1988 Archives - Page 4 of 22 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

3rd April 20234th April 2023

Evening shows on Premier County Radio

Premier County Radio was the new name given to Tipperary station Centre Radio in 1987. Based in Clonmel in the south of the county, Centre Radio had been set up in April 1986 as a youth-oriented offshoot of the long-running Clonmel Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). In this recording from 1988, we hear a flavour of two specialist evening shows on Premier County Radio.

First up is Brendan Kenny with oldies and he is followed by John Savage until midnight with a mix of country, folk and rock and roll. Requests from listeners are heard on both shows but there are no adverts. Part 1 above runs from 2116 and Part 2 below from 2202. The date of recording is 1^st November 1988.

Part 2 from 2202.

The cassette label logs a link frequency of 87.3 MHz but this is incorrect as the broadcast FM band begins at 87.5. Premier County Radio was announcing 87.9 and 104.3 FM at this time, and also broadcast on 1251 kHz AM. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

16th March 202313th March 2023

Fergal Owens on the CBC Night Shift

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This recording is of part of the Night Shift programme on CBC (Clonmel Broadcasting Corporation), toward the end of the popular Tipperary station’s seven years on air. DJ Fergal Owens is in flying form despite the late hour and has plenty of chat and music. The day’s broadcasting ends with the national anthem at midnight, which is played at the wrong speed for the first few bars.

The tape was made on 1^st and 2^nd November 1988 from 102.7 FM in mono. CBC also broadcast on 828 kHz AM. It closed down at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1988. This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

1st March 202313th March 2023

Mid-morning music and requests on CBC

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Clonmel Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) broadcast from the town of Clonmel in south Tipperary for over seven years from 1981 to the end of 1988. CBC had a wide variety of programmes and strong roots in its community, reflected in the number of requests from listeners heard in this recording made about two months before the station closed down. First up is one of the long-standing DJs, John (Jonathan) Ryan, presenting the breakfast show. There’s a mixture of musical styles, community notices and a jobs slot and adverts are heard from local businesses in south Tipperary and nearby areas of Waterford and Wexford. John is followed by station manager Peg Power with Golden Memories and a competition to win a breadbin sponsored by Dunnes Stores. News is read by Jimmy Williams.

Frequencies announced are 102.7, 99.5 and 96 FM. CBC also broadcast on 828 kHz and for a while on 1512 kHz AM, the latter frequency being the former Radio Carrick channel from Carrick-on-Suir. CBC closed down at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1988, along with the vast majority of the pirates.

This recording was made on Wednesday 2^nd November 1988 from 102.7 FM. Part 1 above runs from 0938 and Part 2 below from 1027.

Part 2 from 1027.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

20th February 202311th February 2023

Night-time rock on AMS from Kilkenny

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AMS (Astra Media Services) was a Kilkenny station broadcasting from 1987 until the end of 1988. Daytime programming was aimed at a mainstream audience, with more specialist shows in the evenings, including this rock show presented by Michael Porter. The programme includes a small number of adverts and a promo seeking sales reps for counties Kilkenny, Carlow and Tipperary.

The recording was made on 25^th May 1988 from 98.6 FM between 2040-2126. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

8th February 20233rd March 2023

Drivetime on Cork’s WKLR

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WKLR (West Cork Local Radio) broadcast from the town of Bandon from January 1984 until the end of December 1988. Originally aiming primarily at west Cork, by the end of its run WKLR could be heard throughout the county. The station broadcast on 1503 kHz AM, announced as 200 metres, and on various FM frequencies including 100 MHz.

In this recording from winter 1988, John Greene finishes up his Friday afternoon show until 4.30 and he is followed by Tim Coughlan who presents the drivetime show featuring mostly easy listening music. An outside broadcast from Cork City is promised for the following week and the station is identified as ‘WKLR – the new voice of Cork’. News is read by Deirdre O’Reilly. Tim presented a show on Cork commercial station C103 until 2022 and John is still heard on that station.

The recording was made from 95.5 FM on 4^th November 1988. Rather than being a studio link transmitter as stated on the label, this was in fact located on a hill southwest of Bandon and covered a large area in its own right. Part 1 above runs from 1607-1653 and Part 2 below from 1654-1740.

Part 2 from 1654.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. WKLR closed at 0130 on December 31^st 1988.