The most recent Joint National Listenership Research figures were released yesterday and they stated that 2FM had lost a number of listeners, particularly during the morning slots.
Breakfast Republic, which is hosted by Jennifer Zamparelli, Bernard O’Shea and Keith Walsh, lost 11,000 listeners, while The Nicky Byrne Show was down 7,000 listeners.
Head of 2FM Dan Healy spoke to The Herald and said that while the numbers may have dropped, the audience share at the station has improved.
“Although it looks like we’re dropping, the reality is that six months on six months we have gone from a 5.7pc share to a 6.3pc share,” he said.
Dan went on to say that the fall in figures is not at the fault of 2FM presenters, but rather that content is what needs to be improved. He also said that the loss of Ryan Tubridy in the mornings has made a massive impact.
“When Ryan Tubridy moved across to Radio 1 in September of last year we made a decision that it was foolish to go against them. We should do something different and alternative.
“I don’t think it’s the personalities – we need to think about the content. The Breakfast Show is funny and it’s doing well. Ryan is a great broadcaster, and losing a guy like that means we just have to do some work in the 9-10 hour.
“You have to remember when you hit 9am you have a gear shift in the day.
“You’ve got people at work listening and people at home, and the people that are available change – so we have to think about that a bit harder,” he said.
