>>>Rte 2fm finally reached 50/50 Gender Parity after 9 months, following the footsteps of sister station Rte Radio 1, the only Radio Station with total parity and diversity from the get go.
>>>Galway Bay FM & KCLRFM become the first 2 Regional Radio Stations in Ireland to have an Irish female act as #1 in their Top 20 Playlist charts.
>>> Dublin Station SPIN 103.8 becomes the first-ever Irish radio station to play 60% Irish female acts on their heavy rotation Top 20 Airplay charts and 40% Male.
>>> Dublin stations 98fm almost reach Gender Parity at 35% Gender Parity!
>>> TIPP FM shift from 100% all Male artists on their heavy rotation playlists to 25% female!
>>>Today FM finally include the voices of Irish women in their Top 20 heavy rotation charts, reaching 15% female artists and #1 artist in their Top 20 is Lea Heart!
This gives us so much feel-good vibes posting this!
Nationally: Rte 2fm finally reached 50/50 Gender Parity after 9 months, following the footsteps of sister station Rte Radio 1, the only Radio Station with total parity and diversity from the get-go. The parity also has reached superb diversity with 5 songs from the bipoc community included in the Top 20.
Today FM finally include the voices of Irish women in their Top 20 heavy rotation charts, reaching 15% female artists, still a long way to go, it signals positive change towards parity and inclusion with Soule still receiving plays on her hit ‘Love Tonight’, Elaine Mai receiving support on her new song ‘No Forever’ and Lea Heart leading with her song ‘Older’.
Regionally: Well done to Galway Bay FM & KCLRFM! They’ve become Ireland’s first Regional Radio stations to have an Irish female act – Lea Heart – as their #1 most played Irish artist on heavy rotation across their playlist in 2021, shifting the spotlight away from Dermot Kennedy, Niall Horan, Picture This and Gavin James along with predominantly 85% of male acts who lead the coveted the positions for the past number of years. TIPP FM also made the shift from 100% all Male artists on their heavy rotation playlists to 25% female! Beat FM continue to shift towards change with 40% gender parity, WLRFM who were 100% Male are now at 35% Female and iRadio are now at 30% Female.
Irish Women In Harmony graced the Top 5 and Top 10 positions last year in a groundbreaking shift towards Irish radio including the voices of domestic female acts from Ireland on their heavy rotation playlists. But this groundbreaking shift signals big changes to come for the shift towards inclusion and parity among Regional radio.
Why Not Her? welcomes the change and shift towards parity, diversity and inclusion across Irish Radio.
Founder and leader of the campaign Linda Coogan Byrne comments:
“It has been 9 months of phone calls, zooms and emails back and forth with Irish Radio Programme Directors, Presenters, Producers and Heads of Music and it is so wonderful to see all the conversations that have been happening back and forth leading us to this historic point in Irish Music where the female voice and the voices of the bipoc community are now being heard across the gate-keeping platform of the Irish Music Scene; Irish radio.
I know I haven’t been looked upon as anyone’s best friend in radio, and yes I have had some blacklists, threats and unsavoury messages, but it has all been worth it. After all, the only thing we are asking for as a collective, and me as a campaigner for Gender Equality and Diversity, is that womxn/women and the bipoc community of Irish citizens get the same fair and equitable opportunities white cis men of the Irish music scene have always got.
Thank you for beginning to see sense and realising that equality and diversity is the core of any evolving Culture and choosing to be agents of change now and for the generations of emerging artists to come. What you have done here will always be remembered and long may it last. However until we have proper legislative and policy changes this can stop and go back to 100-90% all white male artists on Irish radio, and we can not let that happen. We look forward to working with our Ministers and TD’s in order to secure this change is lasting”.
WHY NOT HER? 