RTÉ 2XM is a digital radio service of the Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), and a sister service to RTÉ 2fm, broadly dedicated to alternative and independent music.
 | |
| Broadcast area | National - Ireland |
|---|---|
| Frequency | RTÉ.ie RTÉ Radio App Saorview: Channel 206 Virgin Media: Channel 944 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Alternative rock |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) |
| RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ 2fm RTÉ lyric fm RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta RTÉ Pulse RTÉ Jr Radio RTÉ Chill RTÉ Gold RTÉ Radio 1 Extra | |
| History | |
First air date | 30 May 2007 (trial) 1 December 2008 |
| Links | |
| Webcast | WMA, Real |
| Website | www.rte.ie/2xm |
The service is available nationally on Saorview, Ireland's free to air DTT service, as well as the RTÉ website, the RTÉ Radio App and Virgin Media television.
History edit
Initially, RTÉ placed the station on the digital terrestrial television trial service in late October 2007. Along with five other new digital stations, RTÉ 2XM was launched on 1 December 2008.[1]
The station plays a broad range of music, including rock, indie, metal, pop-punk, electronica, alternative and nu-metal, as well as a focus on playing music from homegrown artists in Ireland.
The station has also been known to carry a selection of live music with content from festivals across Europe. It was the first RTÉ digital radio station to have carried live content, with music from the Oxegen festival in July 2007, and the Electric Picnic and PlanetLove Summer Session festivals in September 2007, as well as the PlanetLove Winter Session in February 2008. The station ventured into online video content with 2XM WebTV, debuting during RTÉ's coverage of the Oxegen 2008 music festival, on the weekend of 11–14 July 2008[2]
Closure edit
On 6 November 2019, RTÉ management announced that, as part of a major cost-saving programme, all its digital radio stations would be closed, including RTÉ 2XM.[3]
On 2 March 2021, however, it was revealed by the broadcaster that it would only close its DAB radio network, retaining its digital radio services, including 2XM, via the RTÉ Radio App, RTE.ie and audio streams on the Saorview and Virgin Media television services.[4]
On November 16, 2023, RTÉ announced the closure of most of its digital-only services, including 2XM, in 2024, as part of the broadcaster's 'New Direction' internal restructuring.[5] As part of the announcement, the broadcaster confirmed its intention to carry podcasts and playlists on future revisions of its Radio App to fulfill the stations' remits.[6]
Current presenters edit
- Dan Hegarty – The Alternative
- John Kenny – The Jk Experience
- John Connolly – ABC to XTC
- Dermot Lambert – Garageland
- Peter Curtin – Groovers Corner
- Handsome Paddy – No Static
- Ali Dowey – The Bunker
- Simon Mulcahy
- Painted Flowers with Mr Myth
- Laura-Lee Conboy – Shadowplay
- Gavin Morrison – Through The Looking Glass
- Nessy – The London Ear
- Dudley Colley – Click Clack
- Pat McGrath – C60
- Chris Morrin – Robotnik's Random Rampage
- Seán Ó Cuireáin - Dreamland
References edit
- ^ RTE radio launches stations on digital platform, Irish Independent.
- ^ Newsdesk, The Hot Press. "50 hours of Oxegen on 2FM". Hotpress.
- ^ Doherty, Kelly (7 November 2019). "RTÉ announce cutbacks with digital radio stations amongst those hit worst". Nialler9. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Bryan, Mike McGrath (2 March 2021). "RTÉ Gold, 2XM and other digital radio stations are staying on the air: here's how to tune in". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ https://www.rte.ie/documents/eile/2023/11/a-new-direction-for-rte-14-11-23.pdf
- ^ "RTÉ to close four digital radio stations in latest money saving plans". RadioToday. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
External links edit
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