Newstalk

Newstalk is Ireland's only commercial all-talk station, broadcasting opinion, analysis, entertainment and sport.

The show mixes current affairs analysis, human interest interviews with light entertainment stories and live music.

Off The Ball is on at 7pm and covers Irish sport and stories to the Newstalk audience with in depth analysis and debate.

[1] On 5 November 2020, Newstalk announced it had recorded an all-time high weekly reach of 804,000 listeners, up 62,000 on the same time the previous year.

[2] In 1999 the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) invited applications for a number of new Dublin radio services, expanding on the then duopoly of 98FM and FM104.

The first 20/20 news bulletins were presented by several newsreaders including Eimear Lowe, James Healy, Dyane Connor, Dimitri O'Donnell, Sean Archibald and Abigail Reilly.

The media expressed concern at its relative lack of star names and proliferation of unknowns, though noted the presence of George Hook and Seán Moncrieff.

This schedule together with the continuity of George Hook, Off the Ball, Sean Moncrieff and Tom Dunne has driven the station to new heights of daily listenership and standing.