 | |
| Company type | Division ofRaidió Teilifís Éireann |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
| Founded | 1 January 1926 |
| Headquarters | , Ireland |
Area served | |
| Services | Radio broadcasting |
| Owner | Government of Ireland |
| Parent | Raidió Teilifís Éireann |
| Website | www |
RTÉ Radio is a division and service of Irish public broadcasterRaidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), which broadcasts four analogue channels and five digital channels acrossIreland.
Founded in January 1926 as2RN, was the first broadcaster in theIrish Free State, in 1932 a 60-kw transmitter was set up inAthlone to cover a major event - the1932 Eucharistic Congress.[1] In 1933 the service becameRadio Athlone (IrishRaidió Áth Luain) and in 1938 was renamed asRadio Éireann. In 1966, after launching a television service, it becameRaidió Teilifís Éireann, orRTÉ.
Similar to its parent company, RTÉ Radio is a statutory body, overseen by a board appointed by theGovernment of Ireland, with general management in the hands of a committee of senior managers, currently aninterim leadership team, headed by the Director-General. It is regulated byCoimisiún na Meán, and is mostly financed through the radio license fee, while some funds come through advertising.
| Station | Genre | FM | AM | Saorview DTT | Saorsat | Virgin Cable | Sky | Freesat | Internet radio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTÉ Radio 1 | Speech and music | 87.8–90.2 MHz | No | 200 | 200 | 901 | 0160 | 750 | m3u8 |
| RTÉ 2FM | Contemporary hit radio | 90.4–92.2 MHz | No | 202 | 202 | 902 | 0164 | 751 | m3u8 |
| RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta | Irish-language speech and music | 92.6–94.4 MHz | No | 204 | 204 | 905 | 0166 | 753 | m3u8 |
| RTÉ Lyric FM | Classical/specialist music | 95.2–99.6 MHz | No | 203 | 203 | 903 | 0165 | 752 | m3u8 |
| RTÉ 2XM | Alternative music | No | No | 206 | 206 | 944 | No | No | m3u8 |
| RTÉ Chill | Relaxation (overnight, 21.00–7.00) | No | No | 209 | 209 | 942 | No | No | m3u8 |
| RTÉ Gold | Nostalgia | No | No | 208 | 208 | No | No | m3u8 | |
| RTÉ Junior | Children's (daytime, 7.00–21.00) | No | No | 209 | 209 | 942 | No | No | m3u8 |
| RTÉ Pulse | Electronic music | No | No | 205 | 205 | 943 | No | No | m3u8 |
| RTÉ Radio 1 Extra | Intelligent speech | No | No | 201 | 201 | 941 | No | No | m3u8 |
The first voice broadcast of2RN, the original radiocallsign for what would eventually becomeRTÉ Radio 1, took place on 14 November 1925 when Seamus Clandillon, the station director, announced on air:"Seo Raidió 2RN, Baile Átha Cliath ag tástáil",Irish for "This is Radio 2RN, Dublin calling" (or "Dublin testing", depending on the source). Regular Irish radio broadcasting began on 1 January 1926. However, people in most of Ireland could not receive 2RN's (1.5 kilowatt) signal at the time.[2] When faced with numerous complaints fromCork regarding the writers' inability to tune in to the signal, Clandillon remarked inThe Irish Radio Review, a magazine dedicated to the service, that they did not know how to operate their sets. A second station, 6CK (mostly relaying the transmissions of 2RN), was established in Cork in 1927.
A high power (initially 60 kW) station was established inAthlone, in 1932, to coincide with the staging of theEucharistic Congress. 2RN, 6CK and Athlone became known as "Radio Athlone" or, in Irish, "Raidió Áth Luain" and were receivable across virtually the entire country. Radio Athlone was officially renamed "Radio Éireann" in 1938.
Radio Éireann had limited programming hours and a conservative programming policy. It was barely tolerated by some Irish listeners, and was often shunned in favour ofBBC stations andRadio Luxembourg. This changed when Radio Éireann became free of direct government control in 1960.[3]
Since 1928 the Radio Éireann studios had been housed in the newly rebuiltGPO on O'Connell Street in the centre of Dublin. The new broadcasting authority established in 1960 was primarily concerned with the introduction of television, but they also recognised that the radio service had long outgrown the cramped conditions in the GPO and that a new home was needed. However it was not until June 1969 that construction began[4] on aRadio Centre alongside the existingTelevision Centre at Donnybrook on the Southside of Dublin. The building work was finished by April 1971 and after a period of fitting-out, the phased move from the GPO started. Live broadcasts from theRadio Centre commenced on 24 September 1973[5] and by May 1974 almost all programming was now coming from the new building. The old Henry Street studios however continued to be used for continuity announcements up until 8 November 1976[6] when the radio service finally ended its long tenancy of the GPO.
A pop music channel,RTÉ Radio 2 (renamed RTÉ 2fm in 1988), began broadcasting on 31 May 1979, founded in response to the growth of pirate radio channels.
AnIrish language channel,Raidió na Gaeltachta, began broadcasting on 2 April 1972; RnaG has grown to become an influential news, music and spoken word service.
RTÉ lyric fm serves the interests of classical music and the arts, coming on air in May 1999, and replacing FM3 Classical Music, which had catered for the same target audience and time-shared with Raidió na Gaeltachta.
Now[when?], RTÉ has a nationwide communications network with an increasing emphasis on regional news-gathering and input. Broadcasting onRTÉ Radio 1 provides comprehensive coverage of news, current affairs, music, drama and variety features, agriculture, education, religion and sport, mostly in English but also some Irish.RTÉ 2fm is a popular music and chat channel.RTÉ lyric fm serves the interests of classical music and the arts, replacing FM3 Classical Music, which had catered for the same target audience and time-shared with Raidió na Gaeltachta.
RTÉ-operatedRTÉ Radio Cork (previously 'Cork 89FM' and 'RTÉ Cork Local Radio'), a local radio service in Cork. This closed in January 2000.Listen to recording from 1994 of the Cork station.
RTÉ Radio is streamed on the Internet and broadcast digitally onSaorview digital terrestrial television, onVirgin Media Ireland digital cable services, on theSaorsat satellite services (Spot beam on Eutelsat KA-SAT 9E) and core FM channels are available onAstra 2E @ 28.2°E, where they can be found in the Sky and Freesat EPGs or tuned manually at 11914 H 27500 5/6. Between 2006 and 2021, RTÉ Radio was also broadcast via DAB.
RTÉ had operated multiplex 1 (block 12C) on theIrish digital radio platform (DAB). The broadcaster launched nine digital-only channels in May 2007, as part of a trial to assess if demand existed for new radio services. This ran alongside a brief commercial radio trial MUX in some areas, which did not continue beyond the trial phase. On 30 November 2008 the trial ended and a permanent service was introduced. RTÉ officially launched six stations: RTÉ 2XM, RTÉ Chill/RTÉ Junior (timeshare), RTÉ Choice, RTÉ Gold, and RTÉ Pulse and RTÉ Radio 1 Extra.[7]
Two of the trial stations were not continued.RTÉ Digital Radio News, which played the most recent Radio 1 news bulletin on loop and RTÉ Playback, a listen back service with content from Radio 1 and 2fm did not form part of the official launch. RTÉ Radio 1 Extra also continued to be broadcast, providing extra programming, such as sports coverage often broadcast only on the RTÉ Radio 1 Long Wave (AM) service.
Approximately 44% of the country was able to receive RTÉ DAB service. It was never extended nationally to all areas serviced by FM. Transmitters provided DAB coverage focused on three cities:Dublin,Limerick andCork and parts of the Northeast.[8]
On 6 November 2019, RTÉ management announced that, as part of a major cost-saving programme, all of its digital radio stations would be closed.[9] RTÉ ceased broadcasting using DAB on 31 March 2021. However, its digital-only channels remain available as online streaming services and though theSaorview DTT service and onVirgin Media Ireland digital cable TV.[10] Additionally, core services are carried on satellite television platforms onAstra 28.2°E, and are included in the Sky and Freesat EPGs. All services remain available streaming online, accessible through the RTÉ website and many online radio platforms, and are accessible via smart speaker services.[citation needed]
| Transmitter | Service area | Radio 1 (MHz) | 2FM (MHz) | RnaG (MHz) | Lyric FM (MHz) | ERP (kW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairn Hill | The Midlands | 89.8 | 92.0 | 94.2 | 99.4 | 20 |
| Clermont Carn | NE Ireland, Northern Ireland | 87.8 | 97.0 | 102.7 | 95.2 | 40 |
| Holywell Hill | Donegal, Derry | 89.2 | 91.4 | 93.6 | 98.8 | 6 |
| Kippure | Dublin, Wicklow, SE Midlands | 89.1 | 91.3 | 93.5 | 98.7 | 50 |
| Maghera | West Ireland | 88.8 | 91.0 | 93.2 | 98.4 | 160 |
| Mount Leinster | SE Ireland | 89.6 | 91.8 | 94.0 | 99.2 | 20 |
| Mullaghanish | SW Ireland | 90.0 | 92.2 | 94.4 | 99.6 | 160 |
| Spur Hill | Cork city | 89.2 | 91.4 | 93.6 | 98.8 | 5 |
| Three Rock | Dublin city and county | 88.5 | 90.7 | 92.9 | 96.7 | 5 |
| Truskmore | NW Ireland | 88.2 | 90.4 | 92.6 | 97.8 | 125 |
RTÉ Radio One was relayed on longwave, using the former Atlantic 252 transmitter in County Meath. This service ended in 2023 and the mast was then demolished.[11]
| Transmitter | Service area | Frequency | ERP(kW) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarkstown,Summerhill, County Meath | Ireland, UK with overspill into much of Western Europe | 252 kHz | 300 (day) 100(night) |
RTÉ occasionally broadcasts on shortwave bands aimed at the Irish Diaspora, for example, with RTÉ Radio One coverage of GAA All-Ireland Finals in several years, for around one hour a day.
| Transmitter | Service area | Frequency | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloemendal,Meyerton, South Africa | Africa | 5840 kHz[12] | 19:30-20:30 UTC |
TheMeyerton transmitter site in South Africa was used to relay this 17540 kHz in 2012.
| Transmitter | Service area | Frequency | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Africa | 17725 kHz | 2-5pm | |
| East Africa | 11620 kHz | 5-6pm | |
| Southern Africa | 7405 kHz | 2-6pm | |
| West Africa | 7505 kHz | 2-6pm |
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