This year, WLR celebrates 30 years on air, having launched on the 8th September 1989. In that time, it has become the sound of Waterford, covering every major milestone, broadcasting every puck and kick of the big games and bringing the latest news, sport and hot topics directly into the homes of people across Waterford City and County.
Over the past 3 decades WLR has become the voice for people in Waterford and the station they choose when they want to hear about what matters to them.
Listenership increases
On Wednesday, 1st May 2019, the Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) figures were released for the period of April 2018 to April 2019. These figures show that in this 12 month book, WLR has increased its daily reach by 2 points, jumping from 46% to 48%, with market share increasing by a steady 1% from 42% to 43%. 82% of people in Waterford listened to the radio yesterday and they spend on average over 4 hours listening per day. Radio also dominates when compared with other media with only 51% of all adults in Ireland having used Social Media yesterday.
The increase in reach for WLR comes as the various shows across the weekly schedule record impressive gains in listenership year on year. Notably, Waterford listeners have given WLR’s newest recruit, Damien Tiernan, a warm welcome since he joined the station’s mid-morning show ‘Déise Today’ back in January. Meanwhile, Geoff Harris continues to entertain audiences across the county with 14,000 listeners tuning in to The Lunchbox every 15 minutes.
Significant increases can also been seen in John O’Shea’s Absolute Irish on Sunday nights from 9pm-midnight. Formerly ‘Guaranteed Irish’, the show was renamed ‘Absolute Irish’ to coincide with the launch of WLR’s sister digital station of the same name, which broadcasts the best of country and Irish music to a national audience 24/7 via the Irish Radio Player app and its dedicated website www.AbsoluteIrish.com. John O’Shea’s ‘Absolute Irish’ has a record 13,000 people tuning in every 15 minutes.
WLR has also significantly increased Saturday listenership by 9% (or 9,000 people year on year) with 40,000 people in Waterford now choosing to listen to WLR every Saturday, and 37,000 people, which is an extra 5% (or 6,000 people year on year), tuning in to WLR every Sunday.
WLR’s audience spreads right across the various age profiles of people living in Waterford, with more adults 18+, including 20-44 year olds and 35+ listening to WLR than any other station available to audiences in Waterford, including RTE 1, Today FM, Newstalk and Beat.
New mobile broadcasting unit on the way
The good news comes as WLR prepares to launch a brand new state-of-the-art mobile broadcasting unit at the beginning of June. Built on a Mercedes-Benz chassis, the new unit will house a fully equipped studio, reception and entertainment areas and a facility for an outdoor stage. It comes just in time for the summer season, throughout which WLR will broadcast live from the heart of the county's biggest festivals and cultural and sporting events.
Speaking about the lastest Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) figures, WLR Managing Director Des Whelan, says, “I’m very pleased with the results. A great start to the year. WLR listenership is amongst the best of any local station in the country and confirmation of the quality of programmes, news and sport on the station.”
While the station’s Programme Director, Michael Byrne says, “WLR is the voice for the people of Waterford. We are delighted with the latest JNLR results which keeps us at the top of radio listening in Waterford. We are the market leader in the 20-44 demographic, 18+ demographic and the 35+ demographic. This is testament to the quality and content provided across the 7-day schedule.”
Unlike the regional and national stations available in Waterford, WLR has a deep connection with the county and its people.
The facts about radio
1. 82% of people in Ireland listened to the radio yesterday.
2. On average, they spend more than 4 hours with radio every day.
3. When it comes to any audio listening in Ireland, live radio rules with 85.5%. This compares to 8.1% of owned music, 1.6% to podcasts and 4.9% to Spotify.
4. Radio also dominates when compared with other media –51% of all adults in Ireland used Social Media yesterday and just 75% read a national newspaper last week.
5. 377,000 people in Ireland listened to radio via a radio station App and 102,000 listened via the Irish Radioplayer in the last seven days.
6. Irish radio’s strong on-air performance is complemented across its digital platforms with over 10.6 million social connections.
