Sybil Fennell Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

5th November 202527th October 2025

Nova breakfast show shortly before RTÉ blocks FM signal

The Zoo Crew was a zany breakfast slot in the Radio Nova breakfast show from late 1985 to early 1986, presented by Colm Hayes, Bob Gallico (RIP) and Cathy Byrne. This recording includes chat, features and humour from the Zoo Crew at a pivotal time for Radio Nova. There are promos for pre-Christmas competitions and an opportunity to win a colour television along with sports news, a traffic report and a birthday file that includes a mention of Bob’s 26-year old son, Michael. The usual high-level adverts are heard for large businesses and brands but the veneer of commercial success hid the growing problems for Nova at the time.

The station’s news and easy-listening offshoot service Magic 103 had closed on 22^nd September, reigniting a bitter dispute between Nova boss Chris Cary and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). After resorting to jamming the pirates in 1984, RTÉ later changed its tactics and in May 1985 received permission from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to use 102.7 FM for Raidió na Gaeltachta in the north-east, which was coincidentally the same frequency as Nova. Two days after this recording was made, on Thursday 7^th November 1985, RTÉ switched on its new high-powered transmitter at Clermont Carn in Co. Louth, drowning out Nova’s signal as far south as Dublin. The Anoraks UK Weekly Report of 10^th November reported that by ‘Friday morning, everyone at the station was in a state of despair, and finally, Tony Allan made a promo asking people to help to locate the offender’. Nova requested reception reports to determine where the test tone was worst, and eventually it was traced to Co. Louth. Nova switched off 102.7 at 1214 on Friday and moved up to 103.1.

Nova fan Kevin Branigan comments that this period was the beginning of the end of Radio Nova. ‘The closure of Magic 103 was causing turmoil, with the NUJ strike that had ended the previous October now resumed with a vengeance with pickets back at Nova Park and at the more high-profile 144 Upper Leeson Street premises, where Magic had been based. Nova had been relayed on 103.5 FM since the closure but it was later claimed falsely on air that the transmitter had been vandalised when in fact it had been sold by Cary to Dublin rival Q102. This was done to put the NUJ off the scent and claim that Nova had nothing more to do with Magic 103, but the move was disastrous because it strengthened Q102 and led it to surround Nova on the FM dial. Fast forward a few months and Nova was closed, its DJs were working mostly for Q102 and that station went on to become one of the biggest in Dublin’. This was all unfolding at the same time as our recording – the claim of bogus vandalism was made by Nova on November 6^th, while Q102 were already audible on low power on 103.5, so the new RTÉ transmitter in Co. Louth could not have come at a worst time. Listen below to extracts from Nova news bulletins about the ‘vandalism’.

ABC Network News on 6th November 1985 (courtesy Kevin Branigan).

The airchecked recording of the Radio Nova breakfast show is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 102.7 FM between 0652-1005 on Tuesday, November 5^th 1985.

10th October 202530th September 2025

Radio Nova news as heard in Britain

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This recording of Dublin pirate station Radio Nova was made in the winter of 1984, a day after a serious air accident involving a plane flying from Dublin to Paris. Eight passengers and the pilot were killed on 13^th November 1984 when the light aircraft in which they were travelling crashed near Eastbourne on the southeast coast of England.

The recording of the 1400 Nova news bulletin was made from 738 kHz AM on 14^th November, when the extent of the tragedy was apparent. The newsreader is Sybil Fennell and the tape was made in Kidderminster near Birmingham. It is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

3rd March 202517th February 2025

Chris Cary interviewed on new Nova Power 103 FM

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After testing for several days, at midnight on 9^th November 1987, a new station began broadcasting continuous CD music on 100 FM in Dublin. On 18^th November, the station announced itself as the ‘New Radio Nova’, rocking the Dublin pirate scene as it approached its final golden year of 1988. It was an ironic coincidence that the Minister for Communications, Ray Burke, published his new Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Bill and Sound Broadcasting Bill the following day, 19^th November, aimed at closing down the pirates and introducing licensed local radio. On 25^th November came another dramatic announcement as existing station Energy 103 announced that it was merging with the new Radio Nova in light of the impending broadcasting legislation. The merged station was called Nova Power 103 FM and founder of the original Nova, Chris Cary (RIP), was involved, ostensibly as a consultant. This was to the consternation of many in Dublin who had been burned by Cary’s brash managerial style, particularly advertisers who lost money after the collapse of the station in 1986 and journalists and their union involved in the bitter industrial relations dispute with Nova.

In line with the new legislation, Nova Power 103 promised plenty of news and current affairs and revived the Dublin Today programme that was aired on the original Radio Nova. However, the new name was short-lived, when the receiver of Nova Media Services, Pearse Farrell, sought an interlocutory injunction preventing use of the Nova brand. According to Peter Mulryan in Radio Radio (1988), Farrell was also concerned about some activities of the bankrupt company and did not want to allow Cary to use the high-profile Nova name with licences in the offing. Within a few weeks, Nova Power 103 had reverted to Energy 103, which continued to broadcast until 11^th March 1988.

This recording of Nova Power 103 was made on its first day and features an interview with Chris Cary on the Dublin Today programme, discussing his plans for the new station. Presenters of Dublin Today are Sybil Fennell and Teena Gates, and news at 1900 is read by Lisa Moore (Fionnuala Sweeney, who would later join RTÉ and CNN). The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 100 FM between 1850-1905 on 25^th November 1987.

15th November 202315th November 2023

Radio Nova as heard in English midlands

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By the summer of 1984, Radio Nova was riding the crest of a wave. Having endured the storm of the RTÉ jamming, the station was now broadcasting a massive 50kW of power on AM, allowing it greater penetration of the northwest of Britain. After using various FM and AM frequencies to avoid the jamming, in May 1984 Nova switched to 738 kHz and 102.7 FM only, opened an advertising office in Liverpool and began including references to England in news, weather and traffic reports.

This recording was made in the English midlands near Birmingham, south of the area being targetted by Nova in the northwest of England, southern Scotland and the Isle of Man. There is plenty of co-channel interference from the Spanish broadcaster on the same frequency of 738 kHz and deep fading consistent with night-time propagation. Transmitter power would also have been turned down to 10kW at night to minimise interference. On air is Chris Barry, a well-known DJ from the pirate era and later licensed independent radio. News on the hour is read by another familiar Nova voice, Sybil Fennell.

The recording was made on 6^th July 1984 from 2137 to 2307 and is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

6th November 20236th November 2023

Radio Nova broadcasting on longwave

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One of the characteristics of the super-pirate Radio Nova was its high-powered broadcasts on medium wave aimed at listeners in Britain. By 1985, the station was broadcasting 50kW of power on 738 kHz AM and reaching cities such as Liverpool and Manchester but the frequency was prone to interference at night. Longwave – capable of covering larger distances and using a less crowded band – seemed like an option to reach Britain more effectively and was tested by Radio Nova in late 1985 and early 1986.

Nova began broadcasting on 254 kHz on 6^th December 1985, relaying the main service on 738 kHz. The audacious move was noted by the Media Network programme on Radio Netherlands International but the initial broadcasts were intermittent and on low power. Signal strength improved in the first fortnight in January 1986 but no mention of longwave was made on air and it is likely that few listeners were aware of the broadcasts. Separate longwave broadcasts did not begin until 28^th January, when Nova was relayed until 1400, followed by a programme presented by Chris Barry until 1800. The same schedule continued for the following two days until the transmitter was switched off on Thursday 30^th January at around 2215. It is estimated that power output was in the region of 15 kW at the time. The reason for the switch-off of longwave is not known but Nova was by this time in deep trouble and would close down completely on March 19th.

254 kHz (later 252) was the longwave frequency allocated to Ireland by the International Telecommunication Union and would later be used by the joint RTÉ and Radio Luxembourg venture, Atlantic 252 (1989-2002). Atlantic 252 broadcast from Co. Meath but was aimed at the UK market and covered most of the British landmass with its 500 kW of power. From 2004 to 2023, RTÉ used the frequency to broadcast Radio 1 into Britain, but power was reduced significantly in later years and there were problems with co-channel interference from an Algerian station.

This recording of Radio Nova on longwave was made in the English midlands on 22^nd January 1986 from 254 kHz between 1254-1326 and is a relay of the main service. It features the usual high-level adverts from agencies and for large businesses and the ABC Network News is presented by Bob Gallico and Sybil Fennell. After the news, Electric Lunchtime is hosted by Tony McKenzie. The recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England, and background information is courtesy of DX Archive.