Ryan Tubridy has 503,000 listeners on Virgin Radio UK with his audience swelling 10 per cent between his first and second quarters on air, according to the first listenership figures for his show on the Rupert Murdoch-owned station.
The former RTÉ broadcaster attracted 457,000 listeners in the January-March period, with this figure climbing by 46,000 for the April-June quarter. The figures were calculated as part of the UK radio industry’s recent RAJAR survey and shared by Mr Tubridy.
“The rise in listenership is welcome news and I’m indebted to my production team and the management for constant support and encouragement along the way,” he said.
“I want to thank all of our listeners and welcome our new listeners to the top of the tower, and look to the next phase of our growing club.”
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It is understood the second-quarter figure of 503,000, which exceeds his previous listenership on RTÉ Radio 1, is also higher than the number of listeners commanded by Virgin Radio UK’s midmorning slot a year ago.
The RAJAR total does not include the presenter’s audience on Dublin’s Q102, which simulcasts the Virgin show.
Mr Tubridy, who also said it was “a total joy” to be part of the team at the London-based station, started his 10am-1pm weekday show on January 2nd.
His deal to join Virgin Radio UK, which is owned by Mr Murdoch’s News UK group, was announced last November after a public courtship that featured a guest appearance on the station’s biggest draw, the Chris Evans Breakfast Show.
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Mr Tubridy’s move to London followed his exit from RTÉ in the wake of the organisation’s hidden payments scandal. In June 2023 it emerged that RTÉ had not publicly disclosed payments made to him under a side deal. Two months later, RTÉ's new director general, Kevin Bakhurst, said there were “no plans” for the presenter to return to Radio 1.
As Mr Tubridy had stepped down from hosting The Late Late Show on RTÉ One in March, 2023 this effectively ended a long association with RTÉ that saw him rise to becoming its highest-paid star.
During his time hosting the 9am-10am slot on Radio 1, his listenership peaked in 2020 at 381,000, according to the Irish radio industry’s Joint National Listenership Research data. His last “full” listenership figure on the station was 334,000.
As the JNLR survey is conducted over a rolling 12-month period, a figure accurately reflecting the popularity of his Q102 show will not emerge until early next year.
Mr Tubridy has lately been on annual leave from Virgin Radio UK, with his show covered this week by Vogue Williams, while another Irish presenter, Virgin’s weekend host Angela Scanlon, filled in for Mr Evans on breakfast. His podcast, The Book Shelf with Ryan Tubridy, recently completed its first run and will return for a second season.
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