One hundred years after forerunner 2RN made the first test transmissions of its new radio service, RTÉ will go live on Monday with its “refreshed” weekday schedule on Radio 1.

It’s the biggest overhaul of the station since January, 1999, with time slots as well as presenter line-ups being rejigged. But is this a dramatic “Newstalkification” of Radio 1 designed to attract younger listeners by being brasher and less formal? Or is it closer to a modest evolution of tried-and-tested formats that represents a missed prospect for something more ambitious?

Here is what’s happening: David McCullagh takes over the Today show and starts one hour earlier at 9am, directly following Morning Ireland.Oliver Callan moves to 11am and doubles his slot to two hours. Kieran Cuddihy, a new voice to RTÉ, inherits the Liveline seat, while Louise Duffy’s music-led show moves to 3pm. And Drivetime, now presented by Katie Hannon and colm Ó Mongáin, starts half an hour earlier at 4pm, finishing at 6pm to allow for an hour of inside Sport, a new programme presented by Jacqui Hurley and Marie Crowe.

“This came out of the blue. We weren’t aware that this level of a shake-up was on the cards, actually,” says Hannon over Zoom.

so will thier show be different from the one presented by sarah McInerney and Cormac Ó hEadhra?

“We’re kind of grabbing the baton to some degree,” she says. “What we’re thinking about is the people we’re broadcasting to and the kind of head space they’re going to be in. With our news and current affairs backgrounds,we have strong news instincts,so we want to keep that up by breaking stories and doing big interviews. But we’re also conscious that it’s the end of the working day and people might feel like they need a breather as well, so we want to have a bit of fun with it.”

Listeners’ expectations have changed, partly in response to the popularity of more relaxed-sounding podcasts, with the result that radio is “no longer about just coming in and reading your script”, says Hannon.

“I definitely don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

Ó Mongáin, her co-host, expects some adrenaline will prove helpful when the on-air light goes red on Monday.

“Going live on day one of a whole new schedule is kind of nail-biting on one level but it’s exciting too. You do need that sense of jeopardy to get you into it when you’re live on air,” he says.

Have RTÉ managers told the duo what they expect from their

RTÉ Radio 1 reshuffle: is this a new direction or a Newstalk stamp?

RTÉ Radio 1 is undergoing a notable schedule revamp, a move that has raised questions about the station’s future direction. the changes, driven by the arrival of new director of audio Patricia Monahan, follow the retirement of Liveline’s Joe Duffy and Claire Byrne’s move to Newstalk.

Despite a turbulent year for RTÉ, including a breakdown in trust following the controversy in August 2023, radio 1’s listenership remains robust. The latest Joint National Listenership Research survey reveals a weekly reach of 1,376,000 listeners – the onyl station exceeding one million – and a stable peak-time market share of 20.1 per cent,considerably ahead of Today FM (8.8 per cent) and Newstalk (7.6 per cent).

This success means the reshuffle isn’t a response to declining figures. Instead, it’s a proactive attempt to reshape the station under new leadership.Monahan’s initial decisions, such as dropping Ray D’Arcy, have garnered considerable attention. The subsequent announcement of the reshuffle was criticised for lacking crucial details, including the identity of the new sports programme presenter. While Mary McInerney’s future role remains unconfirmed, she is expected to maintain a presence on RTÉ and Radio 1, with Ó hEadhra taking over Late Debate.

Monahan has refuted claims that she’s aiming to replicate a “newstalk stamp” on Radio 1, asserting her intention to forge a new path without simply mirroring existing stations. The effectiveness of this strategy, and whether it will resonate with Radio 1’s loyal audience, remains to be seen.

new RTÉ Radio 1 Schedule: What’s Changing and Will It Work?

RTÉ Radio 1 has unveiled a revamped schedule, aiming to refresh its appeal and attract a wider audience. The changes follow the retirement of long-standing presenters like Joe Duffy and mary Byrne, and represent a significant shift for the national broadcaster.

Kieran Cuddihy steps into the prominent Liveline slot,taking over from Duffy. Simultaneously occurring, Oliver Callan will present a new show from 9am, and Brenda Donohue will host a lunchtime programme. These appointments signal a move towards a younger demographic, but will it be enough to secure the station’s future?

According to Siún Ní Raghallaigh, RTÉ’s Director-General, the goal is to “evolve” Radio 1, not “revolutionise” it. She believes the changes strike a balance between maintaining the station’s core identity and attracting new listeners. “We’re not trying to be something we’re not,” she says. “We’re building on what’s strong.”

The challenge of recruiting new listeners isn’t unique to RTÉ, she says: “There is definitely a risk that younger audiences won’t find Radio 1, but that’s a problem for all stations.”

Perhaps the most intriguing change, according to O’Shea, is the introduction of Inside Sport at 6pm, a time of day when listenership starts to fall off.

“It might very well be an advantage to have a sport show starting at 6pm, as it means they’re getting in ahead of Newstalk’s Off the Ball at 7pm. The female presenter line-up also gives it the capacity to offer something different from its competitors.”

But the new radio 1 schedule has also been criticised for being limited in scope, with RTÉ accused of failing to sufficiently distinguish itself from commercial rivals.

“The lack of imagination about what radio can be is so dispiriting,” says Dr Roddy Flynn, associate professor and chair of communications studies at Dublin City university. At the moment, RTÉ does “a good news and current affairs job”, while relegating more ambitious programming to the margins, he believes.

It’s not that the pe