After Dark on Radio Annabel

After Dark on Radio Annabel
Radio Annabel advert from the Sunday World, 06.01.85 (Alan MacSimoin collection).

Radio Annabel was one of the smaller Dublin pirates of the early 1980s, broadcasting from the north inner-city from 1983 to 1985. It began testing in September 1983 after the merger of two smaller stations, Westside Radio and ABC. After first using 1035 kHz and then 981, Radio Annabel eventually settled on 1323. The station was heard around 98 FM in the early days but later added 91.8 MHz. Radio Annabel was well-known among anoraks because of the weekly Free Radio Show presented by Gerard Roe. It closed down in March 1985 due to financial problems.

This recording was made from FM from 2134-2220 on 20th September 1983, shortly after the station’s launch. Steve Jones finishes his show and hands over to Paul McCafferty at 10pm with ‘Annabel After Dark’. The frequencies announced are 290 metres (roughly 1035 kHz) and 98.1 FM. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.