1988 Archives - Page 23 of 24 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

31st December 201814th February 2023

Heartbeat FM, the love station

Heartbeat FM was a popular love song station in Dublin broadcasting from 1986 until the end of 1988 on 95.5 FM. The station changed its name to Cara 95 for a few months in 1987 but reverted to Heartbeat. It was an example of one of the niche stations of the era and featured a format that would be copied in later years by Radio Dublin. Heartbeat returned as a pirate in the 1990s and was awarded a temporary licence in the 1990s.

These recordings of Heartbeat from the Pirate.ie collection from 30^th August 1988 include links by John Keogh and Maurice Nevin (RIP), adverts, jingles and news.

Ads into 6pm news from 30.08.88. The newsreader is Maurice Nevin.

Ads and a jingle from 1988.

Aircheck and ads from 1988. The presenter is Maurice Nevin.

Heartbeat jingle from 1987.

31st December 20184th December 2022

Signal 106 from south Dublin

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Signal 106 was a hobby station from the southside of Dublin which broadcast at the end of the pirate era. It was set up at Christmas 1978 by the youthful Kevin Branigan and Mike Ormonde and broadcast from Rathfarnham then and during the following summer holidays, returning for a final run at Christmas 1988. Because its antenna was on a height, Signal got out well despite its low power on 106 FM, as indicated by the good reception across the city in Bayside where these recordings were made.

In the first clip we hear Graham Turner (aka Justin Leonard) and Dave Adams (aka Andrew Mangan). The top of the hour jingle is by Seán Ashmore who did many station idents in the late 1980s. The second and third clips feature Graham Turner. The date is 29^th December 1988, the day before Signal closed down. These recordings are from the Pirate.ie collection.

Clip 1

Clips 2 and 3

31st December 20187th August 2021

Airchecks: CAU FM

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CAU FM was a short-lived station broadcasting on 103.5 FM from Foxrock in south Dublin from the summer of 1987 until the summer of 1988. Although more a hobby than a commercial station, it had a professional sound and slick jingle package and was run by Locky Butler who still works professionally in audio and sound recording. This is an aircheck of a longer recording in our collection from 1988 (unfortunately we have no date) featuring Locky Butler on air.

30th December 201830th December 2024

Final Alternative Top 30 on Capitol Radio/Nitesky 96

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Capitol Radio/Nitesky 96 specialised in indie and alternative music and was one of the last stations in Dublin on air on New Year’s Eve 1988, broadcasting live from Side’s nightclub. This recording from the Pirate.ie collection is from 30^th December 1988 and features Conor Brooks promoting the listeners’ all-time Alternative Top 30 that was to be broadcast on the 31^st, the final day. The suggested bands and songs give a good indication of Capitol’s unique musical style. The Alternative Top 10 based on listeners’ votes was a popular weekly feature on the station. Capitol Radio/Nitesky 96 closed down at midnight on 31^st December 1988.

30th December 20187th August 2021

Interview with Radio Dublin on its ‘last day’ of broadcasting

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Centre Radio in Bayside was one of the last stations to close at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1988. Rumours abounded that Radio Dublin was going to defy the new legislation and continue broadcasting so early on the morning of the 31^st December, Bobby Gibbson (Brian Greene) decided to call Radio Dublin live on air. In this recording, he speaks to breakfast presenter Robbie Prior who says all presenters have been told that this is their final day. However he adds that station owner Eamon Cooke could well have something up his sleeve. The recording includes poor quality live audio from Radio Dublin’s AM broadcast on 1188 kHz.