K.I.C. FM began broadcasting during January 2000 and included some ex-Radio Dublin presenters. Radio Dublin were operating a successful country music service for the Dublin area, and K.I.C. FM was formed to also serve this market. K.I.C. FM had a lot of money put into its initial setup and this showed in its studio equipment and high quality of its on-air sound. The station broadcast on 104.0MHz in stereo and its strong signal could be heard across Dublin as well as further afield. K.I.C. FM was well reported on RTE TV in its early days with outside film of its studio site and inside shots of the studio itself. According to the TV report, some 60,000 had been ploughed into the station to put it on the air.

During a visit to the station in May 2000, we were able to see K.I.C. FM during a live breakfast programme. The studio itself was located in a shop unit adjacent to a carpet warehouse on the North Circular Road. This building (see below) looked familiar as the Old State Cinema where in 1981, the short lived 'Channel D Television' had broadcast from.

The studio premises were accessed from a door on the main street. Through the front door was a reception area with the studio itself through a door on the facing wall. The equipment was very impressive as can be seen from the photos which we were kindly able to take.

The station operated successfully throughout the year 2000 and into 2001. However, a new license was about to be issued for the Dublin area for a specialist music format. The winner of the license was to specialise in country music. It is thought that the popularity of K.I.C. FM, as well as the 'possible' threat to the listening figures of the new legal country station caused it unwelcome attention from the ODTR during the first few months of 2001.

On the evening of Friday 1st June 2001, K.I.C. FM's transmitter site in the Dublin mountains was raided by the ODTR and two members of the Gardai. The ODTR seized the FM transmitter and UHF receiver. The reason given by the ODTR was alleged interference to Shannonside Northern Sound on 104.1MHz. Although the studio was not visited, the station was put off the air. Nothing was heard until the following Wednesday, 6th June when a much wealer signal returned on 104.0MHz playing old programmes. The station was now broadcasting from their studio location on the North Circular Road in Phibsboro using a makeshift aerial set-up, which consisted of a dipole tied to a ladder. By Thursday 7th June, the signal level had increased as the temporary aerial had been replaced by a mast with two dipoles and the station could then be heard over most of the city. Some live programming commenced during the afternoon featuring station owner John Leonard. During this show, John made mention of the raid on the mountain transmission site.

Click to listen to airchecks from this show, and to hear some of the final commercials to go out on the station.

At 7pm recorded programmes returned. The following afternoon, Friday 8th June 2001, the ODTR turned up at the K.I.C. FM studios and finding the building empty, they broke down the studio door and seized all the station's studio equipment. It was reported that the ODTR may have had a warrant for the wrong address which would have made their actions illegal. The station had a barrister looking into the issue. Unfortunately, since this second raid, K.I.C. FM have not returned to the air.

Many thanks to www.radiowaves.fm for the information and airchecks.