RTÃÂ Lyric FM (stylised as RTÃÂ lyric fm) is an Irish classical music, jazz and arts radio station, owned and operated by RTÃÂ. The station, which is based in Limerick, was launched in 1999 and is available on 96-99 FM throughout Ireland (in some areas also on DAB), on Sky Digital satellite in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and via the Internet worldwide.
As of 2025, RTàLyric FM attracts a weekday audience share of 2.8%. The current head of the station is Sinéad Wylde.
RTàLyric FM developed from FM3 Classical Music, which began broadcasting on 6 November 1984. FM3 broadcast classical music on the RTàRaidió na Gaeltachta network at breakfast time, lunchtime and in the evenings. The station was rarely marketed, except via promotions on RTàRadio 1, and had low listenership ratings. It was probably best known for occasionally simulcasting the stereo soundtrack of movies being shown on the RTàtelevision channels prior to RTÃÂ's deployment of NICAM digital stereo.
As Raidió na Gaeltachta expanded broadcast hours, FM3's service hours changed to 19:30âÂÂ01:00 and 06:30âÂÂ08:00. Eventually it stayed on air until breakfast time when RnaG resumed broadcasting.
On 1 May 1999, RTÃÂ put in place an additional national FM transmitter network, and it was decided to separate FM3 from Radio na Gaeltachta, and expand its remit to include other types of minority music. The resulting station was Lyric FM (currently styled RTÃÂ lyric fm). It also moved from Dublin to Limerick as part of a policy of regionalisation. At the time of the station's launch, RTÃÂ lyric fm's digital studios in Cornmarket Row, Limerick, were the most advanced in the country.
RTÃÂ Lyric FM won PPI National Station of the Year for the second time in 2004.
In May 2009, the station celebrated ten years of broadcasting. This was celebrated with a concert by the RTÃÂ National Symphony Orchestra and RTÃÂ Philharmonic Choir. Current presenters include Marty Whelan, George Hamilton, John Kelly, Liz Nolan, Paul Herriott, Niall Carroll, Lorcan Murray, Bernard Clarke, AedÃÂn Gormley, and Ellen Cranitch.
As part of RTÃÂ's calls for better funding a Prime Time report was produced about the closing of the service, this caused public reaction calling for the service to be saved. RTàrefuted these claims saying that they planned to move the service from Limerick city and maintain it out of Dublin and Cork. Later RTàattended the Oireachtas communications committee were various local representatives complained to RTàthat the service should not be moved from Limerick City. This was followed by a large debate on funding public service broadcasters/media in Dáil ÃÂireann, as a stop gap measure the Government granted RTàan extra â¬10 million in funding to help them fund services such as RTàLyric FM, in 2020 RTàcut funding to Lyric FM by 16%. Funding in 2020 was â¬5.5m, down from â¬6.5m in the previous year.