Red FM has emerged as the success story of the latest JNLR radio ratings, overtaking 96FM/C103, according to media buyer OMD. In its analysis of the latest national radio ratings, the agency describes RED FM’s leap as ‘incredible’, going from fifth position to first in the Cork market in last 15 months.

The July 2014 to June 2015 trend shows Red gaining 34,000 listeners, giving it nearly 25% share of the Cork market. OMD observes: “Neil Prendeville has played a significant role in the success story, regaining his position as Cork’s top radio talk show host.”

Prendeville left 96FM in 2014, after a 25-year career to move to Red FM. His 9am to midday show began in March 2014, kicking off the upward trend for the station. Previous to this, Red had revamped its breakfast show with Keith Cunningham (KC), who moved from Today FM.

“The new morning line up in 2014 was part of a station wide re-brand spearheaded by Diarmuid O’Leary who joined Red as CEO in 2013 and has played a big role attracting talent,” says OMD.

Newstalk enjoyed a strong year, with George Hook up 20,000 year-on-year bringing him to 143,000 listeners, overtaking Today FM’s Matt Cooper who is on 141,000.

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“Newstalk also saw an increase of 26,000 in its Breakfast Show as it continues to chip away at Radio 1’s morning figures year-on-year with Morning Ireland showing decline,” says OMD.

Despite the recent audience shrinkage at Morning Ireland, it remains by far the most listened-to radio programme in Ireland. The top 15 radio programmes in Ireland are aired on RTÉ Radio 1. Despite a drop in figures, Sean O’Rourke’s show on Radio 1 attracts 296,000 a day, more than double that of Newstalk’s Pat Kenny in the mid-morning slot.

OMD notes that RTÉ 2FM has bridged some of the gap between it and Today FM in its mission to become the most popular station among 20-44s. A large part of this success has been due to Ryan Tubridy’s growing numbers. In the autumn Tubridy will be returning to Radio 1 to present a show in his old 9am weekday slot.

OMD comments: “That the station has been buoyed by the success of a presenter who is less than compatible with the overall station positioning is symptomatic of 2FM’s ongoing struggle with its identity. It will be interesting to see how the station fares once the move has been completed.”

For comprehensive analysis by OMD of the July 2014 to June 2015 JNLR radio ratings, click here.