Newstalk - Making Conversation Count

The Challenge

Newstalk, Ireland's only dedicated talk radio broadcaster, faced a perception problem. Despite being the second most listened-to station in the country, qualitative research revealed divided loyalty among listeners, and its reputation as "pale, male, and stale" was preventing audience growth, particularly with digital audiences.

My Approach

I led a comprehensive repositioning and rebrand to make Newstalk more appealing to a contemporary, digital audience. Through systematic co-creation workshops, I defined a modernized brand with a new visual identity, logo, color palette, and the tagline 'Conversation that Counts'—reflecting the station's welcoming and intelligent approach to current affairs. The rebrand emphasized 'talk' as the core brand element across all touchpoints.

The Results

Since the rebrand launched in May 2023, Newstalk achieved strong growth: weekly reach increased from 39,000 to 861,000 year-over-year, daily listenership grew from 42,000 to 508,000 in late 2024, and national market share rose to 8.5%. The station maintains its position as Ireland's second most listened-to, with flagship shows like The Pat Kenny Show and The Anton Savage Show seeing significant audience growth.