Ireland

Opera singer Claudia Boyle is the new host of Weekend Classics on RTÉ lyric fm.
The permanent move comes following recent cover work on the station by Claudia.
Weekend Classics with Claudia Boyle will air on Saturdays from 4-6.30pm and on Sundays 4-6pm starting this weekend.
Ahead of taking over as host of the new show, Claudia Boyle said: “I’m delighted to be taking over the reins on the weekend afternoons for lyric fm.
“Connecting and communicating through music is already a huge part of what I do and love, so this is a welcome, natural and exciting new venture and I can’t wait. Sharing and discovering music with the loyal lyric fm listeners is what I’m looking forward to most.
“There’ll definitely be divas (excluding myself!), lots of classical favourites and much-loved melodies. Sharing stories with plenty of laughter along the way will help set you up for the perfect weekend.”
Head of RTÉ lyric fm, Sinéad Wylde added: “It’s a real delight to have internationally famous Claudia Boyle join us at weekends on RTÉ lyric fm with this new afternoon show Weekend Classics with Claudia Boyle.
“During the summer, Claudia stepped in as a presenter with us and listeners loved her. On stage she has a great ability to deeply connect with and move her audiences, she will no doubt bring this wonderful gift to presenting her new show on RTÉ lyric fm.” […]

Fair City’s Sorcha Furlong is to host a new early evening show on Freedom FM as the station returns to FM.
The actress, writer, and producer will host AfterDrive, an early evening music programme each Wednesday from 6pm to 9pm.
She is set to join a presenter roster which includes TV personality Glenda Gilson, and TV and radio host, and podcast producer Aidan Power.

Freedom FM is a digital radio station playing music from the 90s and noughties. However, each year the station is licensed by Coimisiún na Méan to broadcast across Ireland on eight FM frequencies.
Targeting Generation Y, people born between 1981, and 1997, the station plays music from 1990 straight through to 2009, along with the Nighties and Noughties News Now, hourly news headlines from the day you are listening but from a random year in the 1990s or 2000s.

Sean Power, station manager at Freedom FM said “We are delighted to welcome Sorcha on to Freedom FM for our FM broadcasts across Ireland this October.
“Sorcha is a star in front of and behind the screen, but with Freedom FM, she’ll be entertaining our listeners from behind the microphone for the first time.
“She’s the newest recruit to a family of extremely talented and passionate radio presenters who together create a fantastic mix of humour, nostalgia for two wonderful decades, and a passion for the songs our listeners love.”
Sorcha said: “I can’t wait to get started with Freedom FM. The music from the 90s and noughties is the music from my youth, and I’m looking forward to sharing that passion with those who also grew up during those two decades.
“So join me every Wednesday evening between 6pm and 9pm for AfterDrive, where, as the station slogan says, I’ll be reliving the 90s and noughties.”
The station will also boast a new 24-hour schedule, with Enda W. Caldwell being the first voice on Freedom FM starting each weekday at 5am with The Red Eye.
Glenda Gilson returns to presenting Weekday Brunch each Wednesday between 10am to 12 midday, and national radio and TV presenter Stephen Daly joins Freedom FM to present Drive Time every Monday and Tuesday from 3pm, whilst Northern Ireland radio host Neal McClelland kicks off the wee hours of Friday night with Dance Anthems.
Freedom FM switches on its eight transmitters on Monday 30th September and will broadcast until 29th October to listeners in Dublin City and County, Galway, Limerick and Cork cities, as well as to counties Wexford, Wicklow, Kildare and north County Cork.
Cork City 106.7 FMLimerick City 105.5 FMDublin City 105.2 FMGalway City 87.9FMKildare County 88.1 FMWicklow County 99.5 FMNorth Cork County 87.7 FMWexford/South East 103.8 FM […]

The IMRO Radio Awards Hall of Fame is set to honour four more broadcasters.
Eddie Caffrey (LMFM), Ray D’Arcy (RTÉ Radio 1), Carol Dooley (Sunshine 106.8), and Hugo Duncan (BBC Northern Ireland) will be inducted at a ceremony at the IMRO offices today, celebrating their careers and their enduring impact on Irish radio.
The overall IMRO Radio Awards event will be at the annual gala on October 4 th at the Lyrath Estate Hotel in Kilkenny.
Victor Finn, IMRO Chief Executive, headline sponsors of the Awards said: “It is a tremendous honour for IMRO to sponsor the prestigious Radio Awards Hall of Fame once again.
“We are delighted to recognise and celebrate the exceptional contributions of Hugo Duncan, Carol Dooley, Ray D’Arcy and Eddie Caffrey. Their legacy within the industry is undeniable, and they now take their well-deserved place among Ireland’s most esteemed broadcasters.”
Speaking on behalf of Coimisiún Na Meán, Broadcasting and VOD Commissioner Aoife MacEvilly said: “Coimisiún na Meán is delighted to congratulate this year’s inductees to the Hall of Fame and celebrate the significant contribution each has made to the radio sector.
“Radio continues to play a hugely valuable role in Irish life, not only entertaining listeners but acting as a trustworthy source of news and information for us all. Hall of Fame recipients are reflective of the talent at work across the industry and it’s wonderful to see today’s inductees recognised.”
Eddie Caffrey’s radio career began with the emergence of Pirate Radio in the late seventies where not only was he was a polished presenter but also a self-taught radio engineer.
Over the next ten years, Eddie built studios and transmission systems for over 15 fledgling radio stations. He was the first voice heard on Radio Dundalk before he moved to Boyneside Radio in Drogheda from where he commenced presentation of the phenomenally successful Greenscene Show.
Unsurprisingly, in 1989 he was recruited by the newly licenced local service, LMFM, in a role combining both presenter and station engineer and since then has been an ever present on the LMFM weekday schedule as well as ensuring that the station is heard throughout every corner of the northeast.
Eddie recently turned 70 and can look back with pride on a twin-faceted radio career stretching over 46 years. Eddie’s contribution to radio in the Louth Meath area will never be surpassed or seen again – and as for retirement, he says he will review the situation in five years’ time!
Ray did his first radio broadcast in 1979. He hit the national airwaves at the turn of the century and grew his midmorning show to become the biggest independent radio show in the country.
Ray has always used his platform to highlight social issues and fundraise for charities, becoming a mental health advocate and helping to raise millions for worthy causes.
Ray continues to be a significant presence on Irish radio.
Carol began her radio career at twelve years old on a Kilkenny pirate station in 1978. Her unwavering dedication and boundless passion for radio have captivated Irish audiences as well as those in the UK, Europe, and the United States. Over her illustrious career, her passion for radio has engaged audiences in Ireland, the UK, Europe, and the US.
She returned to Ireland from the US in 2010 and launched Radio Nova as PD. In 2013, she moved to East Coast FM in the same role. The following year, she was recruited to join Sunshine 106.8 as part of the on-air team, a role she has held now for over a decade and consistently achieves high ratings. Her intrinsic understanding of how radio works and what audiences respond and react to is second to none.
Over the past four decades, Carol has made a lasting impact in Irish broadcasting .
In 2024, Hugo Duncan celebrates his 26 th year of broadcasting his hugely popular daytime show on BBC Northern Ireland.
He plays the best music from old favourites to fresh new country stars, still making room for the odd classic from the 60’s or 70’s pop world. In 2024, he was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the Northern Ireland Country Music Awards. “Uncle Hugo’s” iconic phases – Uncle Hugo Loves You and Have Your Tea with Hugo D – ring out around homes all over Ulster.
Hugo’s talents are not limited to radio. He is an Irish showband legend who still gigs all over the island of Ireland. He knows his listeners extraordinarily well! This is constantly reflected in his impressive audience figures and daily programme interactions with thousands of people through calls, texts and social media engagement.
Hugo volunteers his time every year for the BBC Children In Need charity campaign. His legendary annual ‘Hugo-thons’, the ‘Wee man from Strabane’, has raised tens of thousands for the charity. Each year, Hugo welcomes listeners and service users from adult care homes to the BBC to see the studio and how shows are made, even sending them home with their own mini-show recordings, helping to share his passion and joy of radio. […]

The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland organisation has branded the proposed Journalism Schemes unfit-for-purpose and are calling for an even playing field for the sector.
The IBI, representing all 34 independent stations in Ireland, wants to discuss proactive ways to support the commercial sustainability of the sector for the long-term, with proposed measures including reforming the Broadcast Levy paid to Coimisiún na Meán and modernising the Codes and Rules that regulate output.
Both of these issues Coimisiún na Meán is currently running public consultations on.
IBI Chief Executive, Michael Kelly says the broadcasting policy in Ireland is totally letting down the nation’s independent radio stations and their millions of listeners, and is failing utterly to produce measures to support the real needs of radio stations in the sector.
In a statement, the body says:
“Broadcasting policy has clearly focussed its attention on providing hundreds of millions of euro of funding to RTE. Zero public funding is being provided to independent radio to support the provision of its core news and current affairs public service broadcasting. This is while RTE is being guaranteed in excess of €720 million in funding over three years (a figure which excludes RTE’s commercially generated revenue). The funding decisions for RTE appear to have been taken without any consideration being given to the effects on the independent sector. Independent stations believe that this situation will lead to serious market distortion.
Meanwhile a number of Schemes are being implemented, which quite simply will not work – they are mis-directed and impractical, and do not address the issues facing the sector in any meaningful way. The schemes are so unfit-for-purpose that despite intensive work by individual radio stations, they have been unable to find any way in which the schemes can be made work in helping stations meet their existing public service broadcasting obligations. This is because the schemes specifically rule out support for core news and current affairs and only fund “additional” content, they adopt a one-size fits all approach to different media sectors, and they promote precarious employment with no assurance that they will continue.
The schemes in their current form are described by the independent sector as “an ill thought-out gig economy solution” which is totally unsuitable for radio.
After more than 18 months of seeking changes to make the schemes work for the independent radio sector it was with great disappointment and reluctance that each of the independent individual stations, separately and after intensive efforts, concluded that the design and operation of the Schemes meant it was not possible to make them work. These were decisions by each of the stations which starkly shows how unfit-for-purpose the schemes are.
There is deep frustration and disappointment across the independent radio sector at the way it has been treated. The playing field has never been more uneven and despite everything broadcasting policy is favouring RTE over everyone else.
Now this has to change.
Independent stations stress that they are willing and eager to work with the Minister, the Department and the Regulator to make the necessary changes to schemes in order for them to meet the needs of the independent radio sector. However, they say that based on recent experience, this is a process which will likely take at least 18 months. They say it is imperative that interim solutions are found.
In the context of unsuitable schemes that have been years in the making and which are proving not fit for purpose, legislators and public representatives of all parties must now ensure that the upcoming Budget provides fair and proportionate funding for the independent radio sector.
Blindly following limited and unworkable recommendations from the Future of Media Commission, which were not based on a deep understanding of our sector, is resulting in a serious threat to media plurality and a competitive and independent sector.
Now is the time for TD’s and Senators to act.”
RadioToday has contacted Coimisiún na Meán and RTE for additional comment but no replies were received at the time of publication. […]

Bauer Media Audio Ireland has made a series of senior leadership appointments spanning its People, Editorial, Operations and Marketing functions.
Celine McNamara has been appointed People and Culture Director, Eric Moylan becomes Managing Editor of Newstalk, Liam Thompson will join as Group Operations Director while Róisín Reilly is promoted to Group Marketing Director.
Chris Doyle, CEO Bauer Media Audio Ireland said: ‘I’m delighted to announce the addition of these four exceptional leaders to our senior team. As we continue to shape the future of audio by building audiences and investing in our vision for success, their expertise, creativity and perspective will help drive the business to the next level.
“Celine, Eric, Liam and Róisín join a team full of passion for our audiences, advertisers and our people. The scale and impact of Bauer continues to grow and with these new leaders on board at such an important time, we look forward to achieving great things together in the months and years ahead.”
From the press release:
People and Culture Director – Celine McNamara
A Human Resource professional for over twenty years working across several dynamic and challenging sectors, Celine has specific experience supporting growth, change and transformation. She joins the company after leading the people function in Jigsaw – National Centre for Youth Mental Health for the last eight years.
At Bauer, she will be responsible for advising and supporting people managers in all HR topics, supporting organisational development in addition to leadership performance and change processes.
Managing Editor, Newstalk – Eric Moylan
Eric will lead a high performing editorial team and will play a key role in shaping the long-term strategic and editorial vision for Newstalk.
He will be responsible for overseeing the planning and execution of high quality trusted content that grows engagement and delivers commercial success across all platforms, with a particular emphasis on digital audio and podcasting.
Eric was a member of the Newstalk team for over a decade where he held a variety of senior editorial roles as well as previously working at Virgin Media Television as a producer. He rejoins from Bus Éireann where he was Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications.
Group Operations Director – Liam Thompson
Liam will oversee and co-ordinate the multifaceted daily operations of Bauer Media Audio Ireland ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of the group and growing its innovation capabilities.
He will lead a team of experienced managers and professionals working across Bauer’s entire portfolio of brands and products. A senior executive in radio and audio, Liam has wide ranging operational experience in both Ireland, the UK and internationally having managed multiple media brands and launches.
Formerly Group Programme Director for the Communicorp Group across 9 countries, Liam is co-creator of the award-winning digital audio product ‘The Smart Seven’ and joins from Ireland’s Classic Hits.
Group Marketing Director – Róisín Reilly
Previously Head of Marketing for Music & Entertainment at Bauer and with over ten years’ experience, Róisín is promoted to this newly created role of Group Marketing Director where she will be responsible for developing and executing strategic marketing plans to drive growth, increase brand awareness, and enhance market penetration. Her brief spans the full group portfolio of brands in Bauer across broadcast and digital.
Leading a team across brand and product marketing, social media, video, and multimedia design, Róisín will be responsible for delivering impactful marketing strategies that contribute to audience and commercial growth. […]

Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio has appointed Clint Drieberg as Programme Director till Christmas.
The move comes as Liam Thompson steps down from the role of PD with the station to take up a role with Bauer Media Ireland.
Clint has been Assistant Programme Director / Executive Producer and, more recently, Content Controller, at sister station, Radio Nova, since 2015.
He will take up the role as Programme Director at Classic Hits in October until his planned return to Australia at the end of the year. The radio station intends to commence a recruitment drive to appoint a Content Director in the near future.
Chief Executive Kevin Branigan told RadioToday: “Clint is a very impressive programmer and producer. His attention-to-detail and work ethic are second to none and he brings an energy and can-do attitude to everything he turns his hand to. I’m delighted that he will now bring his talents to Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio”.
Clint Drieberg added: “I’m delighted to be appointed Programme Director of Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio. Radio is the best media in the world and it is an honour and a privilege to work everyday shaping the soundtrack to people’s lives and creating compelling content for their speakers.”
Kevin continued: “Classic Hits Radio and Radio Nova are two of the most successful radio stations in Ireland and Clint’s appointment demonstrates the opportunities for career advancement that exist within our group, Bay Broadcasting.” […]