Q102

The Dublin radio station now known as Q102 (broadcasting on FM frequency 102.2) was launched in May 2000 as the ‘easy listening’ station Lite FM. The station was founded by a consortium of investors led by long-time radio executive Martin Block (who also served as the station’s first CEO).
Lite FM originally targeted an over-35 audience and regularly featured songs from artists in the vein of Celine Dion, Burt Bacharach, and the Eagles. At the time, station chair Padraic White explained the motivations behind this programming as follows:
“There is a whole segment of the population who have been forgotten about by radio. No station is yet specifically geared toward this high-spending group in the Dublin Market.”
Initial investment in the station was significant at £IR3m, and leaders set ambitious goals, including attracting 86,000 listeners in its first year and becoming profitable within 3 years. The station also invested heavily in the news side of operations by recruiting more than 30 journalists. However, despite high levels of investment, Lite FM received mixed reviews from critics, with one Irish Times columnist calling programming “wall-to-wall pre-programmed schlock.” By 2002, the station was reportedly only ‘breaking even’ though capturing 12% of the Dublin Market.
In 2002, Lite FM was sold to Belfast-based Ulster Television (UTV) for €15m. Beneficiaries of the sale included station CEO Martin Block and his brother, Howard Block, who together owned 22% of the company (Martin Block sold his shares for a reported €1.5m pre-tax). The venture capital fund CEA Radio Ireland Ltd. was the largest shareholder at the time (27%). Smaller shareholders included company chair Padraic White and real estate executive Gerry Murphy.
In 2004, UTV invested €1m to rebrand the station as “Q102”, a nod to a 1980s Dublin pirate station of the same name. After the rebrand, Q102 programming shifted from easy listening to a pop hits format, though it retained its 35+ age bracket focus. The rebrand appeared to pay off, and the station gradually became profitable. In 2007, the station registered a modest pre-tax profit of €325,000.
UTV rebranded its radio business as the Wireless Group in early 2016. After selling its television assets (including its ITV franchise and UTV Ireland) to ITV plc, the company dropped the UTV Media name and adopted Wireless Group plc as its trading name from March 1, 2016 following completion of that sale at the end of February 2016. In 2016, the WG’s holdings were purchased for £UK220.3m by News UK & Ireland Ltd., which is ultimately owned by US-based News Corporation (News Corp). News Corp’s largest single shareholder is Lachlan Murdoch.. In 2025, News UK & Ireland Ltd. rebranded its Wireless Ireland Radio subsidiary as Onic.
In addition to Q102, Onic also operates six other Irish radio stations, including FM104, FM95, and LMFM. Onic also operates the commercial sales house, Urban Media, which works with Galway Bay FM and WLR. Onic stations reach 775,000 listeners weekly, representing 10.6% of the Irish radio market. Onic Audio Limited employs more than 200 staff in Ireland and recorded revenues of €23.375m in 2024, up from €22.4m in 2023.
Key Facts
| Audience Share | 6.4% (County Dublin Market, JNLR 2025) |
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| Ownership Type | Private |
| Content Type | Free |
| Data Publicly Available | ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc. |
| Operating Company | City Broadcasting Limited Identifier: Companies Registration Office (CRO) Company Number: IE307754 |
Ownership
| Ownership Structure | Q102 is operated by City Broadcasting Limited, which is owned by Onic Audio Limited (formerly known as Wireless Ireland (ROI) Limited but rebranded in 2025). Onic is owned by News UK & Ireland, which is ultimately owned by US-based News Corporation (News Corp), a global media conglomerate listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. |
|---|---|
| Voting Rights | Voting rights at News Corp are governed by a dual-class share structure, in which Class B shares carry full voting rights and are predominantly controlled by the Murdoch family, while Class A shares carry no voting rights. As of September 2025, Murdoch-affiliated entities hold approximately 72 million Class B shares, representing around 39% of all Class B shares outstanding, giving the family effective control over the company. |
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Operating Company
Facts
| Founding Year | 2000 Q102 launched in May 2000 as Lite FM, an easy listening station targeting Dublin's over-35 audience. Following its acquisition by Ulster Television, the station was rebranded as Q102 in 2004, adopting a pop hits format while retaining its 35+ demographic focus. |
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| CEO |
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| Contact | Castleforbes House Castleforbes Road Dublin 1 news@classichits.ie +353 (0) 087 188 0008 www.classichits.ie |
| Revenue | Missing Data |
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| Operating Profit | Missing Data |
| Advertising (in % of total funding) | Missing Data |
| Market Share | Missing Data |



