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Lawrence John on overnight Radio Nova

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Lawrence John on overnight Radio Nova
Nova car sticker from the 738 days (courtesy Ian Biggar)

This recording of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova is of an overnight show presented by Lawrence John, who was involved in a range of 1980s Irish pirates including Radio Leinster, KISS AM/FM (Dublin), Q102 and KISS FM (Monaghan, where he was known as John Friday). Given the time of night, the music is laidback and talk is limited to occasional requests, including one for veteran offshore DJ Don Allen of Radio West in Mullingar. There are no adverts, although a promotion for a £10,000 cash giveaway is heard at the top of the hour.

The tape was made from 102.7 FM between 0036-0125 on Monday 9th July 1984 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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Early morning shows on Radio Nova

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Early morning shows on Radio Nova
Nova sticker from the 738 days (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

1985 was the last full year of Radio Nova, the ambitious radio experiment created by Chris Cary in 1981 that dominated the Dublin radio market for several years. In September 1985, Cary closed the offshoot station Magic 103 and sold transmitters and equipment to rival station Q102. A bitter strike with the National Union of Journalists had resumed and was affecting advertising. Nova closed down in March 1986.

This recording from just before Nova’s final Christmas features the end of Richard Jackson’s overnight slot and the first half hour of the breakfast show with Colm Hayes, who is still heard on Irish radio today. Perhaps due to the early hour, no advertisements are aired and there is no news bulletin at 0600. The recording was made from 102.7 FM between 0544 and 0632 on Monday 16th December 1985 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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Jessie Brandon and Tony Allan on Radio Nova

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Jessie Brandon and Tony Allan on Radio Nova
Jessie Brandon on offshore pirate Laser 558 in 1984 (courtesy offshoreradio.co.uk / Offshore Echoes magazine).

This recording of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova from 1985 features two of the station’s best presenters during its six years on air. The DJ is the legendary Jessie Brandon, who moved from the US to offshore pirate Laser 558 in 1984, before coming to Radio Nova. Jessie was one of the few female DJs on commercial stations in Ireland at the time. Joining her on news duties is the equally renowned Tony Allan (RIP), whose voice is also heard on several adverts and promos. The chemistry is electric in studio, with both presenters clearly revelling in each other’s company.

Jessie Brandon and Tony Allan on Radio Nova
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 102.7 FM between 1730-1815 on Wednesday 16th October 1985. Radio Nova also broadcast on high power on 738 kHz AM during this time.

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Radio Nova on its final morning

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Radio Nova on its final morning
Nova car sticker from the 738 period (Anoraks Ireland Collection.

After dominating the Dublin market for 5 years, by early 1986 Radio Nova was in serious trouble. A bitter dispute with the National Union of Journalists had affected advertising revenue, shareholders were unhappy and the station had lost listeners at home due to the decision to chase a British audience. In March, Chris Cary announced that he would sell Nova by the end of the month, blaming the NUJ for his decision. In fact the end came sooner, on March 19th, after two disgruntled shareholders successfully applied to the High Court for a receiver to be appointed to Nova Media Services. There was no indication on air that anything was awry until that afternoon. Radio Nova closed down just after 1800 but continuous music was broadcast on both AM and FM, with a new station, Zoom 103, announced a few hours later. Zoom lasted for less than a week but was replaced on 28th April by Energy 103.

Radio Nova on its final morning
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

This tape from the Anoraks Ireland Collection features part of the Nightcap programme on Nova, recorded as the station entered its final day. The DJ is Richard Jackson and the recording was made from 0000-0045 on March 19th 1986 from 103.1 FM.

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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.