Newstalk tells listeners it’s about more than just news

Newstalk is about more than just news. That's the message of a €250,000 marketing campaign by the Communicorp-owned national radio station after listenership research conducted late last year among 30-50-year-olds found that not everyone was aware of the breadth of its content.

"The perception among some listeners was that it was a rolling news service, that it was heavy on current affairs from 6.30am until midnight," says station editor Garrett Harte. "So there was a need for Newstalk to give clarity on the variety we have with presenters like Tom Dunne and Seán Moncrieff, or even with the review of the papers slot on Breakfast , or the tech slot and the movie slot on the Right Hook ," he says.

The new advertisements are a departure from previous Newstalk campaigns, which have emphasised the difference between its news service and that of RTÉ, casting the latter in a pejorative light via slogans such as "get the news without the State-run spin".

Listeners are looking for entertainment, “a bit of irreverence and a bit of levity” alongside the news, Harte says. “We have a job to communicate the package that we have.”

The first cycle of the outdoor, press and digital campaign, promoting the Off the Ball sports magazine show and Dunne's morning programme, is underway and runs until April 8th. The second cycle, which runs from April 7th until the 21st, showcases Newstalk Breakfast , Moncrieff , Newstalk Lunchtime and The Right Hook .

The ad for Moncrieff , for example, highlights its "weird and wonderful" features, the ad for The Right Hook , Newstalk's most listened-to show, notes its "attitude" and "comment and craic", and the Breakfast ad counts "fun" among its attributes.

The campaign is not coinciding with any schedule changes, although following the sudden exit of its production team from the station last month, Off the Ball is now presented by Newstalk's sports editor and original architect of the show Ger Gilroy, while two new producers have been appointed to the team. The Off the Ball roadshows kick off in Dublin on April 11th, while Harte is hopeful of "significant investment" for its coverage of the upcoming rugby Lions tour.

Newstalk attracts 285,000 listeners daily, according to Joint National Listenership Research figures for 2012, and the majority of them are male. The station has approximately 186,000 male listeners and 98,000 female listeners - however, the latter number has been building steadily over the past year.

“We certainly made an effort 18 months ago to recruit more female listeners,” says Harte. By focusing on the breadth of its offering and the personalities on its presenting roster, the new campaign ties in with this push, he adds.

The station has yet to appoint a chief executive to replace Frank Cronin, who resigned in February.