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.

Sunday shows on Clonmel Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Sunday shows on Clonmel Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
CBC poster (courtesy Jonathan Ryan).

CBC (Clonmel Broadcasting Company) began broadcasting on 14th November 1981 and was one of the leading pirates supporting the community radio ethos, continuing on air until the end of 1988. These snippets from Sunday afternoon shows giving a sense of the variety of material on the station and its importance to listeners in south Tipperary.

First up is a hospital requests show with Mary Burke featuring mostly country and Irish music and ballads. This is followed by the Sunday Postbag presented by Billy McLellan (RIP) with a phone-in quiz for listeners. There are also public information notices about candidates in the forthcoming general election, provided by CBC itself rather than the political parties. These are voiced by Gerry Gannon, who was the managing director of the station. Use of pirate radio by politicians was a contentious issue throughout the 1980s.

The airchecked recording from the Anoraks Ireland Collection was made from 828 kHz AM (362 metres) on Sunday 24th October 1982 between 1455-1655. Thanks to Jimmy Williams and Jonathan Ryan for assistance.  

Border series: afternoon shows on Radio North

Border series: afternoon shows on Radio North
The Radio North caravan near Muff, Co. Donegal in 1991 (courtesy DX Archive).

This recording of Donegal pirate Radio North was made on a winter’s afternoon in 1991, not long before the station left the airwaves for over two years. It begins with Eddie Barr who holds a phone-in competition, attracting callers mostly from the North. In another reflection of the station’s popularity across the border, all advertisements in this recording are from Co. Derry. There is also a horoscope spot and plenty of requests for the usual diet of country and Irish music. Eddie’s show is followed by the evening drivetime programme with John Wright. Radio North closed down near the end of 1991 when its AM frequency was taken over by rival station North Atlantic Radio. In early 1994, North Atlantic Radio reverted to the Radio North name.

The tape was made from 846 kHz AM on Tuesday 29th October 1991 from 1504-1635 and is courtesy of Ian Biggar. It was recorded in Scotland and as would be expected for the time of year, there is increasing co-channel interference as darkness falls.

Lunchtime on Cara 95 FM

Lunchtime on Cara 95 FM

Cara 95 FM was a temporary name for Dublin’s love song station launched as Heartbeat in November 1986. The change was short-lived however, and the station reverted to the original Heartbeat name after a few months.  

This recording of the afternoon programme was made in the autumn of 1987 and features John Keogh with the usual mixture of love songs, requests and the Mystery Movie competition to win 95 movie tickets. John reads news headlines also and there are adverts for businesses around Dublin.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 95.5 FM on Thursday 1st October 1987 from 1300-1433.