Local radio has remained relevant and ever-present in Ireland owing to the relationship stations have built with their audiences over time. These strong connections combined with adherence to public service duties and supplying locally relevant content -which the national stations cannot offer -helped local stations repel the double threat of a global recession and the influx of new media. This paper argues that by building on its core strengths while embracing change and adopting the potential offered by digital and social media, local Irish commercial radio stations have managed to survive and remain relevant. Using case studies of two prominent stations Radio Kerry and Beat, and one public service station RTÉ 2fm, this paper will illustrate that by being in tune with the audience's unique social, cultural and political interests, radio stations have been able to endear their audiences to the brand and compete for their attention in an increasingly competitive mediascape. These stations were able to achieve this partly through the formation of online communities on Facebook, by having a presence in the local community and by actively engaging with the audience. This paper posits that local radio holds an important place in the lives of the people it serves and therefore must be preserved as not only an invaluable public service but as a beacon of culture and heritage.

Radio and social media have developed a strong relationship in Ireland since the explosion in popularity of the latter from 2008 onward. Although the convergence of radio with Facebook in Ireland has allowed radio stations to reach wider audiences, some stations have been much more successful than others at achieving this. In this article the author presents a case study of Beat, a regional commercial radio station targeting the 'digitally native' (Palfrey and Gasser, 2010) millennial 15-34-year-old market, and one of the Irish Radio Industry's most successful viral media instigators. During the period of study, 2011-2016, Beat was found to be very successful at engaging its audience through bespoke material that connected emotionally with the cultural community. The success of this viral reach helped the station grow its online followers to numbers that far outnumbered their actual listenership. In this article the author presents an analysis of the viral posts that feature childhood toys as the subject matter and explore why these pieces 'went viral'. Using the generational theories of Mannheim (1952) and Strauss and Howe (1991) among others to frame the argument, the author posits that users share media texts which connect with them emotionally and by enjoying this material with others are unified as an affective community of individuals. This experience brings the group closer together and closer to the radio station. I also touch on the power of nostalgia as a factor in the viral spread of media texts. This research employed several research methods: in-depth interviews with radio industry professionals, an online survey of radio listeners/online users of Beat, textual analysis of Beat's Facebook page, direct observation of radio producers and content analysis of social media growth.

As the world's mass media become more digitised and globally integrated, radio's spontaneity, flexibility, and adaptability render it uniquely capable of embracing this change. Over the past decade radio has adopted new technologies and taken advantage of the opportunities presented by social media platforms. Professionals in the field have recognised the changes in audience preferences and consumption habits, and have expanded radio's remit into a multimedia product with bespoke entertainment and culturally relevant content to suit their audience. This case study of the independently owned and operated Irish commercial radio station Radio Kerry will illustrate how a station broadcasting to a rural audience with a unique cultural identity, and a large diaspora, has used its Facebook page as a meeting point and forum for cultural discussion and debate. The case study highlights the importance of radio to an overseas audience as a source of information and a connection to home. The study aims to demonstrate that Radio Kerry has an active audience listening and engaging online from abroad and that the station is keen to maintain connections with this audience. The research methodology for the study involves data drawn from multiple methods including: interviews with Radio Kerry management and production staff (N=5) 1 ; an in-depth interview with an expatriate originally from Kerry but now living in the United States (N=1); an audience survey of 1 | Interviews were conducted with the station's General Manager, the News & Current Affairs Editor, The Sales & Marketing Manager, the Terrace Talk Producer and the Terrace Talk Presenter.

Ireland has faced significant economic hardship since 2008, with the Irish radio industry suffering as advertising revenues evaporated. The difficult economic circumstances have forced radio station management to devise new and cost effective ways of generating much-needed income. The answer has come in the form of Facebook, the leading Social Network Site (SNS) in Ireland. Using Ireland as a case study, this chapter looks at how radio station management are utilising the social network strategically in a bid to enhance their audiences and revenues. Radio station management consider Facebook to be an invaluable promotional tool which is very easily integrated into radio programming and gives radio a digital online presence, reaching far greater audiences than possible through broadcasting. Some radio stations are showing ambition and are realising the marketing potential that Facebook and other SNSs hold. However, key changes in practice, technology and human resources are required to maximise the profit-making possibilities offered by Facebook.

Using the Irish Radio Industry as a case study, this chapter illustrates how the public service broadcaster (PSB), Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), was slow to react to change and the effect this had on the organisation's competitiveness. The chapter analyses how RTÉ's youth radio station, RTÉ 2fm, lost its place as the market leader to the competing commercial stations as it resisted the required technological, cultural and talent changes required which ultimately affected its listenership. The author argues that the independent radio sector led the way in innovation and affected change which greatly benefited the industry as a whole and brought public radio in Ireland into the digital age. The article outlines how commercial radio played a crucial role in the transition of radio into the digital age and how RTÉ enacted the required change to bring it in line with modern practice. This research was based on a methodology involving in-depth interviews, textual analysis, direct observation and a longitudinal content analysis.