HISTORY OF COMMERCIAL RADIO IN COUNTY LOUTH

Independent Local Radio in Co Louth began in 1978, around April or May when the Dublin stations were doing very well. There were also a few stations starting up in Cork at this time, one in Galway, one in Kildare. My nearest town was Dundalk. I lived between Drogheda and Dundalk. Rumours were flying around the local DJs about a station starting in Dundalk, the bigger of the two towns. There was a larger population centre, as well as being close to the border for the lucrative advertising market of Newrey, just over the border in Northern Ireland.

Radio Dundalk came about. Larry Maggner, Hugh MacItrick, and a Mr Hugh Hardy owned the whole operation. This station was to start broadcasting on May 20^th 1978. The station tested on 6^th and 13^th May, the Sunday, and was to go ahead and open on the Saturday 20^th. All the local Dundalk DJs, including myself were ready to go, with Radio Dundalk, but about a week before the opening, a big row took place within the management, and there was a split. Hardy decided he was going to start his own station.

As the 20^th May was drawing nearer, suddenly on the 18^th an aerial appeared on the Dundalk Shopping Centre. No carrier was noted. At 8am on Saturday 20^th May, Radio Carousel hit the airwaves on 265m. DJs included Keiran Murray, John Paul, and Eric Vaughn. These were DJs from the Dublin station Big D. It turned out that late on Friday 19^that Big D, Eric was doing either a 00/03 or 02-04 following Dave Fanning. Jean Paul was due on at 04-06 or there abouts. This guy breezed into the station, desperate for 3 DJs quickly, offering any money. Keiran Murray happened to be in the studio at the time, and the three all went with this guy, without even knowing where they were going. Next morning when they arrived in Dundalk, they saw an aerial, without allegedly knowing where they were. Nobody knew what the station was called, at the time, only about five minutes from airtime.

A K-Tel record featuring Irish artists and records was lying on the floor. Hugh Hardy came into the room, caught sight of this, and said, "I have it, we're going to call it Radio Carousel". This was how the station was named.

Radio Dundalk opened the same day Saturday May 20^th 1978, from downtown somewhere, before moving into the Fairways Hotel, on the Dublin Road, Dundalk. After the station increased power they were raided just a couple of days after Radio Carousel, on 12^th July 1978. Radio Dundalk was quite successful up until the raid, but the money aspect made them unable to replace the transmitter. As a result Radio Carousel won the battle eventually, and Radio Dundalk was getting weaker.

They were on 1367kHz, which at the time was a good clear channel, and announced as 220m, like Radio Northsea had done some years before. The problem arose when during November 1978, the whole of Europe changed to the present MW bandplan, and the frequency of 1368 was allocated as the proper ITU channel. Radio Dundalk remained on 1367, and caused some interference to Manx Radio, which had just been allocated 1368.

As the two stations fought on, rumours were a foot about a station opening up in Drogheda. Gavin Duffy now on Radio Ireland, was living in Drogheda, while he was working on Radio Dundalk. It turned out Gavin was one of the first voices heard on the new Local Radio Drogheda, with all of about 9 Watts, drifting around 225m. I was offered the job of the afternoon show on LRD, which I did for many many years. I began working for the two stations, a morning show on Radio Dundalk, and an afternoon show on CRD. I officially joined CRD on 1^st January 1979, as we pulled our resources, and concentrated on the Drogheda station.

The power increased in February to about 60Watts, followed by an upgrade to about 120 Watts in the April or May.

Station personnel included Paddy Everret, Martin Kerwin, Ani Naguir as well as David Brown (ex Carousel), and Kevin Kent. The station was going from strength to strength. By August 79, the name change was made from LRD to Boyneside Radio. Eric Vaughn joined in July or August 1979, Peter Madison joined in November 79, after working as a restaurant manager or something in the Boyne Valley hotel. He had been out of radio for years, but came down to the station, and caught the radio bug once more. .