Ryan Tubridy, a former presenter for RTÉ, has been successful in attracting 503,000 listeners on Rupert Murdoch’s Virgin Radio UK. A 10 per cent increase in listenership was recorded during his first two quarters on air. 457,000 listeners were initially recorded in the January-March segment, which subsequently increased by 46,000 in the following April-June quarter. This data was gathered as part of the latest RAJAR survey for the UK radio industry and disclosed by Tubridy himself.
Tubridy expressed his appreciation for the growing listenership, attributing it to the unwavering support of his production team and management. He also extended his gratitude to the listeners and welcomed new ones. He compared his show to a constantly developing club.
The RAJAR survey, however, did not account for Tubridy’s listenership on Dublin’s Q102, which also broadcasts his Virgin show. Tubridy’s 503,000 listeners in the second quarter vastly outnumber his previous audience on RTÉ Radio 1 and surpass the midmorning slot’s listenership of Virgin Radio UK from the previous year.
Tubridy, who describes his inclusion in the London-based station’s team as a source of immense joy, began his weekday show from 10am-1pm on Virgin Radio UK on January 2nd, following his agreement to join the station. The decision, announced in November after a public courtship that saw Tubridy make a guest appearance on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show, raises the station’s stature.
Tubridy’s departure to London came after RTÉ was embroiled in a secret payments scandal. In June 2023, it was disclosed that the broadcaster had covertly made payments to Tubridy under a side-deal. In August, new RTÉ Director General, Kevin Bakhurst, stated there were “no plans” to rehire the presenter for Radio 1. The departure from The Late Late Show on RTÉ One in March 2023, marked the end of Tubridy’s extensive successful stint with RTÉ, where he was the most highly paid presenter.
During his tenure as the host of Radio 1’s 9am-10am segment, the peak audience figure was recorded in 2020, hitting 381,000. This is according to the Joint National Listenership Research – the research body of Ireland’s radio industry. The final audience count during his stint at the station stood at 334,000.
An accurate representation of his Q102 show’s popularity will only be unveiled early next year, as the JNLR uses a rolling 12-month period for its surveys.
Mr. Tubridy has recently taken an annual holiday from Virgin Radio UK. In his absence, his show is being run by Vogue Williams, while Angela Scanlon, another Irish presenter and host for Virgin’s weekend show, replaces Mr. Evans on the breakfast slot. Meanwhile, the first round of his podcast, The Book Shelf with Ryan Tubridy, has been successfully completed and a second season is forthcoming.