Telstar Community Radio Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

9th August 20242nd August 2024

Northeast series: Morning shows on Telstar Community Radio

Telstar Community Radio (1980-1988) was a long-running pirate station based in and around Dundalk in Co. Louth. Despite stiff competition from Radio Carousel in the same town, Telstar built up and maintained its own listeners and advertisers throughout its time on air. This recording of Telstar was made in 1986, just after it had moved back into Dundalk from the village of Blackrock to the south, where it had spent the previous four years.

The recording begins with the breakfast show presented by Alex Evans, with news headlines on the half-hour and a mixture of chart, pop and easy-listening music. There are adverts for local businesses and branded station jingles. The second part of the tape begins with Alex handing over to Ray Stone for his mid-morning show until lunchtime. Ray promises an eclectic music mix including charts, ballads, céilí and rock and roll. He also shares community notices and trivia news items, apologising to listeners for the temporary absence of a phoneline following the move back into Dundalk.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made on Wednesday 30^th April 1986 between 0652-0740 and 0956-1044 from 88.5 FM. Audible levels are variable and there is some distortion in places, due either to an on-air issue at the time or the cassette itself. Telstar also broadcast on 1197 kHz, announcing 250 metres.

12th April 20242nd April 2024

Northeast series: Telstar Community Radio in the evening

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Early Telstar Community Radio letterhead (courtesy Ian Biggar).

Telstar Community Radio was a long-running station broadcasting from in or around Dundalk between 1980 and 1988. Although Radio Carousel dominated the local market for most of that time, Telstar built up its own audience and advertisers in the north Louth area. This recording features a flavour of evening shows during the period that the station was based in the village of Blackrock south of Dundalk. First up is Eamon Doyle with a mix of tunes, including the Top 3 from the Telstar Top 40. He is followed by Owen Barry (Larkin) with the Night Flight show, including an hour of love songs. There are adverts for businesses in Dundalk and surrounding towns.

The recording was made from 88.5 FM on Monday 26^th July 1982 from 1943-2118. Telstar Community Radio also broadcast on 1197 kHz AM, announcing 250 metres. Audio quality is generally good although there is some cassette degradation. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

10th January 20246th January 2024

Northeast series: Friday night on Telstar Community Radio

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Telstar logo (courtesy Ian Biggar).

Telstar Community Radio broadcast from in and around the Dundalk area between 1980 and 1988. Despite stiff competition from bigger local stations Radio Carousel and Boyneside Radio, it built up and maintained its own audience. The station was first located in Dundalk, moving south to the village of Blackrock in 1982 before returning to Dundalk in 1986. The main frequencies used for most of its existence were 1197 kHz AM and 88.5 FM. Telstar closed down along with other pirates at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1988.

This recording is of part of Dave Ritchie’s Friday night show, including chart hits and some oldies, along with adverts for mostly Dundalk-based businesses. There are news headlines on the hour and some notices, including mention of a local gig by British pop star Howard Jones. The tape was recorded from 88.5 FM on 13^th March 1987 from 1830-2006. Another station is heard briefly at about the half-way point, possibly an earlier recording on the same cassette.

The tape was made originally by John Gartlan and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

28th February 20222nd April 2024

Northeast series: More Telstar Community Radio from 1986

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This is another recording of Co. Louth station Telstar Community Radio from 1986. Broadcasting from the village of Blackrock south of Dundalk, Telstar was heard across the county and beyond and held its own for eight years despite stiff competition from other local pirates.

Part 1 of this recording above was made from 88.5 FM from 1222-1310 on 30^th April 1986 and features the end of the show presented by station manager Ray Stone, who also reads the news. Ray is still broadcasting today on local licensed station LMFM. Part 2 below was made on the same date from 1310-1400 and features Dominic Keenan. Telstar also broadcast on 1197 kHz, announcing 250 metres.

Part 2 of the recording from 1310

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. More material from this collection can be heard on Radiowaves and the Irish Pirate Radio Archive.

25th February 20222nd April 2024

Northeast series: Telstar Community Radio from 1986

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This is a recording of Louth station Telstar Community Radio from 1986, featuring Ray Stone on air. Telstar broadcast from in and around Dundalk from 1980-1988 and built up its own listenership and advertising base, despite the stiff competition from big stations such as Radio Carousel in Dundalk and Boyneside Radio in Drogheda.

Ray Stone had originally been with Carousel but moved to Telstar and took on the manager role. He went on to local licensed station LMFM in 1989. In this recording from 88.5 FM on 30^th April 1986, he multitasks as DJ and newsreader and is heard on many of the adverts. News bulletins contain references to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine in the Soviet Union, which occurred a few days before. Part 1 above runs from 1046-1134 and part 2 below from 1134-1222.

Part 2 from 1134

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. More material from this collection can be heard on Radiowaves and the Irish Pirate Radio Archive.