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Kildare Local Broadcasting, known on air as KLB Community Radio, broadcast from Newbridge for approximately two years from 1986-1988. It was launched in October 1986 and claimed that it would be a community service for the town of Newbridge and surrounding areas. An Anoraks Ireland listing from November 1986 noted its broadcasting hours as 1000-2400. KLB was based in Eyre Street in Newbridge and broadcast on 1224 kHz AM and 102.4 FM. A listing from April 1988 noted that it had moved to 103.5 FM and had extended broadcasting hours to 0900-2400. In the Anoraks UK Weekly Report of 24th July 1988, it was noted that the AM transmitter had been off air for approximately two months. It was also reported that the station had changed its name slightly to Kildare Community Broadcasting and was the only pirate operating in the county following the closure of Kildare Community Radio in April 1988.
The Weekly Report of 8th October 1988 carried a report that a new pirate called County Sound came on air on 12th September from Naas, Co. Kildare. It was set up with the aim of applying for a licence and consisted of DJs from former Kildare pirates KLB (Newbridge), KCR (Naas) and Zee 104 (Naas). County Sound was said to have fully equipped on-air and production studios. It broadcast for only four months, closing down at midnight on 30th December 1988 before the deadline for the pirates to leave the airwaves.
In this recording of KLB from the run-up to Christmas 1986, Tony Lumsden is first up with a mixture of oldies and ballads. He is followed by Paddy Jones with chart hits. The tape was made from 102.4 FM from 1430-1607 on Saturday 6th December 1986 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.