“IT’S BEEN PART of my life for the last 18 years. I’m sad to see it go.”

That’s how veteran broadcaster and sports journalist John Kenny summed up the approaching closure of RTÉ 2XM, as the digital-only station prepares to go off air at the end of December.

2XM is one of four digital radio stations, along with RTÉ Pulse, RTÉJr Radio, and RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, confirmed to be shutting down on 31 December.

The shutdown was announced by RTÉ in 2019 as part of a wide range of cost-cutting measures, but the official date for the closure of the radio stations was only confirmed this week.

Kenny has worked across dozens of Irish stations over his decades-long career, but since 2007 he has been known to 2XM listeners as the host of The JK Experience, a weekly alternative-music show that helped champion new Irish acts.

In that time, Kenny said said the station carved out a legacy as a rare national platform for emerging and independent artists.

“I think we gave people an opportunity,” Kenny told The Journal.

“I still get Irish bands and pluggers on to me saying, ‘Will you play the single?’ And when you do, they’re delighted.”

Sad to report our little oasis @rte2xm is to close permanently on dec 31st 2025. I’ve been with it since it opened in 2007 and I for one will be very sad to see it go and the JK EXPERIENCE will be no more we have a few shows left so pitch up every Sunday at 1400 if you would pic.twitter.com/fjA4nopDgW

— john kenny (@JohnKennyMedia) November 19, 2025

Kenny said 2XM played a quiet but important role throughout the Covid pandemic, not only for listeners, but for him personally.

“During Covid, people would text me saying it meant something to them,” Kenny said.

“It was a tough time. I was doing the classic rock hour on RTÉ Radio 1 as well, and I was going through a rough spell myself,” he said.

“Being able to keep making radio for 2XM every week… it kept me sane. That routine helped me get through those two years.”

‘A place for good niche music’

2XM, alongside RTÉ Pulse, Radio 1 Extra and RTÉjr Radio, will shut down on 31 December as part of RTÉ’s long-signalled cost-cutting and “streamlining” of its audio output.

The stations have been operating largely on Saorview and online since the RTÉ Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) network ended in 2021, with original programming cut back in recent years.

Kenny said he felt the station was underappreciated.

“It just wasn’t on the radar,” he said.

“We’d all put our shows in every week, and there were little gems — The London Ear, John Connolly’s ABC to XTC. It was a place for good niche music,” Kenny said.

Maybe somewhere down the line RTÉ might reassess and do something with it again.

While RTÉ has said some specialist content may move to 2FM, Kenny said it’s unlikely that any of the 2XM content will make it over.

“It doesn’t appear so,” Kenny said. “That station is going down a different route now.”

‘A platform for younger presenters’

Beyond the music, Kenny says one of the greatest contributions of 2XM and Pulse was acting as a low-pressure training ground for new talent.

“It was a good platform for younger presenters to cut their teeth,” he said.

“You could make mistakes and learn without the massive pressure of going straight to a big national station. A few great hosts came through that way.”

A sign for the Radio Centre at RTÉ's campus in Donnybrook. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Beta Da Silva, estabished 2FM host who found his footing on RTÉ Pulse, said he was “sad to hear” of the closures.

“I had just turned 18 when I first joined Pulse & met some really cool people over the years,” wrote Da Silva on an Instagram story.

“It was such a pivotal part of my journey just starting out in radio fresh from leaving college. I learned a lot about being a presenter there.

“Grateful for all the opportunities & interviews I got to have in that room,” Da Silva added.

Listener reaction to the shutdown, Kenny said, has been overwhelmingly warm.

“I got a lot of messages saying, ‘That’s a shame — I loved your show.’ No negativity, just people sad the station is packing up.

“It clearly meant something to a lot of listeners.”

‘Nothing lasts forever’

Kenny says he’s grateful for the run he had, but realistic about the nature of the business.

“It’s a shame, of course, anything that’s part of your week for 18 years, you’ll miss it,” he said.

“But in our business, nothing lasts forever. Life goes on.”

He remains open to continuing radio elsewhere,” Kenny said. “But 2XM… it meant something.”

“If it had been promoted properly, I think it could have been really successful. It’s just been sitting there for a couple of years, and now it’s coming to an end.”

Other presenters from the station have echoed the sense of loss, describing 2XM as a vital outlet for alternative and independent Irish artists.

Sad to say, it eked out it's notice as long as possible but RTE have decided @rte2xm is finally to shut up shop. Last day will be Dec 31. Will get in as many Click Clacks as possible before then, do tune in, and gimme a show elsewhere!https://t.co/DhekQ7hpjZ

— Dudley Colley 🧢 (@thecorpo) November 20, 2025

Dudley Colley, weekly RTÉ 2XM presenter and musician in The Dudley Corporation, said the station has “eked out it’s notice as long as possible” before the closure.

“Just to add, support your local radio/arts etc., because bit by bit, it’s all getting taken away,” Colley said.

For Kenny, the station’s quiet legacy is simple.

“We played the music that didn’t always have a home,” he said.

“And for the people who tuned in, even if it was just one person, it mattered.”