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John Clarke plays laid-back music on KISS FM

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John Clarke plays laid-back music on KISS FM
John Clarke in the KISS FM studio at Christmas 1982 (Anoraks Ireland Collection)

KISS FM was one of the many offshoots of the renowned Dublin station Radio Nova. It was set up by Chris Cary in September 1982, offering specialist programmes for the Dublin audience and absorbing some of the advertising from Nova, such was the success of the main station. However, a jamming campaign by RTÉ and tensions between Cary and the National Union of Journalists put the entire Nova operation at risk and KISS FM closed down on 15th January 1984.

This recording is of veteran radio presenter John Clarke over the Christmas holidays in 1983, towards the end of KISS FM’s run. The musical style is relaxed and there are relatively few advertisments for the time of year, perhaps reflecting the wider problems affecting Nova. News headlines are read by Ken Hammond, who would go on to become an RTÉ journalist. The tape was made from 102.75 FM between 1634-1708 on Tuesday 27th December 1983 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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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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Interview: Declan Meehan (part 2: 1982-1989)

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Interview: Declan Meehan (part 2: 1982-1989)
Declan Meehan and John Walsh at East Coast FM in Bray where Declan has worked since 1994.

In the second part of our extended interview, long-time broadcaster Declan Meehan discusses his move from Sunshine to Radio Nova in 1982 which was by then the biggest station in Dublin. He tells us how Chris Cary copied the sound of KIIS FM in Los Angeles to bring a new broadcasting style to Ireland. Despite his love for Radio Nova, Declan left the station because of the bitter NUJ strike in 1984. Although he moved into licensed radio in the UK and Ireland after that, Declan’s involvement with the pirates didn’t quite end there. The interview concludes with Declan’s thoughts on the pirate legacy and his views on the state of radio today.

You can hear the first part of this interview here.