Tag: Northeast series

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This is another episode of the Free Radio Campaign (FRC) on Louth shortwave station Radio Rainbow International (1985-1988). It is presented by Kieran Murray, who describes Radio Rainbow as the biggest free shortwave station in Europe at the time. The Louth station operated on much higher power than other Irish shortwave pirates, and received reception reports from across Europe during its three years on air.

Episode #35 of the FRC show contains Boola Boola by Drifter Sound, the theme tune to Radio Dublin, which was then celebrating its 20^th birthday. There’s the customary 5-minute sweep of jingles and a feature on early 1980s stations ARD and Southside Radio. The free radio newsdesk includes information about the raid on KISS FM in Dublin earlier that month.

The recording was made on Sunday 12^th October 1986 from 1100-1200 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. This is a studio copy but Radio Rainbow International at this time broadcast on 6240 kHz shortwave and the FRC show was relayed on various stations in Ireland and elsewhere.

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Radio Rainbow International was a high-powered shortwave station broadcasting from Co. Louth between 1985-1988. It was set up by the engineer of Boyneside Radio, Eddie Caffrey and other Boyneside presenters were also involved, including Kieran Murray with the weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show featuring radio news from home and abroad. Initially, Radio Rainbow broadcast every Sunday morning across Europe on 6240 kHz in the 48-metre band. Local transmitters were later added on AM and FM.

In edition #28 of the FRC, Kieran Murray welcomes listeners hearing relays on Radio Veronica in Liverpool and Radio Crystal in Surrey and reminds other free radio stations in Europe that they are welcome to carry the programme. Promos for Anoraks UK are voiced by the late Bob Gallico. Listeners’ letters come from Ireland and the UK and there is the usual 5-minute sweep of jingles. The feature covers a recording of London pirate Thameside Radio from 1980 and is followed by the weekly FRC newsdesk.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made on Sunday 3^rd August 1986 from 1100-1200. This is a studio copy in stereo but there is some wobble of the cassette due to degradation over time.

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This is an episode of the weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Louth station Radio Rainbow International from autumn 1986. Presented by Kieran Murray, it includes the usual 5-minute sweep of jingles this week featuring British ILR and BBC stations. The featured station is BBC Radio Stoke-on-Trent, which includes an interview with Dave Cash formerly of Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s. The free radio newsdesk includes references to various proposed new stations that did not materialise: a new music station operated by Boyneside Radio covering an area from Dublin to Belfast called Laser FM and three new stations from the stable of Sunshine Radio in Dublin.

The recording of episode #34 of the FRC was made from 1100-1200 on Sunday 5^th October 1986. Radio Rainbow International broadcast on 6240 kHz shortwave at this stage, later adding AM and FM. This is a studio copy and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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This is edition #9 of the Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Co. Louth shortwave station Radio Rainbow International. Presenter Kieran Murray announces that the station was off the air the previous Sunday because of poor conditions on shortwave and work on the transmitter. He says that the FRC is being relayed on stations in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Listeners’ letters come from the UK and the Netherlands and the weekly 5 minutes of jingles includes pirates and licensed stations. The station feature comprises an interview with Kenny Everett of Capitol Radio and BBC Radio 1 and excerpts from Capitol Radio in London. The FRC newsdesk covers offshore and Irish pirates and includes a reference to the introduction of compact discs on Q102, sponsored by Sony. Radio Nova is reported to be considering a name change in the next fortnight due to a fall in advertising revenue. On March 19^th, Radio Nova would close down, to be replaced by Zoom 103.  

This recording is a studio copy and from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. It was made on Sunday 9^th March 1986 from 1100-1200. Radio Rainbow International broadcast on 6240 kHz shortwave.