Early Cork series: launch of Radio City in 1980

Early Cork series: launch of Radio City in 1980
Radio City advertising card (courtesy DX Archive)

Radio City was an early pioneering Cork station founded in the summer of 1980 by two young radio anoraks in the city, Pete O’Neill (Pete Andrews on air) and Dan Noonan (Carl Johnston on air). The station broadcast on 1512 kHz AM and soon added FM, an innovation at the time. It lasted until 1982, by which time the larger and more professional stations ERI and South Coast Radio were making inroads in Cork city and county.

Early Cork series: launch of Radio City in 1980
Pete O’Neill at Radio City in 1980 (courtesy Lillian O’Donoghue).

Pete O’Neill recalls the background to the establishment of Radio City:

I had just collected my Leaving Certificate Examination results and Dan was waiting outside in his Hiace van ready to look for a suitable premises. I had worked with Dan at CBC and did many regular discos for him. The premises were located at 27 Parnell Place and consisted of three floors above a sweet shop, which we called Broadcasting House. The station originally broadcast on 199 metres medium wave with the horizontal aerial running over several nearby buildings. The transmitter was supplied and installed by Con McParland who had previously done work for another early Cork pirate CBC.

Radio City was the first pirate in cork to broadcast on FM stereo on 95.5 MHz. The transmitter was built by Waterford engineer Egidio Giani and was in a biscuit tin! The Radio City logo, featuring two cathedrals, City Hall and the Shandon bells, was designed by the late Henry Condon (Alan Reid, later known as Henry Owens on air). Henry was also resident voice-over artist for commercials and I used to have to bribe him with a few pints each time before he would agree to voice them!

The station had many DJs, some from the previous stations CBC, CCLR and others. Apart from ourselves, these included Noel Evans, Tony Allan (a Cork guy, not the other Tony Allan of Radio Nova etc), Susan James, Pat O’Rourke (Smurf), Alan Reid, Paul Cassidy, Derry O’Callaghan, Mark Malone and a host of weekend presenters including John Ashford, Luke Ward and Steve Douglas. The station broadcast news every hour and had a strong local flavour, popular with a Cork audience.

I also remember donating my entire record collection to create a music library for the station and running through the city on a Friday with sales rep Peter Maher to collect advertising checks. These needed to be lodged by 3pm in order to pay the DJs their weekly wage! I also purchased a giant helium balloon and attached an earth wire, filled it and let it go out the rooftop Velux window with Chris Tyler, our then engineer! I thought it would increase our medium wave signal and it did but the following morning I arrived to find the balloon hanging off the roof tiles and earth wire all over Parnell Place. We also brought out a calendar with a group photograph of the DJs and each month displayed a local advertiser’s name – I’m not sure if a copy still exists! The Arcadia on the Lower Road used to run monthly Ska Nights at the time and Luke Ward interviewed many of the visiting bands. I remember meeting members of The Beat and Selector at the studios. The station was briefly taken over one Sunday afternoon by Ógra Shinn Féin members and a recording was played on air before they left peacefully!

Early Cork series: launch of Radio City in 1980
L-R: Eric Hansen (John Creedon) and Alan Reid (Henry Condon) at Radio City (courtesy Lillian O’Donoghue).

RTÉ broadcaster John Creedon was among the Radio City DJs, where he was known as Eric Hansen. In the history of Cork pirates, The Jolly Roger, another local DJ Ken Tobin said his first engagement with pirate radio was when he wrote to Eric Hansen in Radio City at the age of 15, saying that he was interested and would love to get involved. ‘I was invited in to the radio station and one of the first records I ever introduced on air – I was only at the station for about an hour – was The Nick Straker Band’s “A Walk in the Park”. It must have been around 1980. I knew then that it was all I wanted to do. Nothing else – I wanted to be part of radio. That guy Eric Hansen, funny enough, people might know him today as John Creedon’.

This is a recording of the launch of Radio City in 1980. It begins with continuous music for 17 minutes interspersed with short links announcing the 199 metres wavelength (1512 kHz). Singer Tony Stevens opens the station (and a bottle of celebratory champagne) and comments that it is up to RTÉ standards both in terms of premises and presenters. He is then interviewed by Pete Andrews, who says that Radio City aims to promote a lot of Irish music and more specialist tastes, rather than just contemporary chart hits. Recorded messages of support from other Irish singers are also aired and Pete is joined in studio later by other DJs including Karl Johnson (Dan Noonan), who was also Radio City’s managing director, and breakfast presenter Mike Cagney. Listeners are invited to write to the station at 27 Parnell Place in Cork.

The untimed recording was made on Sunday 31st August 1980 from 1512 kHz. Despite the passage of time and possible issues with transmission and recording equipment, audio quality is listenable. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation and to Ian Biggar for assistance with research.  

June bank holiday 1986 on Energy 103

June bank holiday 1986 on Energy 103
Energy 103 studios at 144 Upper Leeson Street (courtesy Andy Carter).

By the summer of 1986, Energy 103 was established as one of the three big Dublin pirate stations, following the sudden closure of Radio Nova earlier that year. This recording was made on a sunny bank holiday Monday in Dublin and contains plenty of references to the fine weather and people listening to their radios in the garden. Up first is Richard Jackson until 1500 and he is followed by Dave Johnson (Andrew Hanlon) who is standing in for Tony McKenzie. There is no news due to the bank holiday but a promo urging young people to vote in the forthcoming divorce referendum airs every hour.

As was typical of Energy 103, the recording contains the usual mixture of chart hits, loads of requests (including one from Tipperary) and slick imaging although there are no adverts, possibly due to the bank holiday. A promo for the syndicated American Music Magazine show with Rick Dees is also heard. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 103 FM from 1433-1521 and 1557-1645 on Monday 2nd June 1986.

Border series: Tom Hardy on KISS FM Monaghan

Border series: Tom Hardy on KISS FM Monaghan
Tom Hardy (RIP) at KISS FM in 1988 (courtesy DX Archive).

Despite being on air for only 9 months in 1988, KISS FM from Monaghan Town was one of the more successful and ambitious stations during the peak period of pirate radio in Ireland in the 1980s. Tests began at the end of 1987 but the start date was delayed by technical problems in spring 1988 and full tests did not begin until the end of March with a full schedule commencing on 1st April. High powered transmitters gave unparalleled coverage of Northern Ireland and FM reception was reliable even in parts of northern England and Scotland.

This recording of the early period of KISS FM features the experienced English DJ Tom Hardy (RIP), who had worked previously in offshore pirates and larger Dublin stations such as Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova. Adverts are heard for businesses in Armagh and Belfast but are not particularly plentiful, perhaps reflecting the fact that the station was little more than a month on air. There is the usual slick imaging with top-class jingles, idents and liners, news is read by Con McConville and Tom presents the regular Job Spot section. The KISS FM Ulster sailboard championships coming up that weekend in Antrim is an example of one of the many marketing events than the station excelled in during its short existence. The KISS FM closedown on 30th December 1988, also presented by Tom Hardy, was emotional and dramatic and underlined the station’s popularity on both sides of the border.

The tape was made on 9th May 1988 from 1008 kHz AM between 1000-1045 and 1138-1233. It was recorded in Ayrshire in western Scotland and is courtesy of Ian Biggar.

Border series: brief return of Radio North in 1992

Border series: brief return of Radio North in 1992
Radio North poster from 1991 (courtesy DX Archive).

Radio North closed down towards the end of 1991 and its AM frequency on 846 kHz was taken over by North Atlantic Radio, a rival Donegal station that had itself broken away from Radio North in 1989. This was logged on 16th February 1992 by DX Archive. Radio North made a short-lived return later that year, appearing on 1008 kHz after that frequency was vacated by another Donegal pirate Riverside 101. It appears that Radio North returned for one day only and this recording features station stalwart the inimitable Mickey Henry, who says that the station is in new ownership although the old jingles are still used.

This recording of the brief return was made in Scotland from 1008 kHz AM on 8th September 1992 between 1803-1935 and was made by Ken Baird. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation. Audio quality is fair to poor and contains fading and co-channel interference as would be expected at nightfall and at a distance. There are also technical issues and variable audio levels and it seems that Radio North was not ready to return to the air on a full-time basis.

Sunday night show on Radio Nova

Sunday night show on Radio Nova
Nova car sticker from the 819 AM period (courtesy Ian Biggar).

This short recording of the successful Dublin station Radio Nova is from the run-up to Christmas 1982. It features Dave Harvey with plenty of requests on a cold Sunday night and news with Siobhán Purcell. The usual high-level adverts for brands and larger businesses are heard, reflecting Nova’s commercial success particularly in the busy pre-Christmas period. There’s also an advert for the Nova Park nightclub featuring musical events and gigs with Nova DJs.

The airchecked recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 88 FM on Sunday 12th December 1982. Radio Nova also broadcast on 819 kHz AM at this time.