Radio Nova Archives - Page 4 of 13 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

15th November 20217th November 2021

Radio Nova as heard in Cumbria

Radio Nova courted listeners on the west coast of Britain throughout its five-year existence from 1981-1986. By the spring of 1983, it had a 10 kW transmitter in operation on 819 kHz, with a 50 kW rig ready to go into service. Expansion plans were set back by the infamous raid of 18^th Mary 1983, and when it returned to the air, Nova operated on lower power for a while and switched frequencies between 828 kHz and 819 kHz.

This recording was made from 828 kHz AM in Cumbria on 29^th June 1983 from 2045-2115. Colm Hayes is on air announcing AM only, because Nova’s 88 FM frequency was at this time used for an specialist service called Super Nova every evening. News is read by David Malone. Reception is reasonably strong but noticeably weaker than in other periods and it would be autumn 1983 before Nova resumed high-power broadcasting on AM.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

18th October 202113th October 2021

Eddie West on late-night Nova

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This is a recording of the late Eddie West on the overnight shift on Radio Nova sometime in July 1982. The music ranges from mellow and rock and there is minimal talk in line with the ‘clutter-free’ format. Nova was broadcasting on 846 kHz AM at this time but still used ‘the mighty 890’ jingle from its brief period on 891 kHz in late 1981. The inconsistency didn’t matter to most listeners who didn’t have digital read-outs on their radios!

The recording was made from 88 FM and runs from 0010-0042 but is undated, although we could estimate a date because of references to the forthcoming Rolling Stones concert. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.

30th August 202130th August 2021

Dublin Today on Radio Nova

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Dublin Today was a daily half-hour current affairs programme broadcast on Radio Nova after the 7pm evening news. This untimed recording was made from 819 kHz AM on Friday 10^th September 1982 and features presenters Linda Conway and Michael O’Brien with a range of items including a wine review, a preview of motor racing and an interview with a band.

Although part of Nova’s quest for respectability, Dublin Today was a key part of its eventual closure in 1986. The programme was at the heart of the bitter dispute between Nova boss Chris Cary and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which began in 1984 after presenters of the programme were sacked without proper notice or redundancy payments.

Peter Mulryan’s book Radio Radio (1988) claims that Chris Cary was still concerned about Dublin Today in 1985, describing it as ‘claptrap’ and ‘dangerous and subversive’. However, when the merger of Radio Nova and Energy 103 was announced in November 1987, an hour-long Dublin Today from 6-7pm was introduced, with an eye to the new broadcasting legislation. For a detailed account of Radio Nova’s history, including the NUJ dispute, see the Radiowaves website.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

1st August 20219th March 2024

Dublin bandscan from 1981

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This is a bandscan of radio as heard on AM and FM in Dublin in August 1981 by Leon Tipler on one of his many visits in Dublin to document the local pirate scene. The scan gives a sense of the sheer volume of stations on AM and the less crowded FM band, where British stations could regularly be heard due to lack of congestion. We don’t have a precise date but part of the recording was made on a Sunday.

The bandscan begins on FM with Belfast station Downtown Radio’s closedown with a read- through of the next day’s schedule. This is followed by unidentified Irish and British stations on FM and céilí music on RTÉ Radio 1. Leon then switches to AM and tunes past foreign stations before settling on Radio City on 257 metres where Brian Harmon is signing off for the night. This is followed by classical music on what sounds like Radio 1 again. A live ad is read out by the DJ for the new Sunday Tribune newspaper on Sunshine Radio on AM and Leon then switches to Radio Nova on 88 FM. This is followed by exchanges from air traffic control, as was the norm on part of the FM band in those days.

The scan then returns to AM and Radio Leinster on 738 kHz (406 metres) where Anna Craig is signing off at the end of her Sunday morning show. She is followed by Fr. Michael Culloty with a religious programme. The bandscan ends with more AM stations include ARD and part of the Disco Format show on Sunshine.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated by Steve England.

28th July 202123rd July 2021

Declan Meehan’s brekkie trekkie on Radio Nova

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This is a recording of Radio Nova made by British radio enthusiast Leon Tipler on 14^th September 1982 during one of his visits to Dublin. Recorded from 88 FM from 0911-0956, it features part of the ‘brekkie trekkie’ with Declan Meehan. The music mix is mellow and presented in Nova’s pioneering ‘clutterfree’ format . The late Terry Wogan’s voice is heard on a well-known advert for Bargaintown. News headlines are read by Sybil Fennell and the job spot is also aired.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.