Digital Broadcasting

RTÉ's digital radio services are now available via Chorus ntl digital.

Four of RTÉ's digital radio services are now available to over 85% of the population via UPC Ireland's digital platforms. The addition of these stations over UPC's transmission networks means that the services are in most homes across Ireland and available on three platforms: DAB digital radio, online and UPC Digital.

RTÉ launched six digital radio services last December including the four services RTÉ Choice, RTÉ Junior, RTÉ Pulse and RTÉ 2XM. These four services are now available via UPC Ireland's television platform.

Paul Russell, Head of RTÉ Radio's New Media Unit says:

"The fact that RTÉ Radio's digital radio services are now available on UPC means that more listeners can enjoy this new wave of radio. Music fans should enjoy our dance service, Pulse and RTÉ 2fm's sister station, 2XM. Talk radio fans will be drawn to our mix of international and archive programming on RTÉ Choice. Then, RTÉ Junior is our service for children aged 2 to twelve"

Simon Kelehan, Head of TV / Radio for UPC Ireland added,

"We're delighted that our digital customers can now access these high quality radio channels easily through our digital TV/Radio service, further extending the reach of these exciting new radio channels. We're constantly adding new content to our digital line-up and we're looking forward to making similar announcements in the future."

RTÉ Choice is RTÉ Radio 1's complementary speech service. Ronan Kelly, the award-winning RTÉ Radio 1 producer behind the station, has tailored a schedule of international and vintage RTÉ Radio programmes to suit Irish listeners. The schedule includes current affairs, feature and documentary programming from eighteen different international public service broadcasters including U.S. National Public Radio (NPR), the BBC World Service, Radio Canada, Radio Australia, Radio Czech Republic and UN Radio.

RTÉ Junior is Ireland's first children's only radio service. Aimed at children aged 2 to 12 the service is all about music, fun and entertainment. RTÉ Junior broadcasts chart music when older children might be listening to the radio and during the day when senior juniors are at school the station broadcasts nursery rhymes and story songs for children from 2 to 5 years of age. At 7pm there are bedtime stories and lullabies for younger radio listeners while at 8pm there are audio books for the 'Not So Junior' members of the family. At 9pm RTÉ Chill, a late night service of electronica, ambient and chill-out music, takes over from RTÉ Junior until 7am the next morning.

RTÉ 2XM is a sister station to RTÉ 2fm. The alternative, indie, rock station features eighteen different live and pre-recorded, presenter-led programmes from Monday through to Sunday. RTÉ Pulse is a 24 hour dance station featuring a play list of commercial dance music during the day, aimed at anyone from gym goers to parents at home to workers on the move. In the evenings twenty nine RTÉ Pulse DJs from across Ireland and from London play every genre of dance music aimed at dance music fans across the board.

At year end 2008 UPC had a reported total of 537,300 Chorus ntl subscribers. The Chorus ntl service is available in twenty four counties of the Republic of Ireland and to 85% of the population.

RTÉ Radio's FM services: RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ lyric fm and RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta are already available on the Chorus/NTL platform which means that there are eight RTÉ Radio services in total on the platform. A further service, RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, is also available and will be officially launched later this year.

DAB NOW AVAILABLE ON UPC

Five of RTÉ's digital radio services are available from today (Saturday, 11th April) on UPC's national digital platform. This means if you're a UPC customer you can hear these stations via your television.

RTÉ Choice, the tailored world service for Irish audiences, RTÉ Junior, Ireland's only kids station, music services RTÉ Pulse and RTÉ 2XM and RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, a station with more sport and RTÉ Radio specials, are all available via UPC.

RTÉ Digital Radio Services are available on the below UPC TV Channels:

RTÉ Radio 1 Extra - 940
RTÉ Choice - 941
RTÉ Junior - 942
RTÉ Pulse - 943
RTÉ 2XM - 944

All of RTÉ's Digital Radio services are also available to listen to on DAB Digital Radio sets in the Greater Dublin and North East Coast area, Cork and Limerick cities and online at www.rte.ie/digitalradio