cork's 96FM County Sound and the newer station Red FM.
County Sound retains the highest listenership levels, but in the six months to March 2003 its "listened yesterday" figure was down 8 per cent. In the crucial age group, 15 to 34, County Sound had 48 per cent, compared to 37 per cent for Red FM.
One of the most successful areas for local radio is Galway, where local stations control 61 per cent of the audience.
The largest commercial station in this area is Galway Bay FM.
A sharp fall in local radio listenership took place in Waterford. Some 41 per cent of the audience listened to local radio in the six months to March, but this was down 18 per cent. The main commercial station in the area is WLR.