23 Irish Radio Stations Unite for ‘One Day, Many Voices’ – A Nation Connected by Radio.

Today, 24th September 2026, twenty-three Irish radio stations will come together on for One Day Many Voices – A Nation Connected by Radio Initiative.  This nationwide initiative will put a wider range of voices, experiences and perspectives at the heart of radio programming.

Devised by Learning Waves and funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee as part of the Sound & Vision funding scheme, the initiative will see participating stations bring stories of diversity, equality and inclusion into their existing programmes through interviews, personal experiences, music, community stories and conversations. On the 24th September, the participating stations will also come together for a shared audio feature at 1.30pm, creating a common moment across the nation. Based on training received, programmers from each of the 22 stations have each created a series of unique programmes to reflect and celebrate the people and communities served by Irish local independent radio every day.

Teresa Hanratty, Network Director, Learning Waves said that “the initiative further highlights the inclusive and diverse nature of programming across the Independent Radio Sector in Ireland.  Over the day, listeners will hear content from the heart of their own communities and how diversity and inclusion is being embraced in local areas, but also highlighting what more we need to do to continue to ensure everyone belongs in our communities.  The project also aims to connect communities to their local radio stations to tell their stories and it underpins the sectors commitment to diversity and inclusion for all”.

Across the participating stations, listeners will hear from people across a wide range of backgrounds and communities, including new Irish communities, LGBTQIA+ communities, people with disabilities, Traveller communities, minority faith and cultural communities and people with lived experience of issues around inclusion and belonging. For this Sound & Vision funded project, Learning Waves Skillnet have partnered with the Irish Centre for Diversity to provide training to staff from 23 stations.

James Cawley, Director of Strategic Partnerships with the Irish Centre for Diversity said "Local radio is where Ireland hears itself. The Irish Centre for Diversity is proud to support Learning Waves as the national training partner for the One Day, Many Voices campaign. Through this initiative, stations across the country have been supported to turn inclusion from an aspiration into everyday practice, helping to build the confidence and capability needed to ensure a wider range of voices are represented both on and off air. It is vital that diverse voices are heard across local, regional and national broadcasting, reflecting the richness of the communities radio serves. One Day, Many Voices demonstrates the important role the sector can play in creating a media landscape where everyone feels included, valued and heard."

 

The programming will feature voices that listeners may not routinely hear across the radio schedule.

Beat, for example, will run a ‘Diversity Dictionary’ throughout the day, with people from different communities explaining terms relating to gender equality, diversity and inclusion.

Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio will combine hourly stories across the day with longer interviews focused on lived experience and local inclusion from Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick.

On LMFM, programming will include local voices discussing identity and community diversity, multilingual content and features covering migrant integration, LGBTQ+ communities, Traveller heritage, neurodiversity, disability and inclusive sport.

Midlands 103 will feature conversations with people whose lived experience brings different perspectives on diversity in the Midlands, alongside features on new Irish voices, disability and inclusion, LGBTQIA+ communities, Traveller culture and community contribution.

Midwest Radio will feature local refugees who have made their homes in the region, business owners and people involved in local language cafés.

In Kerry, the initiative will bring different cultural perspectives into existing programmes on Radio Kerry, through stories about food and traditions, employment, volunteering, music, sport and community.

Today FM will broadcast representatives of minority groups discussing their lived experiences and highlighting issues they believe are not discussed in the wider media.

The result will be a day of programming that brings different voices into the familiar sound of Irish radio, with each station reflecting the diversity of its own listeners and local communities on air and on line.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

One Day, Many Voices takes place on 24 September 2026 and involves 23 radio stations. Each station has developed its own programming plan, with content woven into its existing schedule.

Local and regional radio has a particularly important role to play in reflecting the communities it serves. The 2026 Digital News Report Ireland, produced by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and published by Coimisiún na Meán, found that 71% of people surveyed consider local or regional radio a trustworthy source of news, putting it among the most trusted news brands measured in the report. Against a backdrop of declining overall trust in news, One Day, Many Voices provides an opportunity for local radio to use that connection with audiences to hear from a broader range of people and communities, and to reflect the diversity of Ireland today.

 

More Information Contact:

Tersea Hanratty?>