âI just donât know whether a 12-year-old today who is going to be 15 in three yearsâ time is going to be listening to Spin,â he said.
âEverybodyâs on Spotify because people can afford Spotify. People are listening to podcasts. So half of me is saying âoh I think the radio business is going to be greatâ, because we did diversify into podcasts and digital offerings, but I just canât put my hand on my heart and say itâs going to be great in five yearsâ time.â
Growth curve
The Irish radio market certainly seems to be at quite a different point in the growth curve than it was in 1989, when what was then Classic Hits 98FM went on air the morning after the Berlin Wall fell and, according to OâBrien, âstarted making money after three monthsâ.