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Keeping it local on Laois Community Radio

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Keeping it local on Laois Community Radio
An unidentified DJ at LCR in 1986 (courtesy of Ken Baird, taken originally by Andy Carter).

Laois Community Radio (LCR) broadcast from early 1982 for six years from the town of Mountrath, closing down on New Year’s Eve 1988 along with most other pirates. This recording is from the early days of the station and gives a sense of a station putting down roots as a truly local operation. It’s Sunday 31st October 1982 and the unidentified presenter plays easy listening music and reads out plenty of community notices, including one inviting local groups to use LCR to get their message across. The recording, made from 88.8 FM, starts at around 1130 but it seems some of the music has been airchecked. Audio quality is fair and there is some fading at times, possibly due to distance from the transmitter.

We thank Ian Biggar and DX Archive for this recording.

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Promos and jingles from WLR

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Promos and jingles from WLR
WLR logo (courtesy of DX Archive).

Waterford Local Radio (WLR) began broadcasting in 1978 and continued until the pirate shutdowns of 1988. It was one of the few countywide pirates to be licensed in 1989 and continues to hold the Co. Waterford franchise, still using the WLR name. Here is a selection of promos, adverts and jingles from 1982 and 1983. There is also a snippet of news read by Elinor O’Brien and a clip of Tony Weldon introducing Teatime Special. The jingles are from an Alfasound package and the voice of Bill Mitchell is hear on sweepers.

WLR broadcast on 1197 kHz AM (announcing 252 metres) and 88.8 FM. It was a professional station with a more community-focused approach than its main rival, ABC. We thank former WLR DJ Colin Kennedy for this donation.

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Late night on South Coast Radio

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Late night on South Coast Radio
South Coast poster (adapted from DX Archive image).

South Coast Radio was one of the popular Cork pirates of the early 1980s and broadcast on 1557 kHz (announced as 194 metres) and 104 FM. This recording was made from FM from 2204-2304 on 12th April 1982. Alan Reid (aka Henry Condon, RIP) has just taken over from John Kenny and is on the late night shift until 1am. The voice of the late Hugh Browne can be heard on some of the ads. There’s some warble towards the end, reflecting the age of the cassette.

Along with other high-powered stations in Dublin, South Coast Radio was jammed by RTÉ in 1983 and closed down temporarily following the raids on Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio in May that year. This recording was donated to us by Paul Buckle.

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Breakfast on Community Radio Fingal

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Breakfast on Community Radio Fingal
CRF car sticker (courtesy DX Archive).

This is a recording of Community Radio Fingal (CRF) made by Leon Tipler during a visit to Dublin in 1982. It features a short extract from the breakfast show presented by Damien from 0848-0858 on Monday 13th September 1982 recorded from 1584 kHz (189 metres). The local FM transmitter on 96 MHz is also mentioned. CRF would later move slightly up the AM band to 1575 kHz, which was a clearer channel.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

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Visit to Community Radio Fingal

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Visit to Community Radio Fingal
CRF sticker (courtesy of DX Archive).

Community Radio Fingal (CRF) broadcast from various locations in north Co. Dublin from March 1982 until the end of 1988. In September 1982, they were visited at the Rockabill Hotel near Skerries by the British radio enthusiast Leon Tipler during one of his Irish trips.

This is the unedited version of the interviews about CRF in Tipler’s documentary series ‘The Irish Pirates’. Speaking in the tiny CRF studio, Pat Young explains that the station emerged from Dublin Community Radio, which by 1982 was struggling with increased competition in the city’s pirate scene. At the time the station broadcast on 1584 kHz AM, announcing 189 metres, with 1 kW of power which gave it good reception all over Dublin. A 25-watt FM transmitter on 96 MHz linked to the AM installation a few kilometres away. CRF had 10-12 presenters and four sales staff and was doing well with listeners and advertisers. Tipler also interviews DJ Sindy who is one of four female presenters and a part-time sales representative.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.