How Publisher Plus Helped Red FM Build a Faster, More Reliable Digital Platform
Overview
Cork’s Red FM is one of Ireland’s most successful regional radio stations and the country’s first dedicated youth radio service. Broadcasting across Cork city and county since 2002, the station serves a highly engaged audience through a mix of music, entertainment, local news, sport and digital content. Red FM has become a key part of Cork’s media landscape, combining strong on air programming with a growing digital presence that extends its reach beyond traditional radio broadcasting.
We partnered with the Red FM team to modernise their digital platform, improve performance and reliability, and create a stronger foundation for audience growth and commercial success.
Our Role
UX/UI Design Website Design & Development Mobile App Development
The Client
Cork’s Red FM launched in January 2002 after being awarded Ireland’s first youth radio licence. The station was established to serve listeners aged 15 to 35 across Cork city and county and has since grown into one of the region’s most recognisable media brands. Through a combination of live radio, digital content, podcasts, competitions, entertainment features and local news coverage, Red FM maintains a strong connection with audiences across the region.
As digital consumption continued to increase, the Red FM team recognised the need to invest in a modern publishing platform that could better support their content strategy, audience expectations and commercial objectives.
Challange
Red FM needed a digital platform capable of supporting a growing audience while delivering a fast, reliable and engaging user experience. The existing website required modernisation to improve performance, stability and scalability, while also providing a better foundation for advertising and audience engagement.
As a media organisation where audio content sits at the heart of the user experience, it was essential that the website could seamlessly support live streaming, on demand audio and content discovery without compromising performance. The team also required a trusted technology partner with proven experience in digital publishing and a track record of delivering successful projects within demanding timelines.
Solution
The project began with a series of discovery, planning and design workshops involving stakeholders from across the Red FM organisation. These sessions focused on audience behaviour, content presentation, user journeys and commercial requirements.
The website was rebuilt on our Publisher Plus platform using a modern architecture designed for performance, reliability and scalability. Significant work was undertaken to optimise page delivery, reduce page weight and improve the overall browsing experience across desktop and mobile devices.
Given the importance of audio to the Red FM brand, the new platform was designed to place audio content at the centre of the user experience. A fully integrated audio player enables users to listen to live radio streams and on demand content while continuing to browse the website, creating a more seamless and engaging experience.
Throughout the project, close collaboration between both teams ensured transparency, rapid decision making and successful delivery within the required timeframe.
Result
The rebuilt platform delivered significant improvements in performance, stability and user experience. Page load times were reduced by more than 50 percent, providing a faster and more responsive experience for visitors across all devices. Site reliability improved substantially, ensuring the platform could comfortably handle periods of increased traffic and audience activity.
The enhanced platform also delivered improvements in advertising delivery, audience targeting and content engagement, creating stronger commercial opportunities while maintaining a positive experience for users. The combination of improved performance, modern infrastructure and streamlined content delivery has provided Red FM with a scalable digital foundation capable of supporting future growth.
Today, Red FM operates on a platform that reflects the strength of its brand and the expectations of a modern media audience, enabling the organisation to continue growing its digital reach while delivering engaging content to listeners across Cork and beyond.
