Anoraks Ireland Collection Archives - Page 27 of 45 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

11th March 202322nd April 2023

Henry Owens on Q102

Henry Owens (real name Henry Condon) was heard on various pirate stations in the 1980s, including Q102, Radio Nova and South Coast Radio in Cork, where he was known as Alan Reid. In this recording from 1986, he presents an afternoon show on Dublin super-pirate Q102. Along with plenty of agency adverts, there’s also a competition to win a trip across the skies of Dublin in the Eye in the Sky helicopter, from which Q102 delivered its traffic reports each morning. News is read by Anne Cassin at two minutes to the hour, an innovation allowing the station to claim that it was first to bring the news to Dublin listeners.

Henry went on to enjoy a long career on licensed radio in Ireland and UK up to his untimely death in 2013. Anne Cassin is now a presenter of Nationwide on RTÉ. This tape was recorded on Tuesday 11^th March 1986 from 102.1 FM. Part 1 above runs from 1519 and Part 2 below from 1618.

Part 2.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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.

23rd February 202323rd February 2023

Dublin super-pirate Q102 marks one month on air

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Irish-owned Q102 rocked the Dublin market when it came on the air on 23^rd January 1985. In these recordings from one month later, it’s clear that the new station has found its feet and is beginning to make a mark on listeners and advertisers. In the first recording above from 1038-1126 on 23^rd February 1985, John O’Hara presents the final 20 minutes of his Saturday morning breakfast show before handing over to Jason Maine. The sound is tight and slick, with agency adverts and professional station imaging. There’s also a promo for cash giveaways for listeners spotted wearing Q102 badges. The second recording below is from 2304-2352 on 24^th February and features Martin Block with the laid-back ‘bedtime Q’ show.

Eddie West from 24.02.85

Both tapes were made from 102 FM and are from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

20th February 202311th February 2023

Night-time rock on AMS from Kilkenny

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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.

15th February 202312th February 2023

Nova offshoot KISS FM nears end of run in 1984

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

KISS FM was set up by Chris Cary as an offshoot of Radio Nova in September 1982, and offered specialist programming aimed at listeners in Dublin, in contrast to Nova’s more mainstream service and wider reception area. It also had the function of absorbing additional advertising for the main station but as it entered 1984, KISS FM was in trouble. Jamming by RTÉ and growing industrial unrest with the National Union of Journalists was threatening the entire Radio Nova operation and KISS FM closed down at midnight on 15^th January.

This recording was made a fortnight earlier and includes the afternoon show with John Clarke from 2pm. The emphasis is on the music with limited talk and from 3pm John presents the Top 40 most played easy listening songs on KISS in 1983. News on the hour is read by Ken Hammond, who went on to work as a journalist with RTÉ. The bulletins contain reference to the new state telecommunications board Telecom Éireann, which was set up to deal with the dire state of the Irish telephone system in the early 1980s.

The tape was made from 102.7 FM from 1341-1521 on 2^nd January 1984 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.