When Pirate Radio Nova Stole RTE's Treasure

 

For a generation a bad from Derry with a unique sound and a remarkable lead singer, the Undertones and Fergal Sharkey cut a swathe through the charts and hearts of music aficionados.

But their reign at the top would come to a premature halt in 1983, when they decided to split and play one last gig, pencilled in for the Punchestown racecourse on July 17th. It would become headline news at home and abroad and it would generate many column inches in newspapers and music magazine including Hot Press, the NME and Rolling Stone. But strangely the Irish national broadcaster almost completely ignored the event thanks to one of the gigs main promoters, the illegal pirate station Radio Nova. This scandal came just months after the authorities had raided Nova in May and briefly closed them. The only show to give any serious coverage was Dave Fanning’s RTE Radio 2’s rock show, of course Mr. Fanning was a former pirate broadcaster in his own right. The band were playing support to the top of the bill, Dire Straits.

(c) The RTE Guide

The top selling RTE Guide in advance of the gig advertised that ‘the promoter has offered our readers six double tickets for this rock festival’. They failed to mention who the promoter was, Radio Nova in associations with Paul Charles’s Asgard Promotions.

The Evening Herald Monday September 6th 1982

A year earlier in 1982, feathered had been ruffled at RTE HQ, when the Evening Herald ran a ‘Mystery Voice’ competition on the radio. They would offer clues in their newspaper and allow contestants to post in their answers. When the competition began on September 6^th 1982, the advert in the evening edition pointed listeners to listen to the ‘Mystery Voice’ on RTE Radio and Radio Nova, the state broadcasters illegal competition. No advertisement appeared in the next days edition as RTE executives made their feelings clear to the editorial board at the national newspaper. The following day the new clue pointer appeared by rather than naming the stations on which the promotion was running, it was simply referred to ‘on the radio’. Within eighteen months of going on the air, Radio Nova was leading the rating despite their illegal status.

Evening Herald, Wednesday September 8th 1982

The anatomy of an NUJ strike that silenced a radio revolution in 1986.

 

Courtesy of the #anoraksirelandcollection

The anatomy of an National Union of Journalists strike that silenced a radio revolution.

July 1983                    Following a relaunch of Kiss FM, Cary told the Sunday Independent that he ‘also decided "to get into bed" with trade unions. In the past Carey has threatened staff with dismissal for joining unions but now he has invited the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) to open discussions with him in what he describes as "a necessary evil" following pressure from existing NUJ staff members at Radio Nova.’

 

January 15^th 1984     Chris Cary closes Kiss FM following a prolonged period of FM frequency jamming by the State broadcaster RTE.

February 2^nd 1984     On the front page of the Evening Herald, Cary said he thought the laying off a 15 staff would be sufficient to keep Radio Nova open but announces the closure of Radio Nova leading to the redundancy of 57 staff.

 

February 3^rd 1984     Jenny McIvor, the chapel of the NUJ, Linda Conway, Shane McGabhan, David Malone, Ken Hammond and Brian Johnson, all member of the NUJ are sacked without statutory notice or redundancy payment offer.

 

February 7^th 1984     Official NUJ pickets are placed on Radio Nova’s headquarters at 19 Herbert Street. He is reported as saying ‘I did them all a favour by giving them jobs in the first place’.

 

February 11^th 1984   A newspaper report states that Cary carried out a poll of his remaining employees who vote by a 5-1 majority to have unions excluded from the radio station. 

February 27^th 1984   The striking NUJ workers have a letter published in the national newspaper stating their case and grievances. 

March 4^th 1984          The Irish Congress of Trade Unions grant the NUJ an all out picketing of Radio Nova, this prevents other union employees including ESB & Posts and Telegraphs workers passing pickets. Cary also refuses to attend the Labour Court for dispute arbitration. Nova has moved its entire operation to Nova Park on Stocking Lane in Rathfarnham.

March 10^th 1984        There another announcement from Cary that Radio Nova would be imminently closing following a £150,000 VAT demand from the tax man. Mike Hogan resigns from the station as General Manager. 

June 1^st 1984              The NUJ publish a warning to prospective employees following adverts for replacement employees, that before they take on a position at Radio Nova, that they should contact the NUJ. 

August 4^th 1984         The Irish Independent reports that a unfair dismissal hearing at the Employment Appeals Tribunal has been adjourned until a High Court case is heard. According to Radiowaves.fm, ESB refuse to cross the pickets now at the station’s transmitter site at Nova Park in Rathfarnham when power is lost. Cary was forced to purchase generators to power the station.

                                                            Courtesy of the DX Archive

September 17^th 1984 Ken Hammond seeks an interlocutory injunction to prevent Cary from interfering with his picketing at Nova Park. He said Cary had been abusive and threatening.

October 2^nd 1984       An injunction ordered to prevent Cary interfering with pickets. Hammond in an affidavit said that Cary told him ‘he would find out what real guerrierism was and that if necessary he would hire people and he (Hammond) would find out what thousands of pounds could do’.

 

October 9^th 1984        The NUJ objects to the renewal of the pub and dancing licenses for Nova Park by Uniminster Limited, a Cary company. Justice Thomas Donnelly granted the license saying that the union had no rights to object as they were neither an individual nor a resident affected by the awarding of licenses.

November 23^rd 1984  The Irish Press reports that after 9 months the strike has been settled. Two of the striking journalists had found employment elsewhere but four remaining NUJ strikers would be returning to Radio Nova the following Monday.

Courtesy of radiowaves.fm

April 28^th 1985          Cary’s opens a new sister station to Radio Nova, Magic 105. The station operated from the Nova Boutique on Leeson Street. A company called Tegrar Limited is set up to run the station and Radio Nova leases a news service from Magic in an attempt to out manoeuvre the NUJ.

 

September 22^nd 1985 Magic is suddenly closed with the 8 NUJ members of the news room are locked out of the station. The NUJ picket the station once more. On the Nova News, Sybil Fennell read out the news about Magic closing attempting to distance Cary and Nova from the closure. It was according to the radiowaves.fm website The story read on Nova can only be described as pure propaganda (at best), given that Nova clearly owned Magic in every way, and probably didn't fool anyone. It certainly didn't fool the NUJ, who had returned to the picket line with a vengeance, determined to crush Nova.

September 29^th 1985 Nova says that the dispute has been settled and that they were recognising the union and offering striking workers contracts. The NUJ denies this.

October 21^st 1985      Sybil Fennell resigns from the NUJ. According to Fennell in an interview with Radio Today Ireland

‘The NUJ strike didn’t just ‘happen’ it was carefully orchestrated.  From memory I wasn’t working at Radio Nova at the time, I was hosting a magazine programme on LBC in London. I have no argument with the NUJ as a union, never have had, my argument was how every possible tactic was being employed to force Radio Nova off-air. The strike was a deliberate move to bring pressure to bear on Chris and to bring about the closure of Radio Nova – as was the jamming. RTE was not a happy bunny – their stations were haemorrhaging listeners not just to Radio Nova, although we were the most popular of the stations, but to a dial filled with radio stations delivering what the Dublin audience wanted.’

 

November 1^st 1985    A temporary injunction is granted to Cary and Fennell to prevent picketing at Nova Park on Stocking Lane after Fennell was verbally abused. The station has no telephones as Bord Telecom employees refuse to pass the pickets to repair the lines.

 

November 15^th 1985  Nova Media Services and Sybil Fennell fail to get injunction to stop the picketing but strikers said that they would picket in an orderly fashion and would refrain from calling Ms. Fennell a ‘scab’.

January 1^st 1986        Bernadette Cotter, described in the newspapers as one of the Nova strikers, made headlines when her daughter was the first baby born in Dublin for 1986. Her husband Paul was Nova’s station engineer.

 

March 1986               Nova closes. Cary lays the blame firmly at the door of the NUJ and the strikers.

1989                            When Cary and his Radio Nova team applied for the new National franchise from the Independent Radio and Television Commission told the commission he would offer £25,000 to the NUJ "to clear the air". His application was unsuccessful with Century Radio winning the franchise.

Further information of the Radio Nova story can be found HERE

Also at pirate.ie & The DX Archive

Sources

The Anoraks Ireland Collection at DCU

The Irish Newspaper Archives

pirate.ie

The DX Archive

radiowaves.fm

The British Newspaper Archives

A Photographic Record of the May 1983 Pirate Protest March - Dublin, Post the raids on Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio

 

On May 19th 1983, members of An Garda Siochana and officials from the Department of Posts and Telegraphs began a raid on Dublin and perhaps Ireland's most successful radio station, the pirate operation Radio Nova. It was a bolt from the blue, the second biggest station in Dublin, Sunshine Radio located in the grounds of the Sands Hotel, Portmarnock was also raided and closed. While Nova managed to get back on air briefly to say their goodbyes on May 20th, the raids on the two biggest stations sent shockwaves throughout the Irish pirate world and many of the over 100 stations closed voluntarily in case of a raid. 

You can read about the raids here. RADIOWAVES.FM

The 1983 Protest March Route

Many of the Dublin station managers and owners met and decided that a protest march would be held on Friday May 27th, gathering at the GPO on O'Connell Street and making their way to Government buildings on Merrion Street, where a letter of protest would be handed into the relevant Minister responsible for broadcasting. According to newspaper reports 3,000 protesters took part but more reliable Garda figures put the figure closer to 10,000. This is their story. 

 

The Radio Nova flatbed truck to be used as a float arrives on 

Westmoreland Street on its way to the GPO.

The Crowds begin to gather outside the GPO at 3pm including a Radio Dublin float

The Crowd depart the GPO travelling briefly Northwards before crossing the central mall and heading southbound down O'Connell Street with several radio station floats including Radio Dublin, Radio Nova and in the bottom right hand corner ABC Radio.

Some more of the truck floats depart the GPO including top right the Westside Radio float 

and the small red Fiat was deemed the 

'Radio Nova Staff Car.' Bottom right the 'Staff Car' is passed by the No.3 bus on its way to Sandymount.

The thousands continue down O'Connell Street, passed Middle Abbey Street and onwards to cross over the River Liffey at O'Connell Bridge. A Nova float full of fancy dress pirates join the March.

Led by station operator Brian Matthews, this is the Community Radio Fingal contingent departing the GPO and then travelling south bound on O'Connell Street.

The march crosses O'Connell Bridge and travels down D'Olier Street where another pirate laden float joins the march. 

The March passes Trinity College and onto Nassau Street

The Marchers reach Clare Street passing the old Green's Bookshop and then left onto Merrion Street.

The crowds pass the National Gallery and begin to arrive at Government Buildings. TTTR and Community Radio Fingal banners feature in the lower two photographs.

The peaceful protesters reach Government Buildings and a letter is handed into the Minister's Office.

Minister's entrance in lower left photo.

It was not just the Dublin stations involved, here is a banner for South Coast Radio in Cork

More pictures from outside Government Buildings and around Merrion Square where the speakers on the floats entertained the crowds. Don't Take My Sunshine Away.

The Radio Dublin truck top right and top left the backs of Mike Doyle 

and Ray Jackson from ABC Radio

Some of the station owners and staff. Top left with the high kick is Paul Vincent (Murphy), and top right in the red jacket is the late Robbie Robinson, owner of Sunshine Radio. In the dickie bow is Radio Dublin Owner and later convicted paedophile, Eamon Cooke. 

The protest ends and the Radio Nova truck heads off into the sunset. 

The Daily newspapers covered the protest as the debate on pirate radio and raids continue. 

Within weeks Sunshine Radio, Radio Nova and many of the stations that closed out of fear across the country had reopened and would continue on air until December 1988. 

The archival photographs come from Paul Davidson at Anoraks Ireland who has donated his entire collection of photographs, audio tapes and printed memorabilia to the Irish Pirate Radio Archive at Dublin City University

Photographs courtesy of Anoraks Ireland

Press Clippings courtesy of the Irish Newspaper Archives

If you have been adversely affected by any of the photographs, helplines are available including the Rape Crisis Centre at 1800 77 8888

Radio Nova's 40th Anniversary. A Radio Behemoth & Broadcasting Revolution

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of perhaps Ireland's most influential and important radio stations in the history of Irish broadcasting, here are a selection of the recently received archives from Anoraks Ireland. Radio Nova, the brainchild of the late great Chris Cary, began broadcasting 'clutter free' music to Dublin on June 29th 1981. In its five years on air, the station, its owner, its ethos and its commercial success revolutionized Irish radio and created an industry that thrives today. 
This is an early daily schedule for the station

One of the most successful double acts ever in Irish radio was Declan Meehan (who began his pirate career as Arlo St Jude) and American born Bob Gallico. The Deckie Wekkie Brekkie Trekkie was the number one rated show on Radio Nova and while Declan continues in radio today on East Coast Radio, Bob alas passed away in 2013. This is the letter sent to him by Sybil Fennell (later to become Chris Cary's life partner) to say that his demo tape had won their attention and as they say the rest is history. 

https://radiotoday.ie/2013/08/tributes-paid-as-bob-gallico-dies-at-83/

Note in 1982, Nova's stationary were dual language English and Irish. 

One of Nova's enduring legacy's was their charity broadcast 'Operation Novacare', which is forever associated with by a certain generation of listeners with the track  'I Won't Let You Down' by Jim Diamond.

Radio Nova attempted to spread its wing by focusing more on broadcasting into Britain and began announcing that rather than broadcasting 'to Dublin' they were broadcasting 'from Dublin'. They at one time opened an advertising office in Liverpool. This is an opinion poll sheet used in Liverpool.

The end came in 1986 for Radio Nova as industrial issues and increased competition for advertising forced Nova from the airwaves. The company went into liquidation and a local auctioneering firm were tasked with disposing of what assets they could. 

For further information on Radio Nova see

https://ibhof.blogspot.com/search?q=radio+nova

https://radionovainternational.co/?fbclid=IwAR0aVthVfbkdYzIrmNOUMthxHbn0gWYNxP-3gRqczOPoCKuGZGyrCdlfgAc

The images above are from the Archives of Paul Davidson & Anoraks Ireland which have recently donated to the Irish Pirate Radio Archive at Dublin City University

 

Radio Nova, Playing All Over Liverpool...NOW

(c) DX ARCHIVE

 

For Chris Cary, his powerhouse and revolutionary Radio Nova was the dominant station in Dublin and the greater part of Leinster. His station built its success on ‘broadcasting to Dublin’ but for a broadcaster to cut his teeth on board Radio Caroline in the North Sea, the conquering of his homeland was the next big adventure. Because of his powerful transmitters on both FM and AM, Radio Nova’s signal travelled across the Irish Sea, sweeping over the Isle of Man and reaching the coast of Merseyside. Cary realised that he could tap into a newer and bigger market on mainland Britain. National commercial radio had yet to arrive in Britain and in large cities like Liverpool listeners had the basic choice of BBC local radio or an ILR.

 

Radio Nova began announcing that they were ‘broadcasting from Dublin’ and Liverpool, a city with a large Irish diaspora, was the first primary target, with what he hoped would be a powerful longwave transmitter to follow and cover a large swathe of Britain. By late 1984, Nova was a popular choice for listeners in Liverpool, challenging the positions of Radio City (ILR) and BBC Radio Merseyside. Other choices including the national BBC Radio One were being quickly left behind. Cary through his UK based company ABC Music Radio Limited opened an office in Liverpool city centre at Suite 411, Cooper Buildings, Church Street. The two legal stations in the city were hampered by regulations when Cary was not. Radio City was limited to ‘9 hours needle time in every 24 hours’[1], while their BBC counterpart was under even tighter constraints limited to ‘3 hours needle time in 18 hours’.

 

To generate publicity in August 1984, Nova divided it on air promotion of £10,000 into two prizes with one to be won in Ireland and one in the UK. Problems arose as the Dublin phone system was overpowered by the volume of entries and was deferred to a later date but the UK winner was former Blackpool resident Sue Wheldon from the Wirral, who was flown with her family to Dublin and collected her cheque from Cary himself at Nova Park. By September their jingles were already promoting ‘Radio Nova playing all over Liverpool..now’.

 

 

The station generated more newspaper stories when they ran a competition to find new on-air personnel including DJ’s and newsreaders. In October 1984, they announced that DJ’s on Merseyside would be auditioned for the positions at the station that could earn them up to £25,000 per year, considerably more than was offered at either Radio City, Merseyside or even RTE Radio 2. The Liverpool Echo[2] was reporting that through a locally based advertising agency, Nova was spending £50,000 on promoting the station within the Merseyside and Lancashire areas.

 

The station despatched DJ’s to headline gigs in the Merseyside area including their participation in an anti-heroin campaign which was launched at Mr Pickwick’s nightclub in February 1984, headlined by Nova DJ’s.

 

Only a handful of British advertisers used Nova and the office closed, this despite the fact that Nova aimed their programming at a British audience with British news, weather and traffic reports. As one commentator reported "What would the guy listening in the Liberties, Dublin want to know about traffic jams on the M6"[3].

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[1] Liverpool Echo Newspaper November 16^th 1984

[2] October 10^th 1984

[3] The Sunday World