Paul Barnett (left) and Andy Craig of Riverside 101 in 1990 (courtesy Ian Biggar)
By August 1990, both transmitters of Donegal pirate WABC were carrying the oldies station WABC Gold. Earlier that year, WABC had split into two parallel stations, Hot Hits and Gold, but due to staff shortages it was decided to concentrate on the oldies service only for a while. This recording from autumn 1990 features Paul Bentley (Paul Barnett, RIP) and his then wife Krissi Carpenter, who formed the backbone of WABC Gold. First up is Paul with the end of the breakfast show, including a What’s On Guide for the station’s main listening area in Portstewart (Co. Derry) and Portrush (Co. Antrim). There are also adverts from both towns and surrounding areas. News at 1100 is read by Paul and is followed by Krissi with the lunchtime show.
The recording was made from 1015-1115 on Thursday 6th September 1990 from 101.2 FM and is courtesy of Ian Biggar.
Site of WABC FM transmitter in Greencastle, May 1990 (courtesy Ian Biggar)
WABC Gold was one of two stations operated by Paul Barnett (RIP) from Greencastle on the Donegal/Derry border in 1990. The other service was WABC Hot Hits and together both stations swept up advertising revenue from businesses in Northern Ireland despite new broadcasting laws in the Republic that were supposed to silence the pirates. This recording features the afternoon show presented by Barry Owler, who plays oldies and also reads news on the hour. An advertising promo refers to both stations in ‘the WABC radio network’, there are plenty of commercials from Counties Derry and Antrim and the show is sponsored by a wine bar and nightclub in Portstewart. Barry refers to the Italia 90 World Cup due to start that week and there is also a chance for listeners to win a weekend holiday break.
The tape was made between 1400-1530 on 6th June 1990 from 101.2 FM. Audio is generally good but there is some fading in places as it was recorded in Coleraine in Co. Derry. Thanks to Andy Craig for the original recording and to Ian Biggar for the donation.
Rick Dees in 1986 at KIIS-FM. By Larry Bessel, Los Angeles Times – https://digital.library.ucla.edu/catalog/ark:/21198/zz0002w1c0, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=130241684
The American DJ Rick Dees was a familiar voice to Irish radio listeners in the 1980s thanks to the syndication of his Weekly Top 40 show on Radio Nova in Dublin. Dees worked at KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, a station that strongly influenced the original format of Radio Nova, and the Weekly Top 40 was launched in 1983 with an initial syndication on 18 stations. It continues to be produced and has since aired on over 200 stations around the world.
This recording of the Weekly Top 40 is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. It was made on Saturday 1st December 1984 from Radio Nova on 102.7 FM between 1157-1235 and 1240-1328. The familiar high-level agency adverts generated by Nova are heard in commercial breaks. News is read on the hour by David Johnson (Andrew Hanlon), who went on to a career in licensed independent media in Ireland.
An early photo of Tony, probably from his Big D days (courtesy Marisa Dixon).
As well as presenting a daily show on Sunshine Radio every afternoon, Tony Dixon (RIP) also fronted a popular soul programme every Saturday evening. Soul Special aired from 1800-2100 and had a dedicated band of listeners. In this recording from 1982, to celebrate two years with Sunshine, Tony is giving away an album and a station car visor. There are dedications from near and far, including from Limerick and even Amsterdam.
The recording was made on 21st August 1982 between 2025-2100 from 100.5 FM and is courtesy of Shay Geoghegan. Tony had a long career in pirate and licensed radio but died prematurely in 2010.
A sticker for the WABC Gold service (courtesy DX Archive)
Continuing our series on Donegal border pirate WABC, we take up the story in mid-1990 by which time the station had expanded into two separate services. The following text is courtesy of Ian Biggar.
WABC continued pretty much unhindered for the remainder of 1989, but by my next visit in May 1990 significant change had happened. Two stations were now operating from the attic of Paul’s family home in Greencastle and both were running live programmes. The original 101.7 transmitter was operating as WABC Hot Hits with the second station being WABC Gold on 101.2 MHz. The transmitters were located fairly close to each other at Stroove. Both were aimed at Coleraine and beyond and were gaining a loyal following and a fairly healthy advertising log. However by August both transmitters were carrying the programmes of WABC Gold. In November 1990 Free Radio News from Ireland reported that WABC Gold had installed a new aerial system for the 101.2 MHz transmissions resulting in increased signal strength in the area of Coleraine. It also reported the resumption of transmissions from WABC Hot Hits on 101.7 MHz. Staff shortages was given as the reason for the delay in getting the Hot Hits station back on air.
This recording is of WABC Gold with a lunchtime show presented competently by Krissi Bentley (Carpenter), who was married to station founder Paul Bentley (Paul Barnett, RIP). There are plenty of adverts for businesses in Counties Derry and Antrim and the programme itself is sponsored by a carpet shop in Coleraine. Krissi reads news headlines at the top of the hour and the show also includes a laid-back Coffee Time slot and a Beg, Steal or Borrow section. There is also a listeners’ competition and promos for the two WABC stations. The recording was made between 1125-1300 from 101.2 FM on 6th June 1990 and is courtesy of Ian Biggar.
