Radio in Ireland
Encyclopedia
Licensed radio in the Republic of Ireland
is one element of the wider media in Ireland
, with 85% of the population listening to a licenced service on any given day. This article deals with the legal radio stations of Ireland. For a discussion of the extensive illegal broadcasting scene in Ireland, see Irish pirate radio
.
has since become RTÉ Radio 1
, which celebrated 80 years of uninterrupted broadcasting in January 2006, making it amongst the oldest (if not the oldest) continuously operating, continuously public service radio station in Europe. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
joined in 1972, and RTÉ Radio 2, now 2FM, launched in 1979.
Commercial radio was outlawed in Ireland until 1989, leading to the development of Irish pirate radio
. Upon legalisation, licences were advertised and awarded on a franchise system explained in the article for a national service and a network of regional services covering the country, These all took to the air during 1989 and 1990, and although the national service (Century) eventually failed, all the local services lasted until their licence was revoked, or still exist. Additional licences have been added on an erratic basis since the late 1990s.
An "international" service, Atlantic 252
, also operated on long wave between 1989 and 2002, although it was aimed solely at the UK and Ireland. It was never subject to the authority of the BCI (nor, much to its annoyance at the time, the UK's Radio Authority), and was operated under RTÉ's remit as a joint venture between RTÉ and CLT-UFA
. After a short period as a sports station (TeamTalk), the frequencies reverted to sole RTÉ control and are now used as an additional frequency for RTÉ Radio 1.
In Ireland, Community Radio
has been active since the late 1970's however it took until 1994 before the Independent Radio and Television Commission established an 18-month community radio pilot project to explore and evaluate the potential offered by community broadcasting in an Irish context. This project went operational in 1995 when licenses were issued to eleven community and community of interest groups across the country. 2004 saw the establishment of CRAOL
the Community Radio Forum of Ireland.
(RTÉ), radio stations in Ireland operate under sound broadcasting contracts issued by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
(BAI). This body supervises and regulates the commercial Independent National, Regional, and Local Radio stations, as well as the non-profit Community Radio
stations, Institutional Services and Temporary Services. After the Broadcasting Act 2009, the BAI now is responsible for RTÉ also.
on digital satellite, as is Newstalk, and a number of recently licenced services or applicants have used satellite transmission to homes as part of the licence applications.
Mediumwave (AM) licences were issued for new commercial stations for Limerick and Galway in 2002, although these services never reached the air (with the licences being withdrawn); and a mediumwave licence has been awarded for a quasi-national religious service.
During 2006, a group, Choice FM, applied for and received permission to broadcasting on MW in the Dublin area over a period of thirty days. The 'easy listening' radio station relayed its FM programming on 1278 kHz MW, and operated opt-out programming at various times. The group is said to be interested in obtaining one of the four MW channels that are allocated to the Dublin area, however the BCI's future schedule for licencing does not indicate that any MW licences will be offered on a permanent basis.
During 2007, a radio station called 'The Rock' obtained a temporary 'classic rock' music service. The station broadcast on 94.9 FM and also on 1278 kHz MW. The Rock was operated by the same group that operated Choice FM during 2005 and 2006, although different MW facilities were used by the group during 2007.
and Communicorp
dominate the national radio broadcasting sector. RTÉ own the more popular Radio 1 and 2FM stations, the Irish Language station RnaG and classical station Lyric FM. The 2 national commercial stations are both owned by Communicorp - Today FM and Newstalk.
Ownership rules were relaxed in the mid-2000s which saw several companies buying up local and national commercial stations including Scottish Radio Holding who sold their stations to Emap
, who eventually sold on those stations to Denis O'Brien's Communicorp
. The ownership of commercial radio in Ireland is largely by two companies, Communicorp
with 5 and UTV Radio
with 5.
The rest of the stations, mostly small services, are generally owned by local businesses, with notable proprietors of stakes including Thomas Crosbie Holdings
, the Roman Catholic Church
and the Mid Western Area Health Board.
RTÉ also broadcast 6 DAB stations, however DAB is not widespread.
; limited parts of County Kildare
, County Meath
and County Wicklow
), Cork
city and county
, Limerick
city and county
, Galway
city and county
and County Clare
.
All services are licensed for "youth" content, no franchises area geographically overlap, and the entire country is served apart from County Wicklow and the cities and counties of Cork and Dublin, both of which have "youth" licensed services (Red FM and Spin 1038 respectively). Beat 102-103 was the first to air and was a pilot for the rest of the system.
are covered by one station only, but Dublin and Cork have several. The majority of the ILR stations collectively own the sales house, Independent Radio Sales.
covers specific local communities or communities of interest. These operate on a non-commercial basis. In Ireland the BCI requires that community radio stations subscribe to the AMARC
Community Radio Charter for Europe. Community radio in Ireland is represented by CRAOL
. Currently there are 20 fully licenced community radio stations on air in Ireland, with offers of contracts from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
while there are 42 stations in the process of obtaining a licence.
, which brand themselves as 103.2 Dublin City FM on-air, and DUB CITY on RDS. Dublin City FM are essentially a community station with specialist traffic reports around rush-hour periods.
At present, there are five such stations in operation; all of them are hospital radio stations with the existing student radio stations operating under community radio or temporary licenses.
These licenses may be used by stations providing a service to coincide with local, cultural and sporting events or festivals.
Another group of stations to avail of this type of license are those that are being run as pilot projects; successful stations may later be established as Community Radio stations, or run for a permanent license.
It is expected these may be the last commercial analogue services to be licenced, as the FM band will be highly saturated in Dublin and the midlands of Ireland. DRM
on Ireland's many unused ITU-allocated mediumwave frequencies is expected to be the next round of licening, particularly as some of these allocations are 15 to 20 kHz wide, which is enough for FM-alike quality with the latest DRM+ coding methods. DRM has already been used by RTÉ
to broadcast some content on shortwave and longwave. Eureka 147 Digital Audio Broadcasting
is in the process of being rolled out, having begun in 2006. The suspension of analogue licensing prior to the completion of this plan would further suggestion a termination of analogue licensing entirely.
and Irish licences will be advertised in the future, the first (North East) region covering North Kildare, Meath, Louth and parts of Cavan and Monaghan; and the second (Mid West) region covering Limerick, Galway, Clare and parts of Tipperary and Kerry. These services were meant to be advertised by November 2007 but the suspension of the radio licensing programme by the BCI has deferred this.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
is one element of the wider media in Ireland
Media in Ireland
The media in Ireland include all the media and communications outlets of any other developed nation.-Press freedom:Ireland has freedom of the press enshrined in its constitution. The NGO group Reporters sans frontières named Ireland in joint first position in their "Worldwide press freedom index"...
, with 85% of the population listening to a licenced service on any given day. This article deals with the legal radio stations of Ireland. For a discussion of the extensive illegal broadcasting scene in Ireland, see Irish pirate radio
Irish pirate radio
Pirate radio in Ireland has had a long history, with hundreds of radio stations having operated from within the country. Due to past lax enforcement of the rules, the lack of commercial radio until 1989, and the small physical size of the country, pirate radio has proliferated up to recent years...
.
History
Regular radio broadcasting in Ireland began with 2RN's test transmissions in 1925. 2RN2RN
2RN was the first radio broadcasting station in the Irish Free State. It began broadcasting on 1 January 1926 and continued until 1933, when it was succeeded by Radio Athlone...
has since become RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
, which celebrated 80 years of uninterrupted broadcasting in January 2006, making it amongst the oldest (if not the oldest) continuously operating, continuously public service radio station in Europe. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta , abbreviated RnaG, is the Irish-language radio service of the public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the Internet.- History :...
joined in 1972, and RTÉ Radio 2, now 2FM, launched in 1979.
Commercial radio was outlawed in Ireland until 1989, leading to the development of Irish pirate radio
Irish pirate radio
Pirate radio in Ireland has had a long history, with hundreds of radio stations having operated from within the country. Due to past lax enforcement of the rules, the lack of commercial radio until 1989, and the small physical size of the country, pirate radio has proliferated up to recent years...
. Upon legalisation, licences were advertised and awarded on a franchise system explained in the article for a national service and a network of regional services covering the country, These all took to the air during 1989 and 1990, and although the national service (Century) eventually failed, all the local services lasted until their licence was revoked, or still exist. Additional licences have been added on an erratic basis since the late 1990s.
An "international" service, Atlantic 252
Atlantic 252
Atlantic 252 was a long wave radio station broadcasting to Ireland and the United Kingdom on 252 kHz from its 1988 purpose built transmission site Clarkstown radio transmitter, which provided service to Atlantic 252 from 1989 until 2002. The station's studios were located just 12 km away in...
, also operated on long wave between 1989 and 2002, although it was aimed solely at the UK and Ireland. It was never subject to the authority of the BCI (nor, much to its annoyance at the time, the UK's Radio Authority), and was operated under RTÉ's remit as a joint venture between RTÉ and CLT-UFA
RTL Group
RTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...
. After a short period as a sports station (TeamTalk), the frequencies reverted to sole RTÉ control and are now used as an additional frequency for RTÉ Radio 1.
In Ireland, Community Radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
has been active since the late 1970's however it took until 1994 before the Independent Radio and Television Commission established an 18-month community radio pilot project to explore and evaluate the potential offered by community broadcasting in an Irish context. This project went operational in 1995 when licenses were issued to eleven community and community of interest groups across the country. 2004 saw the establishment of CRAOL
CRAOL
CRAOL, also called the Community Radio Forum of Ireland, is the representative, co-ordinating, lobbying, training and support group for Irish Community Radio. Every week, across Ireland, 2000 Community radio volunteers broadcasts to 170,000 people in 20 fully licensed stations and 42 aspirant...
the Community Radio Forum of Ireland.
Licencing
Aside from the stations operated by Raidió Teilifís ÉireannRaidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
(RTÉ), radio stations in Ireland operate under sound broadcasting contracts issued by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland ....
(BAI). This body supervises and regulates the commercial Independent National, Regional, and Local Radio stations, as well as the non-profit Community Radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
stations, Institutional Services and Temporary Services. After the Broadcasting Act 2009, the BAI now is responsible for RTÉ also.
Transmission
All stations broadcast on FM barring those on the DAB Ireland multiplexes, which broadcast on VHF Band III; and the longwave version of RTÉ Radio 1 mainly intended for reception outside of Ireland. RTÉ radio services are also available free-to-airFree-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
on digital satellite, as is Newstalk, and a number of recently licenced services or applicants have used satellite transmission to homes as part of the licence applications.
Mediumwave (AM) licences were issued for new commercial stations for Limerick and Galway in 2002, although these services never reached the air (with the licences being withdrawn); and a mediumwave licence has been awarded for a quasi-national religious service.
During 2006, a group, Choice FM, applied for and received permission to broadcasting on MW in the Dublin area over a period of thirty days. The 'easy listening' radio station relayed its FM programming on 1278 kHz MW, and operated opt-out programming at various times. The group is said to be interested in obtaining one of the four MW channels that are allocated to the Dublin area, however the BCI's future schedule for licencing does not indicate that any MW licences will be offered on a permanent basis.
During 2007, a radio station called 'The Rock' obtained a temporary 'classic rock' music service. The station broadcast on 94.9 FM and also on 1278 kHz MW. The Rock was operated by the same group that operated Choice FM during 2005 and 2006, although different MW facilities were used by the group during 2007.
Ownership
Raidió Teilifís ÉireannRaidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
and Communicorp
Communicorp
Communicorp is an Irish media holding company, wholly owned by Denis O'Brien.-Background:Communicorp Group Ltd was formed by Denis O'Brien in 1989. The Group’s radio operations launched in Ireland in the same year and followed with stations in the Czech Republic in 1992...
dominate the national radio broadcasting sector. RTÉ own the more popular Radio 1 and 2FM stations, the Irish Language station RnaG and classical station Lyric FM. The 2 national commercial stations are both owned by Communicorp - Today FM and Newstalk.
Ownership rules were relaxed in the mid-2000s which saw several companies buying up local and national commercial stations including Scottish Radio Holding who sold their stations to Emap
EMAP
Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...
, who eventually sold on those stations to Denis O'Brien's Communicorp
Communicorp
Communicorp is an Irish media holding company, wholly owned by Denis O'Brien.-Background:Communicorp Group Ltd was formed by Denis O'Brien in 1989. The Group’s radio operations launched in Ireland in the same year and followed with stations in the Czech Republic in 1992...
. The ownership of commercial radio in Ireland is largely by two companies, Communicorp
Communicorp
Communicorp is an Irish media holding company, wholly owned by Denis O'Brien.-Background:Communicorp Group Ltd was formed by Denis O'Brien in 1989. The Group’s radio operations launched in Ireland in the same year and followed with stations in the Czech Republic in 1992...
with 5 and UTV Radio
UTV Radio
UTV Radio is a UK media company, and owner of several radio stations in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It is a growing branch of UTV Media....
with 5.
The rest of the stations, mostly small services, are generally owned by local businesses, with notable proprietors of stakes including Thomas Crosbie Holdings
Thomas Crosbie Holdings
Thomas Crosbie Holdings is a family-owned media and publishing group based in Cork, Ireland. Its largest publication is The Irish Examiner, the third largest daily broadsheet newspaper in the Republic of Ireland....
, the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and the Mid Western Area Health Board.
RTÉ also broadcast 6 DAB stations, however DAB is not widespread.
RTÉ (national state broadcaster)
- RTÉ Radio 1RTÉ Radio 1RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
(formerly Radio Éireann) - mainly news and current affairs. - RTÉ 2fmRTÉ 2fmRTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's second national radio station. It broadcasts popular music programming aimed at a young Irish audience.- History :...
(formerly Radio 2) - mainly popPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and rockRock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music. - RTÉ lyric fmRTÉ lyric fmRTÉ lyric fm is an Irish classical music radio station, owned by the public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The station, which is based in Limerick, was launched in 1999 and is available on FM in Ireland, on satellite, on Sky Digital in Ireland and United Kingdom and via the...
- classical music and arts programming. - RTÉ Raidió na GaeltachtaRTÉ Raidió na GaeltachtaRTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta , abbreviated RnaG, is the Irish-language radio service of the public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the Internet.- History :...
- Irish language programmes. - The RTÉ DAB Multiplex and the additional stations it carries:
- RTÉ 2XMRTÉ 2XMRTÉ 2XM is a digital radio station of the Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann.-History:Initially the broadcaster placed the station on the digital terrestrial television trial service in late October 2007. Along with 5 other new digital stations, RTÉ Choice was launched on 1...
- rock, indie and metal music. - RTÉ ChillRTÉ ChillRTÉ Chill is a digital radio station of the Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. It broadcasts mostly chillout and ambient music as well as other low-tempo genres and generally includes cutting edge artists such as Leftfield, The Orb, Sigur Rós and Juanita Molina...
- chillout music. - RTÉ ChoiceRTÉ ChoiceRTÉ Choice is a digital radio station of the Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann, made specifically for talk-radio.-History:...
- speech and cultural programming. - RTÉ GoldRTÉ GoldRTÉ Gold is an Irish radio station broadcasting on DAB and Saorview Ireland's free to air DTT service. It can also be accessed on the internet via the RTÉ website. The station plays classic hits from top-selling artists spanning the decades from the 1950s to the 1980s...
- classic hits. - RTÉ JuniorRTÉ JuniorRTÉ Junior is a digital radio station of the Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. It plays children’s music, and is Ireland's first children's radio station. It broadcasts from 07:00 to 21:00, and time-shares its DAB slot with RTÉ Chill...
- children's music. - RTÉ PulseRTÉ PulseRTÉ Pulse is an electronic dance music station from RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster. It broadcasts on the RTÉ DAB Multiplex and Saorview Ireland's free to air DTT service in Ireland. Online worldwide and on the Irish Cable system UPC/NTL channel 943. It plays a varied mix of dance music...
- electronic dance and trance music. - RTÉ Radio 1 ExtraRTÉ Radio 1 ExtraRTÉ Radio 1 Extra is an Irish radio station broadcasting RTÉ Radio 1. It plays sports, educational and religious opt-outs at certain times ....
- supplementary station to Radio 1.
- RTÉ 2XM
Independent National Radio
- Today FMToday FMRadio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...
(formerly Radio Ireland) - popular music with some speech programming. - Newstalk - news and talk radio.
- DAB-specific services which are theoretically national services:
Multi-City and county Radio
Broadcasting to Greater Dublin (Dublin city and countyCounty Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
; limited parts of County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
and County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
), Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
city and county
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
city and county
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
city and county
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
and County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
.
- 4fm4fmClassic Hits 4FM is an independent multi-region radio station broadcasting to Dublin and commuter belt, the cities and counties of Cork, Limerick, Galway and County Clare. Reception is also possible in parts of several other neighbouring counties...
- Music service for over-45s. - Spirit Radio - Christian and religious service aimed at over-15s. Launched on 27th January 2011 with FM frequencies in the cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. The station plans to introduce a planned AM transmission in the future to increase coverage.
Independent Regional Radio
- Beat 102-103Beat 102-103Beat 102 103 is an independent regional radio station in Ireland licensed by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland covering counties Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and South Tipperary in South East Ireland...
- Counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and South Tipperary. - Spin South WestSpin South WestSpin South West is an Irish radio station broadcasting from Raheen in Limerick City to the South West. It launched on 23 July 2007, and holds an Independent Regional Radio contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland to broadcast to County Kerry, County Limerick, County Clare, North...
- Counties Kerry, Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary, and south west Laois. - i102-104FMI102-104FMi 102-104FM was a regional station in the Republic of Ireland launched on 7 February 2008. The station won the licence for a 'youth' orientated station that would broadcast across seven counties in the northwest and west of Ireland, targeting listeners aged between 15 and 34; and was part of a...
- Counties Galway, Mayo, Longford, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal. - i105-107FMI105-107FMi105-107FM is a regional radio station in Ireland that broadcasts to the north east and midlands of the country. The station is one of four regional youth orientated stations that were licensed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to challenge the current monopoly in the 15 to 34 age bracket by...
- Counties Kildare, Meath, North Laois, Carlow, Louth, Westmeath, Offaly, Cavan and Monaghan.
All services are licensed for "youth" content, no franchises area geographically overlap, and the entire country is served apart from County Wicklow and the cities and counties of Cork and Dublin, both of which have "youth" licensed services (Red FM and Spin 1038 respectively). Beat 102-103 was the first to air and was a pilot for the rest of the system.
Independent local radio
There are 25 commercial stations (Independent Local Radio - ILR) licensed on a regional franchise basis. Often several counties of IrelandCounties of Ireland
The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions used for the purposes of geographic demarcation and local government. Closely related to the county is the County corporate which covered towns or cities which were deemed to be important enough to be independent from their counties. A county...
are covered by one station only, but Dublin and Cork have several. The majority of the ILR stations collectively own the sales house, Independent Radio Sales.
Dublin ILRs
Except for the two original ILR licenses - 98FM and FM104 - each additional ILR license in Dublin was awarded for a specific format, intending on meeting demands which it was felt that 98FM and FM104 were not catering to. The majority of stations heard in Dublin can also be heard in North East Kildare, South Meath and North Wicklow.- 98FM98FM98FM may refer to these radio stations using 98MHz:* 98FM * WKCQ* WDZH, also known as "98-7 Amp Radio"....
- General service. - Radio Nova 100FM (Ireland)Radio Nova 100FM (Ireland)Radio Nova 100FM is a classic rock and roll radio station licensed for 100.3 FM in Dublin, Ireland....
- Classic rock music service. A pirate station by the same name previously broadcast in Dublin from 1980 - 1986. - Dublin's Q102 - Service aimed at older listeners (35+). Renamed in 2004 - formerly "Lite FM". A pirate station by the same name previously broadcast in Dublin from 1985 - 1988.
- Spin 1038Spin 1038Spin 1038 is an Independent Local Radio station in Dublin, Ireland. It is owned by Denis O'Brien's Communicorp group and broadcasts under a sound broadcasting contract with the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. Despite their name, they do not broadcast on the medium wave band , but on 103.8 FM...
- Service aimed at youth (initially licenced for dance music ). - FM104FM104FM104 is an Independent Local Radio station broadcast across Dublin, Ireland, on the frequency 104.4 MHz. It is operated by Capital Radio Productions Limited , and is a subsidiary of UTV Radio. The station broadcasts under a sound broadcasting contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland...
- General service. Formerly "Rock 104" and "Capital Radio". - Phantom 105.2 - Alternative rock music service. Was formed from a pirate station.
- Sunshine 106.8Sunshine 106.8Dublin's Sunshine 106.8 is a radio station, based in Bray and serving Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is licenced by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland , as a commercial FM broadcaster.-History:...
- Country and Crossover music service, Renamed in 2010 - formerly "Dublin's Country"/"Country Mix". A pirate station by the same name previously broadcast in Dublin from 1980 - 1988.
Cork ILRs
- 96FMCork's 96FM96FM is one of three local radio stations licensed by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland for Cork City and County in Ireland . It broadcasts from studios at Broadcasting House, St...
and C103103FM County SoundC103 is one of three local radio stations licensed by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland for Cork City and County in Ireland...
(dual franchise) - C103 is aimed at older listeners, also sports and rural interest programmes. - Red FMRed FM (Ireland)Cork's RedFM is an Irish radio station which broadcasts to Cork and the surrounding area, and is aimed at a youth audience.Cork's RedFM commenced broadcasting at 08:00 on 16 January 2002. The station was awarded Ireland’s first youth radio licence...
- Youth-driven service.
Leinster (excluding Dublin) ILRs
- East Coast FMEast Coast FMEast Coast FM is an Irish local radio station broadcasting from Bray, County Wicklow under a sound broadcasting contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland...
- County WicklowCounty WicklowCounty Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county... - KCLR 96FMKCLR 96FMKCLR 96FM is an Irish radio station which broadcasts to Carlow and Kilkenny in Ireland. It began broadcasting in May 2004. www.bci.ieThe station's slogan "The Heart of Carlow Kilkenny" is taken from the idea that the shape of the two counties, as they appear on maps, form the shape of a heart.More...
- Counties CarlowCarlowCarlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...
and KilkennyKilkennyKilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland... - KfmKfm (Ireland)Kfm is an Irish radio station based in Naas, serving County Kildare, Ireland. It began broadcasting in 2004, having won a ten-year franchise for the county from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland...
- County Kildare - South East RadioSouth East RadioSouth East Radio is an Irish radio station, broadcasting at: 95.6; 96.2, and 96.4 MHz. Its broadcasts across Co. Wexford from studios in a 19th Century Georgian-Styled former bank branch, located on Wexford's quay....
- County Wexford - Midlands 103Midlands 103Midlands 103 is an Irish local radio station broadcasting to Laois, Offaly and Westmeath.The station's headquarters is in Tullamore, and it also has studios in Athlone, Mullingar, and Portlaoise.- Presenters :*Aidan Barry...
and Midlands GoldMidlands GoldMidlands Gold Westmeath is an Independent Local Radio service in the Republic of Ireland, broadcasting to County Westmeath. It is an opt-out from Midlands 103 , the ILR contractor for counties Westmeath. Laois, and Offaly, and broadcasts from studios in Athlone and Mullingar...
- Counties Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath (split service) - LMFMLMFMLMFM is an independent Local Radio station in Ireland. It is also the largest Local radio station outside of Dublin and Cork broadcasting to a population in excess of 300,000 adults. Media group UTV bought the station in a deal worth about €10 million in 2005.LMFM broadcasts on a number of...
- Counties Meath and Louth
Munster (excluding Cork) ILRs
- Clare FMClare FMClare FM is an Irish radio station which broadcasts to County Clare and the surrounding areas.The station has won many Irish radio awards. Clare FM broadcasts on frequencies 95 - 96FM including 95.2, 95.5, 95.9, 96.4 & 96.6...
- County ClareCounty Clare-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones... - Spin South WestSpin South WestSpin South West is an Irish radio station broadcasting from Raheen in Limerick City to the South West. It launched on 23 July 2007, and holds an Independent Regional Radio contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland to broadcast to County Kerry, County Limerick, County Clare, North...
- County LimerickCounty LimerickIt is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, County ClareCounty Clare-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, North County KerryCounty KerryKerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, County TipperaryCounty TipperaryCounty Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
and South West County LaoisCounty LaoisCounty Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
. - Live 95FMLive 95FMLimerick's Live 95fm is a radio station in the Republic of Ireland owned by UTV Radio, broadcasting to Limerick city and county-History:The station was launched from O'Connell Street in Limerick as the "New 95FM" on November 6, 1997 as a replacement for the previous local radio franchise holder...
- LimerickLimerickLimerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
City and CountyCounty LimerickIt is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC... - Tipp FM - County TipperaryCounty TipperaryCounty Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
- Radio KerryRadio KerryRadio Kerry is a full service, licensed radio station that operates from the franchise area of County Kerry in Southwest Ireland.Radio Kerry was established in 1989 and began broadcasting on July 14 1990. The station headquarters are in Tralee, the principal town of County Kerry, with remote...
- County KerryCounty KerryKerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective... - WLR FM - WaterfordWaterfordWaterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
City and CountyCounty Waterford*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
Connacht/Ulster ILRs
- Galway Bay FMGalway Bay FMGalway Bay FM is an Irish independent local radio station and operates under a license from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. Established in 1989, the station broadcasts from studios in Galway, serving the city and County Galway.-Programming:...
- Galway City and County - Ocean FMOcean FM (Ireland)Ocean FM is a local radio station that broadcasts to parts of the northwest of Ireland. The station covers the area of south County Donegal, north County Leitrim and most of County Sligo and it broadcasts into parts of south-west County Fermanagh. It started broadcasting on 1 October 2004,...
- County Sligo, North Leitrim, and South Donegal. - Mid-West Radio - County Mayo
- Shannonside FM - Counties Longford, Roscommon, East Galway and South Leitrim. Dual franchise with Northern Sound Radio, covering Counties Cavan and Monaghan.
- Highland RadioHighland RadioHighland Radio is an Irish radio station operating under a licence from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, and is the licenced local radio service for the County Donegal franchise. It began broadcasting on March 15, 1990, and is currently franchised until 2014. Highland's headquarters are...
- County Donegal.
Community radio
Community RadioCommunity radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
covers specific local communities or communities of interest. These operate on a non-commercial basis. In Ireland the BCI requires that community radio stations subscribe to the AMARC
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters is the international umbrella organization of community radio broadcasters founded in 1983, with nearly 3,000 members in 110 countries....
Community Radio Charter for Europe. Community radio in Ireland is represented by CRAOL
CRAOL
CRAOL, also called the Community Radio Forum of Ireland, is the representative, co-ordinating, lobbying, training and support group for Irish Community Radio. Every week, across Ireland, 2000 Community radio volunteers broadcasts to 170,000 people in 20 fully licensed stations and 42 aspirant...
. Currently there are 20 fully licenced community radio stations on air in Ireland, with offers of contracts from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland ....
while there are 42 stations in the process of obtaining a licence.
- Cavan Community Radio - Cavan, County Cavan
- City FM - WaterfordWaterfordWaterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
. - Claremorris Community RadioClaremorris community radioClaremorris Community Radio is a local run community radio station in Claremorris, Republic of Ireland. It is a Broadcasting Commission of Ireland -licensed, communally-owned, not-for-profit community media project....
- ClaremorrisClaremorrisClaremorris , is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. The population of Claremoris in the 2011 Census was 3,979....
, County MayoCounty MayoCounty Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. - Connemara Community RadioConnemara Community RadioConnemara Community Radio is a community-based radio station broadcasting for 10 hours per day throughout the north-west Connemara region of Ireland. It initially began broadcasting in September 1988 until New Years Eve 1988 as a pirate station. In 1995 Community Radio Licenses were issued and the...
- LetterfrackLetterfrackLetterfrack or Letterfrac is a small village in the Connemara area of County Galway, Ireland. It was founded by the Quakers in the mid-19th century. The village is 15 km north-east of Clifden on Barnaderg Bay and lies at the head of Ballinakill harbour...
, County GalwayCounty GalwayCounty Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
. - Cork Campus Radio 98.3 - studio located at University College Cork but is licenced for the general student population of Cork CityCork (city)Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. - CRC FM (Community Radio Castlebar) - CastlebarCastlebarCastlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...
, County MayoCounty MayoCounty Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. - CRY 104.0FM (Community Radio Youghal) - YoughalYoughalYoughal is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Sitting on the estuary of the River Blackwater, in the past it was militarily and economically important. Being built on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a distinctive long and narrow layout...
, East CorkCounty CorkCounty Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
. - Dublin South FMDublin South FMDublin South FM is a community-based radio service for South Dublin, which broadcasts seven days a week from 1100 - 2300 on the frequency 93.9 FM. The station features community arts programmes, music programmes and local news and current affairs programmes specifically for the region...
- South DublinCounty DublinCounty Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
. - Dundalk FM 100 - DundalkDundalkDundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
, County LouthCounty LouthCounty Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
. - Flirt FMFlirt FMFlirt FM is the student radio station for the National University of Ireland, Galway. It broadcasts at 101.3 MHz on the FM band and a webcast is also available.-History:...
- GalwayGalwayGalway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
. - Liffey Sound FMLiffey Sound FMLiffey Sound FM is a not-for-profit community radio station broadcasting to the suburban town of Lucan, County Dublin and its environs, broadcasting on the frequency 96.4 MHz...
- Lucan, County DublinCounty DublinCounty Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
. - Life FM - County CorkCounty CorkCounty Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
. - NEAR FM 101.6FMNEAR FM 101.6FMNEAR 90fm is a BCI-licensed, communally-owned, not-for-profit community media project.The project is operated by a democratic co-operative,Near Media Co-op and is open to all organisations and individuals in Dublin North-East, Ireland...
(North East Access Radio) - North DublinCounty DublinCounty Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
. - ICR FM (Inishowen Community Radio) - CarndonaghCarndonaghCarndonagh is a town on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland and is home to the Irish Space Exploration Mission. The town is located near Malin Head, the most northerly point of Ireland and lies close to the shores of Trawbeaga Bay...
, County DonegalCounty DonegalCounty Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
. - Phoenix FMPhoenix FMPhoenix FM is a community radio station serving the areas of Brentwood and Billericay, England. It was formed in 1996 and has broadcast twelve 28-day restricted service licence broadcasts on FM. The station's presenters include local snooker hero Steve Davis, Boxer Rebellion drummer Piers Hewitt,...
- BlanchardstownBlanchardstownBlanchardstown is a large suburb of Dublin in the district of Fingal, Ireland. It is within the historical barony of Castleknock. It is located 10 km north-west of the city centre. The suburb is in the Dublin 15 postal area, the Dublin West electoral constituency, and Fingal County...
, County DublinCounty DublinCounty Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
. - Raidió na Life - Dublin (in the Irish languageIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
). - Radio Corca Baiscinn - KilkeeKilkeeKilkee is a small coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is located midway between Kilrush and Doonbeg on the N67 road. The town, one of the most famous resorts in Ireland, is particularly popular as a seaside resort with people from Limerick City...
, County ClareCounty Clare-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
. - RosFmRosFmRosFM is a small local radio station set up by CRAOL, it is a community radio station for County Roscommon...
- County RoscommonCounty RoscommonCounty Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...
. - Tipperary Mid-West Community RadioTipperary Mid-West Community RadioTipperary Mid-West Community Radio is a non-profit, community radio station which broadcasts from St. Michael's Street, Tipperary Town, Ireland...
- County TipperaryCounty TipperaryCounty Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
. - West Dublin Access Radio - West DublinCounty DublinCounty Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
. - West Limerick 102West Limerick 102West Limerick 102 is a community radio station broadcasting to the western parts of County Limerick in Ireland. The station operates on a non-commercial basis and has a five year license issued by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. The station went on air in May, 2005 and was officially opened...
- County LimerickCounty LimerickIt is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
. - Wired FM - LimerickLimerickLimerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, County LimerickCounty LimerickIt is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
. - WRFMWRFMWRFM is an AM broadcasting station at 990 kHz in Muncie, Indiana990 AM simulcasted with WJPB-LP at 99.1 FM. with its studios and offices located at Jackson Park Baptist Church.-History:...
- WestportWestport, County MayoWestport is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated on the west coast at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean....
, County MayoCounty MayoCounty Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
Special interest services
Special interest services resemble ILRs in most ways, but must be of specialist interest—e.g. heavier local interest content, or specialist music. Only one such station is licenced, Dublin City FMDublin City FM
103.2 Dublin City FM is an Independent Local Radio station in Dublin, Ireland, operated by Dublin Public Service Radio Association Ltd, under a sound broadcasting contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. The station broadcasts on the 103.2 MHz FM frequency...
, which brand themselves as 103.2 Dublin City FM on-air, and DUB CITY on RDS. Dublin City FM are essentially a community station with specialist traffic reports around rush-hour periods.
Institutional services
The BCI may also issue licenses to institutions, such as hospitals and colleges, for the provision of low-powered FM services.At present, there are five such stations in operation; all of them are hospital radio stations with the existing student radio stations operating under community radio or temporary licenses.
- CUH FM Hospital Radio - Cork University Hospital, Cork, County Cork.
- Mater Hospital Radio - Mater Hospital, Dublin, County Dublin.
- Regional Hospital Radio - Mid-Western Regional Hospital, LimerickMid-Western Regional Hospital, LimerickThe Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick is a public hospital located in Dooradoyle, County Limerick, Ireland...
, County Limerick. - South Tipperary General Hospital Radio - South Tipperary General and Maternity Hospital, Tipperary, County Tipperary.
- St. Ita's Hospital Radio - St. Ita's HospitalSt Ita's HospitalSt Ita's Hospital, Portrane, formerly Portrane Asylum is a long stay facility for those with intellectual disabilities and those with long term mental illnesses. It is currently being scaled back in operations with planned mixed use development...
, Portrane, County Dublin.
Temporary services
Stations may also be licensed to operate for shorter periods, with temporary licenses allowing stations to operate for up to thirty days in a given twelve month period.These licenses may be used by stations providing a service to coincide with local, cultural and sporting events or festivals.
Another group of stations to avail of this type of license are those that are being run as pilot projects; successful stations may later be established as Community Radio stations, or run for a permanent license.
RTÉ radio
- Atlantic 252Atlantic 252Atlantic 252 was a long wave radio station broadcasting to Ireland and the United Kingdom on 252 kHz from its 1988 purpose built transmission site Clarkstown radio transmitter, which provided service to Atlantic 252 from 1989 until 2002. The station's studios were located just 12 km away in...
- a joint venture with RTLRTL GroupRTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...
, eventually failed financially. - RTÉ FM3 Classical music/arts service, had existed prior to the launch of Lyric FM. FM3 time-shared the same national FM network as RnaG, resulting in limited broadcasting hours.
- Radio Oglaigh na h-ÉireannRadio Oglaigh na h-ÉireannRadio Oglaigh na h-Éireann was established in 1962 to provide a shortwave service to Irish Defence Forces serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions in the Republic of the Congo. The service was discontinued after several years....
1960s-era shortwave service offering Radio Éireann programming to Irish UN Forces serving in CongoDemocratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, ended when no longer needed. - RTÉ Radio Cork, (was originally 'RTÉ Cork Local Radio', changed name in 1989 to 'Cork 89FM', and relaunched again in 1994 as 'RTÉ Radio Cork') - an opt-out of Radio 1 for the Cork area on mediumwave and secondary FM transmitters, closed in 1999 due to declining interest.
- RTÉ mobile Community Radio station, existed during the late 1970s and 1980s, this mobile station provided temporary community radio services to towns and cities around the country.
- Millennium 88FMMillennium 88FMMillennium 88FM was a temporary local radio service for Dublin operated by RTÉ during 1988 and part of 1989 to mark 1988 at the year of the Dublin Millennium....
temporary local radio service for Dublin during 1988 and part of 1989 to mark 1988 at the year of the Dublin Millennium. - RTÉ Digital Radio SportRTÉ Digital Radio SportRTÉ Digital Radio Sport was a short-lived Irish radio station broadcasting on DAB only, as part of RTÉ's digital radio lineup. It played constant rolling sports news in a loop and also carried live sports broadcasts that would generally have been carried on AM services. These were moved to RTÉ...
, a rolling service in the early days of DAB.
Independent Local Radio
- Limerick 95 FMRadio Limerick OneRadio Limerick One, also called Limerick 95FM and RLO at times, was an Irish pirate radio station, which was the licensed radio station serving Limerick city and county. Licenced by the Independent Radio and Television Commission in 1989, its licence was removed in 1996 for misbehaviour, although...
(Radio Limerick One) (95 MHz FMFM broadcastingFM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
). Lost franchise mid-term for stated misbehaviour - subsequently operated on a piratePirate radioPirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
basis. - CKR FM and Radio Kilkenny - franchises redrawn at end of contract, Kildare area awarded to KFM, Carlow and Kilkenny to KCLR. Gentrification of Kildare by Dublin commuters led Carlow to be closer aligned with Kilkenny in the eyes of the BCI, hence the changig of the franchise areas
- Tipperary Mid-West RadioTipperary Mid-West Community RadioTipperary Mid-West Community Radio is a non-profit, community radio station which broadcasts from St. Michael's Street, Tipperary Town, Ireland...
- held a very small franchise for South West Tipperary. Its franchise was merged with the rest of Tipperary franchise (held by Tipp FM). The station continues, being re-licenced as a Community Radio station. - North West RadioNorth West RadioNorth West Radio was a radio station that broadcast to south County Donegal, north County Leitrim and throughout County Sligo from 1989 to 2004. It was a sister station of Mid-West Radio and was replaced by Ocean FM. The station had studios in Sligo Town and Donegal Town.Throughout its history,...
- subsidiary of Mid West Radio. Replaced by Ocean FMOcean FM (Ireland)Ocean FM is a local radio station that broadcasts to parts of the northwest of Ireland. The station covers the area of south County Donegal, north County Leitrim and most of County Sligo and it broadcasts into parts of south-west County Fermanagh. It started broadcasting on 1 October 2004,...
at end of contract. - Easy 103 - held a licence for part of Wicklow and Horizon Radio held a licence for north Wicklow. These two stations merged to become East Coast FMEast Coast FMEast Coast FM is an Irish local radio station broadcasting from Bray, County Wicklow under a sound broadcasting contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland...
. - Fresh 95.5 - short lived North Dublin-targeted station from LMFMLMFMLMFM is an independent Local Radio station in Ireland. It is also the largest Local radio station outside of Dublin and Cork broadcasting to a population in excess of 300,000 adults. Media group UTV bought the station in a deal worth about €10 million in 2005.LMFM broadcasts on a number of...
. Was licenced to Meath only, relying on signal overspill.
Community Radio
- Cashel Community Radio - Cashel, County TipperaryCashel, County TipperaryCashel is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 2936 at the 2006 census. The town gives its name to the ecclesiastical province of Cashel. Additionally, the cathedra of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly was originally in the town prior to the English Reformation....
was a splinter group from Tipperary Mid-West Radio. - Tallaght FMTallaght FMTallaght FM was a licensed community radio station in Tallaght, County Dublin. The station opened in February 1999, it was opened and run by Tallaght Communiy Radio Co-operative Society Ltd. The station launched as TCR 107.2. The station closed down in early 2008....
- TallaghtTallaghtTallaght is the largest town, and county town, of South Dublin County, Ireland. The village area, dating from at least the 17th century, held one of the earliest settlements known in the southern part of the island, and one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.Up to the 1960s...
, Dublin closed 2008. - 9-7-11 FM - Dublin North West's community radio, (named after the area's postal districts) existed in the mid-1990s.
- Dublin Weekend Radio - station that broadcast from Dublin City UniversityDublin City UniversityDublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
in the 1990s, it time-shared transmission with Raidio na Life. Facilities are now used by DCU.
Institutional services
- Beaumont Hospital Radio - Beaumont Hospital, Beamount, Dublin. Closed in 2007.
- Vibe 107.4FM - was a student service in Waterford I.T.
Future stations
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland has either awarded, advertised, or announced its intent to advertise a large number of new services to launch within the next 24 months. These include a licence for an AM station, something which has never lasted commercially in Ireland, and the first attempt to licence such since 2002; as well as what will amount to four stations easily receivable in most of Dublin city and county.It is expected these may be the last commercial analogue services to be licenced, as the FM band will be highly saturated in Dublin and the midlands of Ireland. DRM
Digital Radio Mondiale
Digital Radio Mondiale is a set of digital audio broadcasting technologies designed to work over the bands currently used for AM broadcasting, particularly shortwave...
on Ireland's many unused ITU-allocated mediumwave frequencies is expected to be the next round of licening, particularly as some of these allocations are 15 to 20 kHz wide, which is enough for FM-alike quality with the latest DRM+ coding methods. DRM has already been used by RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
to broadcast some content on shortwave and longwave. Eureka 147 Digital Audio Broadcasting
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
is in the process of being rolled out, having begun in 2006. The suspension of analogue licensing prior to the completion of this plan would further suggestion a termination of analogue licensing entirely.
Independent national radio
A licence for a national religious station to broadcast on mediumwave with low power, FM infills was advertised in August 2006. Five applications were received, from CCN Ireland, Radio Maria, Spirit Radio, United Christian Broadcasters and Yes Radio. Spirit Radio were awarded the licence on April 17, 2007. As of October 2010, they have yet to launch, with indications that they may only launch on their FM frequencies providing far less than national coverage.Country & Irish licences
Two regional countryCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and Irish licences will be advertised in the future, the first (North East) region covering North Kildare, Meath, Louth and parts of Cavan and Monaghan; and the second (Mid West) region covering Limerick, Galway, Clare and parts of Tipperary and Kerry. These services were meant to be advertised by November 2007 but the suspension of the radio licensing programme by the BCI has deferred this.
See also
- List of Irish-Gaelic radio stations
- List of Irish newspapers
- Television in IrelandTelevision in IrelandDigital terrestrial television within the Republic of Ireland, known as Saorview, was launched on 27 May 2011. This service will effectively replace the current analogue terrestrial television system, which uses System I with 625 lines and the PAL colour standard, with NICAM digital stereo sound...
- CraolCRAOLCRAOL, also called the Community Radio Forum of Ireland, is the representative, co-ordinating, lobbying, training and support group for Irish Community Radio. Every week, across Ireland, 2000 Community radio volunteers broadcasts to 170,000 people in 20 fully licensed stations and 42 aspirant...
The Community Radio Forum of Ireland
External links
- The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) The Commission licenses independent broadcasting services in Ireland
- Radiowaves.FM A site detailing both licensed and pirate radio stations in Ireland
- RadioFeeds Ireland An up-to-date list of Irish radio stations also broadcasting on the internet
- Craol - Community Radio Forum of Ireland Research, Downloads, Resources and station profiles for community radio in Ireland
- http://www.udemy.com/the-history-of-irish-broadcasting/ The History of Irish Broadcasting