We Are The Sound Of Waterford
WLR is honored to be Ireland’s IMRO Local Station of the Year for 2024. Our story began in the late 1970s, when nearly 100 independent radio stations emerged to offer an alternative to RTÉ Radio One. In Waterford, three stations catered to a younger audience, and when 2fm launched nationally in 1979, WLR found its unique role in delivering something truly local.
By 1989, after more than a decade on the air, WLR was one of only two "pirate" stations in Ireland to transition successfully into a licensed broadcaster. On September 9th of that year, we officially began serving Waterford City and County from our George’s Street studios, quickly winning over listeners with shows like Timmy and Nicola on Breakfast, Billy McCarthy on Déise AM, Tony Weldon’s Sunday Morning Melodies, and Eddie Wymberry.
In 1998, we expanded to Dungarvan, opening new studios and further establishing our presence in the west of Waterford County. As radio research evolved through JNLR surveys, WLR consistently ranked among Ireland’s top stations, known for our outstanding reach and market share.
Our commitment to quality programming has earned us numerous awards. In 2002, Julian Walton’s On This Day series won WLR’s first national PPI Radio Award. Since then, we’ve received several IMRO Radio Awards, including an unprecedented five Local Station of the Year titles between 2019 and 2024.
Always innovative, in 2002, WLR launched Beat FM to serve the youth market in the South East. To support both stations, we built The Broadcast Centre at Ardkeen—a cutting-edge facility with nine radio studios and a video studio, officially opened by then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 2004. That same year, WLR also made history by earning Ireland’s first local TV license for Waterford @ Eight.
In 2007, Thomas Crosbie Holdings became a majority stakeholder in WLR, partnering with Managing Director Des Whelan. The Irish Times Group later acquired this share in 2018, bringing their expertise to WLR’s continued growth.
Today, WLR reaches 50% of Waterford’s adults daily and 69% weekly. Our talented broadcasters, producers, and journalists are deeply committed to the community, and shows like The Big Breakfast Blaa with Ollie Carroll and Dymphna Nugent, Damien Tiernan’s Déise Today, Gemma Delaney’s The Live Wire, and John Keane’s Spin Home remain listener favorites. When it comes to breaking news and sports, WLR is Waterford’s trusted source, both on-air and online.
With over 1.4 million monthly visits to WLRFM.com, we’re proud to be a dynamic multi-platform broadcaster, keeping Waterfordians connected to local news, sports, and updates no matter where they are in the world.
In a crowded media landscape, WLR remains true to its core values: talent, professionalism, hard work, and an unwavering commitment to Waterford.
We love Waterford. We are WLR.
South East Broadcasting Company Limited trading as WLR.