RTÉ DIGITAL RADIO LIVE FROM MONDAY, 1 DECEMBER
RTÉ’s six new digital radio services went live at www.rte.ie/digitalradio and on DAB digital radio sets from 00:01am on Monday morning.
The six services: RTÉ Choice, RTÉ Junior, RTÉ Gold, RTÉ 2XM, RTÉ Pulse and RTÉ Chill, are available to listen to nationwide online at www.rte.ie/digitalradio. Those living in the Greater Dublin area, Cork and Limerick cities have the option of listening to the services on DAB digital radio sets available from retailers in those areas.
RTÉ Radio’s New Media producer Paul Russell says;
“We’re very excited about the new digital radio services. There is something for everyone on them. This is a start-up project which means it is experimental. It’s also a great opportunity for talent development. I’m sure listeners will sense the energy and passion of the new voices on the digital airwaves who are contributing to these services. It’s a big radio adventure so do expect to be surprised and of course, let us know what you think”
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 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 kids only radio service. Aimed at children aged 2 to 12 the service is all about music, fun and entertainment. Louise Foxe, who presents Pop Pop, a children’s chart music programme every week day from 8am to 9am on RTÉ Junior says;
“I’m really looking forward to giving you the latest pop news, playing your birthday requests, giving you the RTÉ Junior joke of the day and hearing what you’d like to hear on RTÉ Junior”
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 younger children. 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.
RTÉ 2XM is a sister station to RTÉ 2fm. The alternative, indie, rock station features eighteen different 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 RTÉ Pulse DJs from across Ireland and from London play various genres of dance music aimed at dance connoisseurs.
RTÉ Chill is a late night service of electronica, ambient and chill-out music broadcasting from 9pm to 7am while RTÉ Gold plays ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s hits and B-sides. RTÉ intends to go live with full schedules for RTÉ Gold in 2009.
Sections of RTÉ’s new digital radio services rely on automated play lists however RTÉ Junior, RTÉ 2XM and RTÉ Pulse feature twenty nine new voices on the RTÉ airwaves as well as some more familiar RTÉ voices.
Full schedules for RTÉ Choice, RTÉ Junior, RTÉ 2XM and RTÉ Pulse will be available from rte.ie/digitalradio from Monday, 1 December.
