RTÉ IS TO offer audition opportunities to around 150 people in a bid to fill gaps in the 2FM line-up.

Director general Kevin Bakhurst confirmed the move in an interview with the PA news agency, denying suggestions that the station had run out of ideas.

There have been a number of recent high-profile departures from the station, including Jennifer Zamparelli, The 2 Johnnies and Doireann Garrihy, leading to a reshuffle of hosts.

After major financial and governance scandals across RTÉ, the organisation introduced a plan to cut presenter wages, restrict external activities and develop a register of interests.

Earlier this month, the national broadcaster issued a callout on its website for new recruits, saying that RTÉ 2FM “has presenting roles available”. 

“We are creating a long list of presenters – refreshed every two years – who would appeal to a 15–34-year-old audience,” RTÉ said. 

In an interview with the PA news agency, RTE director-general Kevin Bakhurst said the reaction to the callout was “fantastic” and denied suggestions that 2FM had run out of ideas, adding: “Far from it.”

“We had over 500 applications from a range of people, from existing radio presenters, members of staff, podcasters, social media people, some great young Irish-language journalists,” he said.

“There’s a whole range of people and I know that Dan Healy and his team are actually very excited by the number of people.

“They were very excited by some of the people that we’ve come across that we wouldn’t have come across otherwise.

“They had 500. I think we’re going to give an audition opportunity to around 150.”

Last month, Donncha O’Callaghan became the latest presenter to announce that he was leaving 2FM. 

The 2 Johnnies announced that they were giving up their slot on 2FM at the end of May, while Doireann Garrihy presented her final show on the station on 31 May. 

Jennifer Zamparelli also recently left after more than a decade at the station, saying it was “time for me to move on”. 

Chief executive of 2fm Dan Healy has faced questions about whether the departures are linked to new rules at RTÉ aimed at identifying conflicts of interest, including work done by presenters by other brands or organisations and any payment received for external activities.

However, Healy told Today with Claire Byrne in May that the departures could not be attributed to a “single thing”.

“But you’re attributing it to single thing and what I’m saying is, it’s not that it’s nuanced, it is genuinely nuanced,” he said.

All of the presenters that have left the station have high profiles and significant media careers outside of 2FM. 

With reporting from Press Association