Every day we are presented with new information and new technologies that we have to get our heads around. The world speaks a new language now, ‘I’ll just DM you’, and if you weren’t born in the last fifteen years, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming! Many of us think that the ‘train has left the station’ and it’s too late for us to get on board. The old adage, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ gets amplified in our ears and we feel ‘maybe it’s just me that doesn’t understand how this or that works’. This can really affect our confidence, making us feel isolated and even ‘stupid’ that ‘I’m the only one’. 

Adult Literacy for Life and urbanmedia created a partnership that looked to change this stigma, and created a campaign called “Stay in Touch”. We wanted to assure people that they are not alone in feeling this way & there’s no such thing as a stupid question. Literacy, numeracy and digital literacy is a right and everyone in Ireland should be able to interact with and navigate the modern world with confidence.  

Through this partnership, urbanmedia and Adult Literacy for Life raised awareness and educated listeners with some tips and advice to help them make smart, informed choices, and encourage people to take the next step by highlighting some free local services that are available to listeners. At a community level, showed people how they can support their family and friends who have digital literacy needs.

The heart of the campaign lay in its educational content. Adult Literacy for Life aimed to improve digital adult literacy, recognising the importance of technological proficiency in today’s world. urbanmedia, with the help of STUDIO (our in-house creative agency), created unique localised radio ads that featured tips and insights on navigating technological changes. Tips on Chatbots, DMs, QR Codes and AI, acted as an educational insight into things that have become everyday terminology that some people might not be formally familiar with.

These were delivered in friendly and accessible local voices. By addressing real-life challenges and providing practical advice, the campaign effectively engaged the target audience and sparked genuine interest in adult literacy programs. This was further supported by local interviews with local service users, to highlight local services around Ireland. 

One of the key strengths of the campaign was its localisation. Understanding the tribal landscape of Ireland, We took a unique approach by incorporating local voices into their ads. To enhance the campaign’s impact further, we employed a multi-channel strategy. In addition to radio spots, the campaign was amplified through the stations’ social media platforms to make the most out of the as well as through urbanmedia digital platform UMAX, with ads specifically targeted to adults 35+. This integrated approach ensured that the message reached a wider audience and maintained consistency across various Channels, whilst also allowing us to deliver on key KPIs

The campaign created over 50 pieces of creative across radio and digital audio, as well as 6 digital videos, that we were able to localise to help with brand relevance. It is believed that localised content with contextual copy creates a positive impression of the brand for them, increasing the strength of the connection between brand and consumer as well as building trust in the medium, and this campaign championed this. 

The success of the campaign was not just in its educational content but also in its ability to foster a sense of community connection. Adult Literacy for Life demonstrated a genuine commitment to understanding and meeting the needs of the diverse Irish population.  The effectiveness of the campaign was evident in both quantitative and qualitative measures. Increased engagement on social media platforms, with over 250K digital impressions and a reach of over 200K across Social media channels, this was also amplified by over 500 radio spot ads, reaching over 600K listeners on air. 

Adult Literacy for Life’ radio advertising campaign on urbanmedia in Ireland stands as a shining example of how strategic collaboration, localised content, and a multi-channel approach can lead to a successful and impactful advertising campaign. By focusing on improving digital adult literacy, Adult Literacy for Life not only empowered individuals but also strengthened the bonds within communities across Ireland. This campaign serves as a testament to the enduring power of radio as a medium.

What is the Adult Literacy for Life?

Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) is a 10-year strategy that aims to ensure that every adult has the necessary literacy, numeracy and digital literacy to fully engage in society and realise their potential. A national programme office has been established by SOLAS, the further education and training authority, to implement the strategy. At regional level, sixteen Regional Literacy Coordinators (RLCs) have been appointed in Education and Training Boards, to drive projects and partnerships that will realise the aims of the ALL Strategy.

Why is it important?

In Ireland, more than 500,000 people have unmet literacy needs. Even more have unmet numeracy and digital literacy needs. This means they may be unable to fill in a form, vote, read instructions on medicines, add up a bill or search the web for information. Literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy have a profound effect on a person’s ability to undertake everyday tasks, participate in society and overall well-being.

The ALL Strategy is important because it will help people gain the necessary skills to achieve their personal, social and employment aspirations so that they can take part fully in society. It will also help staff and organisations to be fully accessible to adults with unmet needs, and support a more inclusive, equal society.

Quid Games was FM104’s response to Netflix series “Squid Game” a survival drama series that took the streaming world by storm with its gripping storyline and intense competition that quickly became a cultural phenomenon.

In the first 4 weeks it had 1.65 billion hours streamed- making it Netflix’s No. 1 show of all time. Inspired by the success of “Squid Game”, “Squid Game – The Challenge” is a reality competition series based on the hit show. In its release week it was the most-watched show globally on Netflix, with 85.7 million hours. It reached No. 1 in 74 countries that same week.

Given the immense popularity of both Squid Game and The Challenge, FM104 took the opportunity to leverage this trend by launching a Squid Games-inspired promotion.

The idea was simple: 104 contestants, 1 winner of €20,000!

This marketing initiative for FM104 was turned around within a very narrow lead time. However, before we knew it, posters were created for an OOH campaign across Dublin, video promos were in the can and tracksuits and face masks were being delivered. FM104 was going to bring their listeners a unique competition experience.

The campaign was teased on air at the start of February to create the talkability around the activation. Pre Promotion ran for a week leading into the recruitment phase across onair, onstreet and social. The response was overwhelming, with thousands of eager listeners signing up to partake in the games and be in with a chance to walk about €20,000 richer.

The first 104 participants were finalised, and preparations were underway to transform the Helix into the ultimate battleground.

The games kicked off at 11 o’clock on the 2nd of March with a game of rock-paper-scissors, followed by TikTok, Line up, Heads or Tails, Connect Four, What’s in the Box, and Jumbo Jenga.

By half-past 4, there were 2 left standing Jennifer and Jane. With hands trembling and brows glistening with sweat, they faced off in a nerve-wracking game of Jumbo Jenga to claim the grand prize.

The teeth-shattering game lasted 25 minutes before Jane said goodbye to €20,000 as the bricks tumbled around her.

That was it, Jennifer had just won herself €20,000! The atmosphere was booming as she jumped across the room in happiness.

Be sure to check out the full video uploaded on YouTube to see how the whole day turned out.

The heartfelt reaction of Jennifer’s father to her big news was one you have to see. It was exactly what you expect a dad to say after she finds out you won €20,000 on a game of Jenga.

The campaign delivered on all fronts, the on air element hit 30% of 25-44 year olds across Dublin, and was supplemented by a targeted out of home and press campaign. Throughout the campaign, video content views soared while digital listener figures reached new heights. Across the campaign impressions reached over 3.7 million.

FM104 Quid Games with Graham & Nathan

This won’t be FM104’s last adventure…the words of Sang-woo from the original series rings true, “We’ve already come too far to end this now.”

Dublin’s Q102, announced an exciting & exclusive partnership called Feel Good Football with the leading youth football development league in Dublin, the DDSL.

This collaboration marks a significant partnership within the grassroots football community, as two iconic Dublin brands join forces to support increasing participation in youth football and a specific focus on bringing a sense of fun back to the sport as well as creating pathways to welcome new players to the league and keep them actively involved, especially young females as well as taking on the culture and behaviours that negatively impact kids and create barriers to progress.

As part of this official partnership, Q102 will actively engage and work with the DDSL, it’s clubs and the football community, providing extensive coverage of league events, player highlights, and behind-the-scenes stories using its multi platform offering across FM listeners, digital streaming and incredible access to Q102’s social channels.

Through on-air promotions, digital platforms, and live broadcasts, Q102 aims to amplify the excitement surrounding youth soccer in Dublin and spotlight the dedication and passion of young athletes.

“We are delighted to partner with the Dublin District Schoolboys & Girls League, to create FeelGood Football, said Vivienne Nagle, Managing Director, Q102 ” We’re hugely aware of the importance of community engagement and the positive impact of sports on young people’s lives. Our aim is to support the development of local boys & girls and celebrate the achievements of young athletes in Dublin.

In conjunction with this partnership and the platform we will offer the DDSL, we have created the Feel Good Football campaign, where we aim to bring back the Feel Good factor to underage football and get more kids involved in playing the beautiful game.”

The DDSL, founded in 1943, has a rich history of nurturing soccer talent in Dublin with almost 3,000 teams and 45,000 players involved in 1,500 games every weekend. The DDSL plays a vital role in the grassroots soccer community, giving children all the benefits that sport brings to the development of our current and future generations.

“We are thrilled to partner with Q102,” said Niall O Driscoll, Chairman at the DDSL. “This collaboration represents a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of youth soccer in Dublin and inspire the next generation of players.

Together with Q102, we look forward to creating memorable experiences for our clubs, players, coaches, and supporters. Through this partnership, Q102 and the DDSL aim to inspire young athletes

This month, we are exploring IKEA’s Kitchen Install Radio campaign, an ad that stood out for Ronan McConnell, Sales Associate with urbanmedia. The creative ability to captivate the listener with an unconventional approach is what distinguishes this ad and leaves a lasting impression.

He can’t stop raving about how IKEA’s simple yet clever creative approach is the recipe for success…

I discovered this gem during a learning-waves workshop: Creative Audio Masterclass by Ralph Van Dijk .  Although the ad is clearly from an Australian campaign and I didn’t experience it through live broadcast, the first time I heard the ad it caught me off guard and got me thinking.

The ad unfolds in a school environment with a child recounting how his holiday went at the time when his parents were putting a new kitchen in. IKEA tested the boundaries by presenting the child’s retelling of the story through profanities, influenced by his parents struggling to assemble the kitchen. 

The ad cleverly highlights how IKEA now provides home installation services, eliminating the need for you to do it yourself and in turn taking away the stress that often results in explosions of profanities that little ears might pick up on (we’ve all been there!)

The ad creates a story that lends itself to real life situations in a funny and innovative way but gets its key message out in a clear and distinctive manner that creates a real point of difference in a cluttered media environment.

It says a lot about the brand, and this is why this particular ad stood out to me.

We were delighted to win the “Audio for Change” award for our LGBTQIA+ radio station Pride Vibes. A passion project created by the team in urbanmedia, in conjunction with Core, the station provides a voice for the community in Ireland and gives them the opportunity to share their story and celebrate Pride.  The station is fully staffed by members of the community and showcased Irish on air talent like Sean Munsanje, Brian Kennedy, Crossy, Stephen Byrne, Rob Kenny and John Power. International talent included Shivani Dave, Vicki Blight and Paris Munro. 

Broadcasting on digital platforms across the summer, and on a temporary FM licence for 30 days the station was a mix of brilliant Pride Music, hard hitting documentaries and magazine style talk shows that helped tell the key stories around the journey for equality and discuss some of the issues that remain today despite the progress made. The station was supported by Core, who played the dual role of commercial partner and trusted advisor ensuring that at all times the station remained authentic. We were also delighted to welcome like minded clients Voltarol, McDonald’s and Dalata Hotel Group whose contributions to the project ensured the delivery of a top class, now award winning, radio station.

The awards were presented by Anton Savage in the style of a radio show, with the nominated adverts providing the breaks in between some really interesting discussions. These included an entertaining chat with Mother of Pod presenters Sophie White, Jen O’Dwyer and a round table session with leading Irish creative leaders Jimmy Murphy, Abi Moran and Joanthan Forrest. Nick Goodman from Bounce and Foley Artist Caoimhe Doyle shared some of the secrets behind the power of sound and the evening was rounded off with a passionate session with chair of the judging panel Pearse McCaughey and fellow judge Sandra Bold.

As well as receiving an award each winner was presented with a cash prize. Urbanmedia will be donating their cash prize, along with a further donation to BelongTo, Pride Vibes charity partner, who do such great work with young people in the LGBTQIA+ community.

The full list of winners on the night were

Casting

Škoda Place Names, by Boys + Girls

Copywriting Craft

Škoda Place Names, by Boys + Girls

Audio for Change

Pride Vibes Radio, by Wireless Ireland

Use of Music

Boys of the NYPD Choir for EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, by the Public House and The Bridge Studio

Speculative

Deeper Connections, by Core Creative

Sound Design

Halloween for TBWA\Dublin and Best Drive, by Mutiny

Broadcaster

Gallagher’s Grand Primera for Mick’s Garage, by Radio Nova

Innovation

Heineken Rival Billboard, by Publicis Dublin

Consumer

A Story Worth Telling for Eason, by Dynamo

Grand Prix

Boys of the NYPD Choir for EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, by the Public House and The Bridge Studio

Creating the ‘’SAY IT’’ campaign for the Road Safety Authority, we knew we needed to look at it differently. In a year where road fatalities were at their highest, we needed to come up with a high impact campaign that aimed to reach the people we love the most: friends and family.

Utilising our in house creative team STUDIO we came up with a concept that worked across all of our radio stations, along with our social, digital and print platforms.

The brief was simple; we needed to create a concise message that could be used across the board, but that would work as an emergency response to the increase in fatalities happening on Irish roads.

Realising that traditional shock advertising and road signs displaying casualty numbers struggle to make the impact they once did in curbing dangerous driving habits, it was time to shift the narrative and initiate a conversation. The best catalysts for change are ‘Loved Ones’ – those often left grieving or tending to life-altering injuries.

However, as we all know from our own experiences loved ones today often hesitate to speak up, especially young men.

This campaign targets these ‘LOVED ONES,’ urging girlfriends, boyfriends, partners, sisters, teammates, classmates, sons, daughters, and anyone who can speak up in a car and take action. This campaign urges people to ‘’SAY IT.’’

The forefront of this campaign were the 10 second radio ads placed at key timings across the day. Hearing a daughter concerned about her mother texting while driving, or a boyfriend worried about his girlfriend who is driving too fast, puts the feeling back into these ads.

STUDIO’s wanted to put the people at the forefront of the message.

These short bursts translated perfectly into social snippets which were also created in house.

Finally, to ensure that we caught our audience on all platforms, we created a high impact print campaign. Using road signs that we are familiar with, our innovative ads not only told a strong message individually, but also spelled the impactful message of this campaign – ‘’SAY IT.’’

One of the triumphs of this campaign is that it can easily be adapted to call out any of the Road Safety Authority messaging. As all assets and the concept were created in house, pre- Christmas we were able to support the RSA’s ‘’Slow Down Day’’ and will continue to support messaging going forward, but always urging loved ones to speak up and ‘’SAY IT.’’

Our radio stations got fully behind this message and as you can hear in the clip above, our on air teams talked at length about the importance of the message.

Creative Director of STUDIO Karen Price said of the campaign:

‘’Our current reality feels like a perpetual crisis, where traditional shock advertising and road signs displaying casualty numbers struggle to make the impact they once did in curbing dangerous driving habits. It’s time to shift the narrative and initiate a conversation. The best catalysts for change are the ‘Loved Ones’ – those often left grieving or tending to life-altering injuries.

Yet, loved ones today often hesitate to speak up, especially among young men. This campaign targets these ‘LOVED ONES,’ urging girlfriends, boyfriends, partners, sisters, teammates, classmates, sons, daughters, and anyone who can speak up in a car to take action. This campaign urges people to ‘’SAY IT.’’

This article is from March’s edition of Urban Media Amplify. For more information or to sign up, visit: https://www.urbanmedia.ie/amplify/

As the parent of a now 14-year-old girl, Dove’s 2021 Self-Esteem Project brought us the ‘Reverse Selfie’ campaign which really opened my eyes to the challenges that children, especially young girls, face on social media.

The pressure of “the perfect selfie” is something I experienced with my own daughter. It’s an area we talked about a lot in terms of being true to yourself and not getting sucked into this material world.

The Dove campaign is exactly what got us talking.

This was launched slap bang in the middle of the Covid pandemic (remember that?) and it shows the pressures social media can have on children, especially make them think they need to to conform to this image focused world.

A picture can speak a thousand words, but I think so can this video. There’s no catchy jingle, no upbeat music – just a striking 60 second piece, playing in reverse capturing what some young girls go through to try and obtain that “perfect selfie” for social media.

I thought it was really powerful stuff.

Damien Halpin, Account Director urbanmedia

This article is from March’s edition of Urban Media Amplify. For more information or to sign up, visit: https://www.urbanmedia.ie/amplify/

Firstly, the station decided to shake up the entire daily programme schedule with a Santa Show Swap Day on Wednesday, December 20th. All the on-air presenter’s names went into the hat, and they were drawn out at random to present shows from 6am to midnight, nobody was safe! The results were hilarious, as the Current Affairs presenter ended up on a night-time music show, the Head of Sport link up with a member of the news team to present the Arts Show, the traditional Irish music presenter teamed up with the Breakfast Show presenter on a late-night Hip-Hop and Dance show and the Head of News did a classic-hits evening show.

Even the receptionist got involved singing the jingles and the CEO joined two male members of the news and sports team to chat for an hour on ‘Loose Men’ a whimsical take on ITV’s Loose Women. It created a real buzz with the station and was well received across Galway Bay FM’s listeners too with everyone getting in the festive mood.

In fact looking at digital listening figures on the 20th December compared to the same day the previous week with Reach up 32% and Active Session saw an increase of 40%. Now that’s Impressive!

Galway Bay FM was very innovative when it adopted a good-humoured approach to promotions by running the Mash Machine for January and February by parodying a similarly named competition that has dominated the programme schedule on several other radio stations for the last number of years.

In the Mash Machine, the presenters across the day on Galway Bay FM gave out an exact number of potatoes and listeners could win that number of spuds in the bag if they answer their phone within five rings and give the exact amount. If the phone isn’t answered, the number of potatoes in the Mash Machine increased the following week and, like the spuds, the excitement continued to grow weekly. It continued to be a bit of fun as listeners across the county got behind activation as you can see from the video below. Spuds or Cash it’s a no brainer!

This article is from March’s edition of Urban Media Amplify. For more information or to sign up, visit: https://www.urbanmedia.ie/amplify/

On March 8th we’ll be asking you to Inspire Inclusion, so that we can forge a more inclusive world for women.

Marking the day is important and we’ll be asking this vital question. When women aren’t present, we must ask: “If not, why not?”

Our radio stations will be helping support this day of collective global activism by highlighting some incredible women in history who are championing the inclusion of women.

LMFM will be joined on-air by Laura Hannon from Kiltail, Co. Meath. Laura gave up her nursing career to become a full-time farmer on her family farm. They’ll be looking at how she’s joined a male dominated field and what that change has been like for her.

Over on Live 95 we’ll be looking at how the inclusion of women changed music forever, specifically songs like Nothing Compares To You, which was written by Prince but made famous by Sinead O’Connor’s iconic voice.

If you tune into C103 in Cork we’ll be discussing the inclusion of women in politics, with a panel of women politicians in conversation.

The Opinion Line on Cork’s 96FM will amplify inclusion by using their show to speak to women of diverse backgrounds who have made Cork their home. 

Internally we’ll be marking International Women’s Day with a special Pair and Share event where we’ll be getting to know the women of the business better by taking time out to do some 1-1 sessions where we explore what we have in common and what makes us different.

We’ll also be raising important funds for women’s charities throughout the week of International Women’s Day. In Limerick, Live 95 will host a coffee morning to raise money for period poverty. 

U105 is partnering with the Radio Academy and Women in Media Belfast for an event at Belfast City Hall on Wed March 6th. The event, supported by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, will hear from a range of women involved in media and linked sectors and at various stages of their careers. 

The rest of our stations across the group will be bringing that theme of inclusion by raising money for Women’s Aid through coffee mornings across the country. 

Inclusion is essential when it comes to paving a path for the future. While celebration of women is part of this annual acknowledgement, we are tasked with remembering that when women are discriminated against, we must call out poor practice and when the treatment of women is not equitable, we must take action.

This article is from March’s edition of Urban Media Amplify. For more information or to sign up, visit: https://www.urbanmedia.ie/amplify/

Dentsu and urbanmedia Reveal Phase Three of Sound Affects Research 

Audio listenership in Ireland is unusual, in that radio remains a particularly strong medium with high levels of listening and engagement throughout the country and across age groups.

Dublin (IE): Dentsu and urbanmedia released the third phase of Sound Affects research on Thursday November 9th, a bi-yearly study focusing on the impact AI will have on audio in Ireland. This research included an experiment with six consumer groups looking at perceptions of, and engagement with, Artificial Intelligence (AI) as well as a nationally representative listening attitudes and behaviour survey.

Background

In 2019, the first phase of Sound Affects explored the impact that digital audio, particularly the rise of podcasts, would have on radio listenership; while in 2021, Sound Affects looked at the impact of Covid-19 on audio behaviour. 

We found that radio remains incredibly robust, while audio across radio, streamed music and podcasts had a real revival during Covid-19 with very high levels of trust and engagement with radio. 

The ‘new normal’ and audio

In 2023, Sound Affects continued to track listening across radio, streamed music and podcasts. One of the biggest changes compared to 2021 is the impact of the return to the commute on radio listenership. It was clear that many people have returned to audio while driving/commuting to work in the morning – an important time for brands to reach their core audience.

Radio remains the most listened to audio medium in Ireland. According to JNLR over 90% of the population listen to radio weekly, while this research found that Irish adults are listening to an average of over 9 hours of radio a week. People are also more likely to recall what they were listening to on radio (70%) than either streamed music (64%) or podcasts (65%); while two in five people (41%) would move radio station if their favourite radio presenters moved there. 

Listener segments

In 2021, Sound Affects found four new listener segments, created using information about adults’ audio attitudes and behaviours. This was a new way to look at the way people listen to radio, podcasts and music beyond segmenting by gender or age. 

The four segments were:

1. Audio Addicts 
2. Purposeful listeners
3. Companion listeners
4. Light listeners 

The way they engaged with and chose to listen to audio differed across the groups. In 2023, Sound Affects looked at these segments again. The research found that the:

• • Audio Addict group has grown, now accounting for over a third of the population (37%). These people are very engaged with audio, tend to be younger and male and listening to audio accounts for 20% of their time spent with media. This is a really exciting space for media owners and for brands as they represent people who are seen as hard to reach by advertising on traditional media. 
  • Companion listeners are another exciting group for radio stations in particular as they spend a large amount of time (nearly 15 hours a week on average) listening to the radio. These listeners tend to be a bit older and female and make up nearly a quarter of adults (23%).  

• Purposeful listeners make active choices around what they listen to and are the most prolific listeners to streamed music. They tend to choose audio based on mood and are the most ad-avoidant of the groups, making them less important for brands in the audio space. Although they also listen to a significant amount of audio, they spend a very high proportion of their media time online.

AI and Audio

AI has grown and evolved at unprecedented levels. Open access AI algorithms gained much popularity and coverage in 2023, becoming accessible to anyone with internet access. The research found only one in four people (23%) have not used any application of artificial intelligence, with the most commonly used applications being in home smart speakers or personal assistants like Alexa (45%) and Siri (31%) followed by Chat GPT (27%).

Figure 1: Adults prior use of AI applications

However, what is perceived as being AI differs; and worries, suspicion and discomfort associated with AI increase​ as people age​. The impact on jobs was a particular concern in the qualitative study. 

“AI is everywhere as far as I can see…I think we’re using AI a lot more than we think we are…people will lose jobs because of it…but there are so many huge things coming down the line”

In contrast, curiosity regarding AI is high across all age groupings – with greater variation in other positive emotions​ such as intrigue and excitement. Despite qualitative findings illustrating a great diversity in peoples’ knowledge and understanding of AI, the survey found that most people (73%) claim to have some level of understanding of AI and 1 in 5 claim to know exactly what is meant by AI. Asked about openness to potential future applications of AI, particularly across audio, AI voiced translations were the most positively perceived applications. 

Figure 2: Openness to potential applications of AI

Can consumers identify AI content?

Using an experimental design, consumer groups were exposed to two audio clips – one was AI generated audio content and the second was a breakfast radio clip to explore their perceptions, interest and engagements with AI. Using professional cloning of two radio breakfast hosts, the AI content was written by Chat GPT and voiced by professionally cloned AI voices. Four groups of participants were not told that they would be listening to AI and very few consumers picked up that it could be AI generated. The research demonstrated that future developments in AI will further reduce people’s ability to differentiate between ‘real’ and AI generated voices.

There was a lot of discomfort with the idea of AI voiced radio within the consumer groups, particularly amongst those who were primed and aware that the content they were listening to would be AI. Overall radio listeners are hesitant to believe that AI will replace the radio presenters they currently know and love, although they are unsure what might be coming down the tracks. 

“Whether we like it or not AI is going to be part of the world…I don’t think it will capture the banter and rapport between people on Irish radio stations”​

From left to Right: Claire O’Rourke, Brian McCarthy, Dael Wood

“We set out to understand AI’s impact on radio and what we learnt is that AI is going to impact audio, but it’s about understanding where and when to use it. There are clear opportunities that AI can unlock and there are clear places where AI is not ready to impact.”

Dael Wood, Strategic Consulting Director, dentsu

“Sound Affects 3 has again provided us with some really insightful findings which will help us lead the Irish audio market in an exciting direction. While we don’t see AI replacing presenter or listener interactions anytime soon it does provide some incredible product and personalisation opportunities that we can bring to clients. The research also confirms the vital role radio, and the wider audio ecosystem, plays in Irish peoples lives and the increased levels of “audio addicts” highlights the importance of it as a medium. It also reminds us some more traditional thinking remains valid including taking advantage of the captive “in car audience” which has clearly returned post COVID”

Brian McCarthy, Commercial and Operations Director, urbanmedia

– ENDS –

For more insight and information about the research contact

Claire O Rourke, Research Director, dentsu.  

Claire.orourke@dentsu.com

Dael Wood, Strategic Consulting Director, dentsu. 

dael.wood@dentsu.com 

Brian McCarthy, Commercial and Operations Director, urbanmedia.

brian.mccarthy@urbanmedia.ie

The Pop Up Radio Station that celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community returns for 2023 with a brilliant lineup of LGBTQIA+ talent.

L-R Stefano Pappalardo (GCN), Ryan Reid, Ellen Hudson, Alexander Glover (Zenith Media), Gemma Kavanagh (Core Sponsorship) Thomas Crosse (Pride Vibes Presenter) Brian McCarthy, Grá Ryan (Wireless Ireland/urbanmedia) Emma Dornan (Belong To) Shane Mulchrone ( Dalata Hotel Group PLC)

Pride Vibes has begun broadcasting digitally across Ireland to celebrate Pride and for the first time will go live on FM from June 14th. The station which launched last year for Pride returns bigger and better in 2023 with a lineup of presenters that includes Sean Munsanje, Shivani Dave, Crossy, Stephen Byrne, Vicki Blight and Brian Kennedy.

The role of Pride Vibes is to shine a light on Irish life by celebrating the successes of the LGBTQIA+ community and start conversations around the issues that matter. Through music and custom speech content we celebrate Pride and hear from real people as they describe their experiences, their hopes and their fears. The primary focus of the content is aimed at celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community across the country, with a focus on the regional Pride festivals, Pride happenings and more as they occur. Pride Vibes looks at the issues both nationally and locally and celebrates organisations and trail blazers from the community. 

Our focus is across the entire community and in conjunction with the community, we hope to make a difference. We’ll be working alongside GCN to deliver important Pride updates and as part of our mission to make a difference, Pride Vibes has teamed up with charity partner BelongTo, a national youth services organisation supporting LGBTI+ young people in Ireland. 

The music policy of the station will have a broad appeal with the best new music, all time classics and the inclusion of specialist music shows – from anthems to Eurovision hits, to highlighting up & coming music talent within the community.

Sean Munsanje, who takes on the role of Station Manager for Pride Vibes 23 said 

“ I’m so delighted to be station manager for Pride Vibes 23. The station was a huge success last year and with the FM licence we’ve obtained for this year we have huge plans for growing the station and making it bigger and better than ever. 

“This year we’ll have interviews with some of the community’s biggest names. We’ll have documentaries and features daily delving into LGBTQIA+ culture and what it means in 2023.  Our reporters nationwide will be updating the country on each Pride festival – with what’s happening, as it’s happening. If all that isn’t enough we’ll be playing the best music to take you through every pride festival all summer long 24/7. 

Pride is a time of year that’s all about celebrating the Queer community and that’s what Prides Vibes is all about. I’m so proud of the team involved in making this year’s Pride Vibes such a packed schedule with top tier talent made for the community, by the community. Happy Pride ”

The creation of the radio station would not be possible without the support of our marketing and advertising partner Core, who last year attained the prestigious Investors in Diversity Gold accreditation mark from the Irish Centre for Diversity. Core have brought on board 3  client partners – McDonald’s, Dalata and Voltarol, who will use the station to showcase their support for Pride in Ireland.

L-R Brian Mc Carthy (Wireless Ireland/ urbanmedia), Gemma Kavanagh (Core Sponsorship), Thomas Crosse (Pride Vibes) Emma Dornan (Belong To) Stefano Pappalardo (GCN)

Brian McCarthy, Group Commercial and Operations Director for Wireless Ireland said 

“ We’re honoured to be able to deliver a radio station that speaks to and for the LGBTQIA+ community in Ireland. With estimates of between 6-10% of the population identifying themselves as members, it’s really important that a medium as powerful as audio reflects this in its output. We’re delighted to have been able to bring brands of such stature as McDonald’s, Dalata PLC and Voltarol on board to support the station and also to again partner with Belong To and GCN. I’d like to thank them, and our partners at Core, for sharing our vision of delivering an authentic voice for the community and building on last year’s success. Turning on the FM transmitters will be the culmination of a massive amount of work from the team in Wireless Ireland and everyone else involved and a moment that we can all be very proud of.”

Pride Vibes will broadcast on FM on the following frequencies Dublin 105.2FM, Cork 106.7FM and 88.7FM, Limerick 105.5FM, Galway 87.9FM, North East 104.2FM and South East 103.8FM as well as nationwide on pridevibes.ie. You can also check out PrideVibesRadio on Instagram or Tik Tok

For More Information please contact Brian McCarthy, Group Operations and Commercial Director Wireless Ireland on brian.mccarthy@urbanmedia.ie or +353 87 6056955

Photographs and Details – All Photo credits – Stephen King O’Farrell

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