RTÉ to Close its Medium Wave Radio Transmission Service

RTÉ announced today that it will close its RTÉ Radio 1 Medium Wave (MW) transmission service on the 24 March this year. 

RTÉ has decided to close Medium Wave as the technology offers poor value for money, is environmentally unsound and out of date; with poor quality reception and audio.  No other Irish station broadcasts on MW.  The closure will not affect RTÉ Radio 1's existing FM or LW 252 national services.

RTÉ's MW service has brought the world into homes all over the country since 1926 capturing moments of history and life through decades of news, sport, features and entertainment. Listeners began to leave MW when the superior sound of FM was introduced in the 1970s and today more than 90% of RTÉ Radio 1 listening is on FM.  In addition the growth of new platforms such as podcasting, mobile phones and digital radio, mean that radio audiences have a much wider choice of when and how to listen.

JP Coakley, Head of Operations, RTÉ Radio says;

"Our audience research tells us that MW listening is largely based on habit rather than necessity.  Our job now is to convince MW listeners that there are other ways to listen that are as good as, if not better, than Medium Wave"

Once the MW transmission service is switched off in March MW audiences can continue to listen to the same RTÉ Radio 1 programmes on FM.  Listeners who tune into MW specifically for additional RTÉ Radio 1 programming such as weekday sports broadcasts and religious services will find those programmes on LW 252 and a range of digital platforms.

RTÉ Radio 1's LW 252 service was introduced in 2004 and was upgraded in 2007.  The signal carries throughout Ireland, into Britain and beyond*.

RTÉ will launch a public information campaign for MW listeners next Friday.  The campaign includes on air MW announcements, newsletters and press releases for listeners, representative bodies and stakeholder groups; an information number to call for assistance on tuning to FM and a voucher scheme providing half price FM/LW radios for those most in need.

Ends

*Note: LW 252 carries considerably further than MW.  This is especially relevant to the maritime community and the Irish community in Britain.