Record Audiences for Midlands 103 and South East Radio

Midlands 103 and South East Radio are celebrating record-breaking audience figures, as the latest independent JNLR research confirms the enduring strength of local radio in Irish communities.

The JNLR/Ipsos 2026-2 report, covering July 2025 to June 2026, delivers landmark results for both stations.

Midlands 103 has recorded the biggest daily audience in its history, with 82,000 adults now tuning in on an average weekday. The station’s market share has also surged by four percentage points to 32%, meaning almost one in every three minutes spent listening to radio in Laois, Offaly and Westmeath is spent with Midlands 103.

The new daily audience surpasses the station’s previous record of 81,000, set in 2025, and continues a period of sustained audience growth for the Midlands broadcaster.

Meanwhile, South East Radio has achieved the biggest weekly audience in its history, reaching 80,000 adults across County Wexford.

The milestone builds on significant growth over the past 18 months, during which the station’s weekly audience has risen substantially. South East Radio also retains an extraordinary lead in its home market, with a share of listening nearly three times that of its nearest competitor.

The results demonstrate the continuing power of family owned and locally focused radio at a time when Irish audiences have more media choices than ever before.

Will Faulkner, Managing Director, South East Radio and Midlands 103

Managing Director Will Faulkner said the figures belong first and foremost to the listeners and the teams serving them every day.

“These are two exceptional results, but what makes them particularly meaningful is that they have been achieved by stations whose entire purpose is to serve their local communities.

“82,000 people choosing Midlands 103 every day and a record 80,000 people choosing South East Radio every week is a tremendous vote of confidence in local broadcasting.

“Our listeners invite us into their homes, cars and workplaces every day. They trust us for the news that affects their families and communities, they turn to us for companionship and entertainment, and they rely on us to be there when something important happens locally.

“That relationship can never be taken for granted. I want to sincerely thank every person who tunes in, as well as the extraordinarily committed teams at Midlands 103 and South East Radio who work every day to earn that loyalty.”

The success of both stations comes against a remarkably strong backdrop for Irish radio generally.

The latest JNLR research shows that almost 3.5 million Irish adults listen to radio on an average weekday, equivalent to 78% of the adult population, while 89% listen during the course of a week.

Listeners are also spending an average of 231 minutes – almost four hours – with radio each day.

Local and regional broadcasting remains at the heart of that relationship, with approximately 2.3 million adults listening to a local or regional radio station every weekday.

Radio is also successfully adapting to changing technology and listening habits. Connected devices now account for 12% of all radio listening, rising to 18% among 15–34-year-olds, while smart speakers alone account for 8% of total listening.

The figures reinforce radio’s unusual ability to combine mass reach with a close relationship with individual communities.

That connection is particularly significant for local news. The Digital News Report Ireland 2025 found that 72% of Irish people trust local radio news, placing it among the country’s most trusted sources of news.

Mr Faulkner said the latest JNLR results demonstrate that investment in distinctive local content remains central to the future of both stations.

“There is sometimes an assumption that greater choice inevitably fragments audiences. These figures tell a much more interesting story.

“People have unlimited access to content from all over the world, yet huge numbers continue to choose a radio station rooted in the place where they live.

“Our job is to keep giving them compelling reasons to make that choice: trusted journalism, strong personalities, great music, community involvement and conversations that genuinely matter locally.

“For advertisers too, these results are hugely significant. Midlands 103 and South East Radio offer businesses something increasingly difficult to find elsewhere – substantial, independently measured audiences combined with an exceptionally strong connection to the communities those businesses want to reach.”

The latest figures continue a strong run for both broadcasters.

South East Radio reached 79,000 weekly listeners earlier this year following double-digit annual audience growth, while Midlands 103 had already grown its weekly audience to 112,000 in the previous JNLR reporting period.

Today’s results take that momentum further – establishing a new all-time daily record for Midlands 103 and a new all-time weekly record for South East Radio.

Source: JNLR/Ipsos 2026-2 (July 2025–June 2026). JNLR – Joint National Listenership Research – is commissioned on behalf of Ireland’s national, regional and local radio stations and industry bodies, with fieldwork conducted independently by Ipsos MRBI.