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Youth pop station Raidió Rí-Rá welcome two new full-time employees - Marketing Manager and Programme Director - marking a huge step for the station that aims to provide a national FM service for young people as Gaeilge. The two new broadcasters will work alongside current Station Manager, Emma Ní Chearúil, to develop the on-air schedule and news service, produce new on-air and online content, run school workshops and develop an advertising and marketing department for the station. Both roles are supported by funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
To date, there has only been one full-time Raidió Rí-Rá employee. This new development will help the station provide a more comprehensive service on their current digital platform (rrr.ie) and contribute to the ongoing campaign to bring Raidió Rí-Rá to national FM airwaves.
This week, Raidió Rí-Rá will welcome Marketing Manager, Aisling Ní Dhonnabháin (Eco Laoch, Cúla4) and Programme Director, Jade Buttle (Beat FM).
Speaking on their plans Emma Ní Chearúil, Raidió Rí-Rá Manager said “This is an exciting time for Raidió Rí-Rá. It is really energising to be working in a space that is always developing and improving, especially with a new team ready to take on new challenges and steps to achieve the station’s long term goals now. Because this is a new team, we have the opportunity to foster a fun and inspiring culture and broadcasting style both in studio and on-air. We are looking forward to taking on challenges and reaching new heights in the coming year.
"Our voluntary broadcasters are still at the heart of the station and we hope that as a team we will be able to provide better services, training, and feedback schemes for them, so that the next generation of Irish language broadcasters can develop their skills here at Raidió Rí-Rá.”
Last year, research published by Coimisiún na Meán highlighted younger listeners’ interest in having greater choice in Irish language audio content. This funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media will help Raidió Rí-Rá step further into that sphere.
Currently, Raidió Rí-Rá broadcasts 24/7 online as a chart station for young people and is aiming to broadcast full-time on FM and other platforms in the future.
Traic Ó Braonáin, Raidió Rí-Rá Chairperson commented “Figures show that young people are interested in hearing more content that is suitable for their own age group, their special interests, and related to topics and music that they like. Raidió Rí-Rá is already available on a full-time basis online and we are working to develop our service on an FM platform to meet this demand. We would like to thank the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for their continued support and for this new development opportunity.”
