It's another top result for Ireland’s local station of the year as it continues to be the dominant radio force in Waterford.
The latest round of JNLRs (Joint National Listenership Research) has cemented WLR’s place as the go-to station for City and County.
It’s just a few months since WLR was awarded the title of Ireland’s Local Station of the Year for the third year.
In more great news for the station, the latest round of JNLRs show there are now 67,000 weekly listeners to WLR, with 10,700 tuning in every 15 minutes.
WLR’S Managing Director Des Whelan says:
We’re very pleased with WLR’s listenership over the last 24 months. The latest figures show there is great trust in our news, current affairs and presenters on a daily basis, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
WLR radio listening online
The latest figures have also confirmed the importance of digital listening and digital platforms, with the smart speaker once again accounting for a major percentage of how people listen.
And WLR, which operates as a full-service station, is continuing to lead in terms of market share in Waterford, and importantly, in the 20–44-year demographic.
These younger listeners are now consuming WLR in a multi-platform space and engaging more and more with the station, to the delight of all involved.
Operations Manager and Programme Director, Michael Byrne said:
Radio listening on the FM dial is still very high but new technology is replacing traditional radio listening. Our listeners are moving to new mobile and smart speaker devices. These new gadgets have kept radio relevant, and we continue to invest in this technology. WLR is the market leader in Waterford, and I’d like to say a big well done to all the team on the latest listening figures.
In terms of programmes, the latest round of results reveals strong and consistent listenership.
There were stand-out performances by the talk/current affairs show Déise Today with Damien Tiernan, The Saturday Café with Maria McCann and sports show On the Ball with Nigel Kelly.
Each of these programmes recorded a phenomenal average quarter hour listenership of over 20,000 listeners every 15 minutes.
These latest figures for WLR, coming out of Covid and taking account of its loyal listener following, puts the station well ahead of all other stations on the dial.
3.2 million people tune into radio on a daily basis in Ireland. Source: JNLR/Ipsos MRBI 2021-4 (May to December 2021).
More here on WLR's programming schedule.
Pic: Nigel Kelly, WLR Sports Presenter who this week recorded a listenership of over 20,000 people to his Saturday On The Ball sports programme.
