Cool FM goes to Number 1 in Northern Ireland
Last updated 18th May 2023
It’s election day in Northern Ireland and radio stations have just received their very own set of results with a clear winner just announced!
Cool FM has shot to Number 1 in Northern Ireland’s radio ratings, surpassing BBC Radio Ulster to become the most listened to radio station in the country!
According to official research just released by RAJAR Cool FM has increased its audience to 489,000 weekly listeners taking the Number 1 position while BBC Radio Ulster fall behind with 456,000 weekly listeners.
Cool FM’s new market position comes as more and more people are listening to the radio via digital sources.
Content Director Stuart Robinson explains that Cool’s rise up the ratings has been over 30 years in the making “advances in digital technology in recent years has enabled Cool FM to unlock additional audiences from across Northern Ireland as the station is now attracting a significant listener base from outside its original Greater Belfast coverage area. More and more listeners are now tuning in on DAB radio, apps and we’ve seen huge growth fuelled by smart speaker listening”.
The new radio figures show impressive growth for Cool FM’s sister stations Downtown Radio and Downtown Country also increasing listenership to 289,000 and 193,000 listeners respectively.
Stuart says “In an ever competitive audio landscape, we are obviously delighted that all three of our radio brands in Northern Ireland are posting such a strong performance.
"Cool FM’s Pete, Paulo and Rebecca now have the biggest radio show in Northern Ireland with an unrivalled 310,000 listening to their breakfast show each week.
"These figures show what an enduring medium radio really is. Over the years local radio has faced down the rise of music television, vinyl, cassettes, CD’s and in more recent times the downloading and streaming boom, yet a huge 92% of people in Northern Ireland still listen to the radio every single week”.