Newstalk
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 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2008) |
| File:Newstalklogo.png | |
| Broadcast area | Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 106-108 MHz, (103.3MHz Monaghan) Channel 0210 (Sky) DAB |
| Programming | |
| Format | News & Talk |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Communicorp |
| History | |
First air date | 9 April 2002 (as ILR station NewsTalk 106, change of name and franchise 29 September 2006) |
| Links | |
| Website | www.newstalk.ie |
Newstalk (formerly called NewsTalk 106) is an Independent Radio station in the Republic of Ireland. It is operated by News 106 Limited, a subsidiary of Denis O'Brien's Communicorp group, and broadcasts under a sound broadcasting contract with the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.
The station is a "quasi-national" (covering most, but not all of the state) station as of 29 September 2006, previously having been an Independent Local Radio station with a franchise for Dublin.
Format
The station is the only commercial radio station in the Republic of Ireland to take on an exclusively talk-based format. However, musical interludes can be heard on weekend shows in contradiction to its' talk based title. News is broadcast every 30 minutes (originally every 20 minutes). It airs live programming from 06:30 - 00:00 on weekdays, 07:00 - 23:00 on Saturdays and 07:00 - 21:00 on Sundays. Outside these hours, repeats are broadcast. The station's flagship morning programme is 'The Breakfast Show', presented by Ger Gilroy and Claire Byrne between 06:30 and 09:00. Even more popular is the flagship late afternoon programme programme 'The Right Hook', broadcast 16:30-19:00 (with George Hook).
The full weekday schedule:
- The Breakfast Show - Claire Byrne & Ger Gilroy
- Tom Dunne - Tom Dunne
- Lunchtime - Eamon Keane
- Moncrieff - Sean Moncrieff
- The Right Hook - George Hook
- Off The Ball - Eoin McDevitt and Ken Early
- Late Night Live - Declan Carthy
- The Best of Newstalk - highlights of the previous days programming overnight
Audience share
From April 2007 to March 2008 Newstalk recorded a national share of audience of 6%, in the Dublin region Newstalk had an 11% share of audience, in Cork Newstalk's share was 5%,while in the rest of the country Newstalk's share was 4%.[1]
History
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In 1999 the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) invited applications for a number of new Dublin radio services, expanding on the then duopoly of 98FM and FM104. One was for a speech-based radio service. The Independent Local Radio (ILR) national news provider Independent Network News, was one of two applicants for this licence, and its applicant company, News 106, was awarded the franchise. However before the station even went on air, several ILR companies decided that they did not want to be part of the venture, and the station's shareholding was restructured, with at launch, 98FM, FM104, Clare FM, Carlow Kildare Radio, LMFM, East Coast Radio, South East Radio and WLR FM, along with Setanta, being the shareholders in the company.
The station first went on air (under its original name NewsTalk 106) on 9 April 2002, with David McWilliams the first presenter. In its original format, it offered Twenty-Twenty News, every twenty minutes. The first 20/20 news bulletins were presented by several newsreaders including Eimear Lowe, James Healy, Dyane Connor, Dimitri O'Donnell, Sean Archibald and Abigail Reilly. In September 2004 the news service was reduced to every thirty minutes ("News 30") along with a revamped news team to replace the original journalists who had left the station by this stage. In Summer 2004, the station signed Eamonn Dunphy dropping David McWilliams, resulting in controversy[citation needed]. In 2004, FM104 was forced to sell its stake as a condition of its takeover by Scottish Radio Holdings. This meant that 98FM was able to take control of the station.
In 2005, Dan Healy resigned as chief executive of the station. He was replaced by Elaine Geraghty, the original co-presenter of the breakfast time programme on 98FM. On May 22, 2006 the BCI announced that its new quasi-national speech-based contract was being awarded to Newstalk, who will retain their 106 MHz frequency in Dublin while surrendering its Dublin ILR licence. They will have a number of other transmitters within the 106-108 MHz range with the aim of covering all high population areas across the country. Newstalk were the sole application for the licence. It began quasi-national broadcasts on September 29, 2006.
In July, 2006 Dunphy resigned, and a number of the presenters were said to be seeking better contracts. Reports in the Irish media[citation needed] suggest that, had the contract situations been clearer at the time of licence application, it is possible that the BCI might not have granted the national licence to the station[citation needed]. The credibility of station's business model and its long term viability are influenced by the stations ability to attract and retain a sizeable listenership, along with the corresponding advertising revenue[citation needed].
Some have noted a definite shift in the station's political outlook, away from its former[citation needed] so-called 'left wing slant', a move which has been reportedly designed to appeal to a more conservative non-Dublin listenership.[2]
Despite the well publicised[citation needed] occasional difficulties with established names such as Dunphy, McWilliams and Hook, Newstalk has been responsible for developing some lesser known presenters. The talk-sport format of the award [3] winning Off The Ball show with Eoin McDevitt, Ciarán Murphy and the irreverent Ken Early, and the weekend shows of Jerry O Sullivan and Oisin Langan have performed well. The morning show of Orla Barry has consistently performed well[citation needed] in listenership ratings.
On 1 September 2008, Tom Dunne replaced Brenda Power and Orla Barry in the morning, while Eamon Keane had his show increased by 30 minutes.
Quasi National Licence
During 2006 Newstalk were licensed to extend their coverage area to about 80% of the Republic of Ireland. These "quasi-national" broadcasts began on 29 September 2006 (the sole official Independent National Radio station remains 100-102 Today FM).
See also
References
- ^ [JNLR Listenership figures released on 21st August 2008 http://www.bci.ie/documents/prel%20JNLR%20Jul%2007-%20Jun%2008%20%2021%20Aug%2008.pdf]
- ^ Independent Radio Review[citation needed] (November 2006) 'Newstalk's sharp right turn'
- ^ [ PPI Radio Awards 2007 http://www.ppiradioawards.com/2007/winners_2007.asp#groupb]