The decision by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland to licence a new station for the over-45s raises the issue of who is going to lose listenership when the new service hits the airwaves.
While RTÉ's audience has always had an older skew, it is not the only potential loser from the new arrival, which could be on the air in early 2008.
Dublin agency Initiative pointed out this week that 86 per cent of people aged over 45 listen to radio regularly each day. In terms of national share, RTÉ Radio 1 and local radio hold a 35 per cent share of listening each. Based on that figure, they are the most vulnerable to having their listenership eroded. But shifting older listeners is in many respects the hardest feat of all to achieve in radio.
Initiative said: "It will be interesting to see the interest in applications for this licence, as although they make up almost one third of the population, older listeners are not perceived to be as open to new brands and products as younger consumers."
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