Podcast: Play in new window | Download
ERI was one of Ireland’s most successful pirate stations, broadcasting from County Cork and later Cork City between 1982 and 1988. After installing a 5kW AM transmitter on 1305 kHz (225 metres) in 1983, it gained dominance among listeners and advertisers in Munster. The station could also be heard further afield at night due to AM propagation, as in this recording made in Kidderminster in the English midlands in the winter of 1983.
It begins with the end of Mark Lawrence’s Saturday breakfast show, which is followed by news read by John O’Connor. Next up is the children’s programme Junior Club. Commercial breaks feature adverts for local businesses and for brands and include the voice of John Blake (real name John Creedon), who would go on to become a well-known RTÉ presenter. There is plenty of deep fading in the recording due to the distance from the AM transmitter. The tape was made on Saturday 26th November 1983 from 0845-0900 from 1305 kHz and is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.