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August bank holiday 1985 on Radio Nova

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August bank holiday 1985 on Radio Nova
Colm Hayes in the Nova studios during the 1983 raid (courtesy Joe King).

This recording of pirate giant Radio Nova was made on the August bank holiday weekend 1985 and features two well-known voices on the station, DJ Colm Hayes and newsreader Bob Gallico (RIP). There is a listeners’ competition, celebrity birthday spot, sports news and mixture of chart music and oldies for the day that’s in it. The usual high-level agency adverts are heard, including ones for big brands Lucozade and Coca-Cola, reflecting Nova’s dominance in the radio market.

An interesting aspect of this recording is information about technical aspects of Nova’s broadcasts. A promo mentions the high-quality FM signal and powerful 50 kW AM transmitter, which is said to cover hundreds of square miles of coverage in Ireland, England and Wales. There is also mention of Nova’s offshoot station Magic 103 broadcasting on 1521 kHz AM, a frequency not normally announced.

The tape was made from 102.7 FM on Monday 5th August 1985 from 0700-0745 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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Sonic Independent Radio relayed on shortwave

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Sonic Independent Radio relayed on shortwave
Bob Nailor in the Sonic Independent Radio studio in 1981 (courtesy DX Archive).

Sonic Independent Radio was one of many short-lived south Dublin stations during the early 1980s. Based in Shankill on the southside, it was first logged in the winter of 1980/1981 on 1314 kHz (announcing 228 metres) and was noted on that frequency several times during 1981. Sonic was run by Joe Jackson, who provided many AM transmitters for pirate radio around that time. According to an entry on DX Archive, the same transmitter was used for later short-term stations such as East Coast Radio, ABC (Dún Laoghaire) and South City Radio. Sonic features in a log of stations received in Lancashire in summer 1981 and was said to have a very good signal at the time. However reception of the station outside Ireland was soon to be hampered by the expansion of Norwegian station NRK of its broadcasts on 1314 kHz.

This recording of Sonic Independent Radio is of the weekly FRC (Free Radio Campaign) Ireland show, presented by Rick Davenport and Steve Johnston. The FRC show covers radio news, both licensed and pirate, and includes listeners’ letters and reception reports. The presenters announce that Sonic is to be relaunched the following day, with a new format and name. This edition of the FRC Ireland show was a relay by Capital Radio International on 6268 kHz. It was made on 8th November 1981 from 1200-1245 and begins with the voice of Capital Radio operator, Aidan Hughes. Capital Radio began broadcasting in 1981 and continued as a regular Sunday morning shortwave pirate throughout the 1980s. It returned in the early 1990s but ceased to broadcast after Aidan Hughes died prematurely.

Audio quality on this recording ranges from fair to poor, reflecting the fact that it is of a shortwave relay of an original medium wave broadcast. There is also some wobble due to degradation of the cassette, which is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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Afternoon Spin on Community Radio 257

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Afternoon Spin on Community Radio 257
Community Radio 257 flyer (courtesy Ian Biggar).

Community Radio 257 broadcast for about six months in 1983 from the north Dublin suburb of Clontarf. It was run by John Thewlis who had previously operated Echo Radio from the same location in 1982. Community Radio 257 emerged following the raids on the big pirates in May 1983 and later moved to Portmarnock in north Co. Dublin, before closing down that November. Community Radio 257 had big plans and many capable DJs were involved but recordings of the station reveal that advertising revenue was slow.

Afternoon Spin on Community Radio 257
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

In this recording, Conor Cuddihy presents the Afternoon Spin programme, consisting of music and station promos, including one for the 257 Radiophonic Institute that promised to train presenters and producers. Jingles are both generic and recycled from the original Radio 257 in 1980. News is read by Fergal Conneely. The recording was made on Thursday 25th August 1983 from 94 FM between 1304 and 1444. Community Radio 257 also broadcast on 1116 kHz AM. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

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Overnight Nova as heard in Britain

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Overnight Nova as heard in Britain
The massive AM aerial at the Nova Park site in 1983 (courtesy DX Archive).

The boss of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova, Chris Cary, made various attempts to reach the west coast of Britain through the use of high-powered AM transmitters. At various times in the station’s existence, weather reports referred to northwest England, southern Scotland and the Isle of Man and Nova opened an advertising office in Liverpool in 1984. Expansion plans were dealt a severe blow in May 1983 when the authorities raided Nova and when the station returned to full-time broadcasting a days weeks later, power was reduced significantly.

Overnight Nova as heard in Britain
Nova newsreader Ken Hammond (courtesy Noel Hiney).

This recording was made from Nova’s AM frequency about a month before the raids and gives a flavour of how the station sounded in the English midlands outside the intended listening area on the west coast. It begins with Dennis Murray finishing his Saturday night show and the extended midnight news read by Ken Hammond, who would go on to become an RTÉ journalist. The overnight DJ is the late Roland Burke. The recording continues with a Sunday morning show presented by Mike Moran and news read by Bryan Dobson, who also went on to a career with RTÉ News.

The night-time recording contains lots of fading consistent with AM propagation in the hours of darkness and the daytime section is typical of groundwave reception. Made from 819 kHz, it begins at 2350 on Saturday 9th and continues from 0937 on Sunday 10th April 1983. The recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

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Sunday morning shows on Radio Nova

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Sunday morning shows on Radio Nova
Nova carsticker from the 819 days (courtesy Ian Biggar).

This recording of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova was made in the winter of 1983, six months after the raids that put it and the other main Dublin station Sunshine Radio off the air temporarily. By this time, Nova had resumed high-powered AM broadcasting on 819 kHz after equipment seized in the raid was returned following a court case. This gave it greater penetration into the west coast of Britain, an area that would be included in its weather forecasts to reflect the expanded listening area. The recording begins with the final few minutes of the religious programme Life is a Celebration, followed by news read by David Malone. Next up is Greg Gaughren, who continues to broadcast on the licensed Radio Nova in Dublin to this day. Commercial breaks include the usual mix of larger businesses and brands, reflecting Nova’s strong commercial success.

The tape was made near Birmingham from 0950-1030 on Sunday 27th November 1983 from 819 kHz AM. It is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.