Radio Product Placement in 1925 - 2RN Style

Today when we watch television, we often notice a small letter 'P' in the corner of the screen, this refers to the fact, as one of the revenue tools of the station broadcasting, there is product placement. This can range from the sponsored drinks cups on the table in front of the ‘X Factor’ judges to the shop used on the set of the soap ‘Fair City’. For an older generation of listener, they will fondly remember the sponsored programmes like the Hospital Sweepstakes, Fry’s or the Walton’s programme. It may seem like a modern development in Irish media, taken from the cinema (check out the product placement deals for a Bond film, eye watering amounts) but subliminal product placement dates back to the test transmissions of 2RN in December 1925, 2RN the forerunner of today's RTE Radio. 

 

There was no advertising initially allowed on the new Irish Free State radio station, 2RN, and the station depended on the Government to provide its entire funding budget. But businesses found ways around the 'no advertising' issue in creative ways. In the weeks prior to the official first broadcast on January 1st 1926, a series of test transmissions on 390m were conducted throughout December, intensifying from December 14th 1925. 

 

The 2RN studios were located on Little Denmark Street, just of Henry Street. Much of the early tests consisted of Station director Seamus Clandillon and Musical Director Vincent O'Brien playing the in studio piano and singing traditional Irish songs. But this changed on December 16th with the first outside broadcast relayed by the station. Firstly, it would be a boost for the venue used, the La Scala Theatre on Princess Street beside the GPO. Having opened in August 1920, the opening did not go exactly according to plan according to the website Early Irish Cinema,

'When proprietors Frank Chambers and George Fleming chose the week beginning 9th August 1920 for the opening, few people would have been surprised that they timed it to coincide with Horse Show week, the city’s busiest entertainment week of the year during the Royal Dublin Society’s longstanding horse show at its show grounds in Ballsbridge. But things didn’t go quite to plan as opening day approached. A split in the electricians between those affiliated with the London-based Electrical Workers’ Union and the ITGWU on what union the projectionists should belong to looked like it would leave the cinema unable to open because of a strike. Last minute negotiations meant that while La Scala did open during Horse Show week, it was not on the Monday as planned but on Tuesday, 10th August. In the process, the unions had sent a message to the management about the power of organized labour that seems to have been heeded months later.'

 

But the new venue was thirsty for publicity and to coincide with the test transmissions, the theatre put on a special week of entertainment titled 'All Irish Week' with music and entertainment before and after the showing of the film 'Wicklow Gold[1]' starring Jimmy O'Dea. With quality entertainment on offer especially the type of musical acts that played well on the fledgling medium of radio and its proximity to the station studios, the La Scala was a perfect choice for the new station's first outside broadcast. Not only did the Theatre receive credit during the broadcast but extensive newspaper coverage provided valuable advertising. The test transmissions also included music from the in house La Scala orchestra under the direction of John Moody. Moody had joined the new theatre as musical director having spent many years at the more famous Theatre Royal on the opposite side of the River Liffey on Hawkins Street.

 

The arrival of radio stations in various markets around the world was eagerly anticipated by listeners but not by the media already in situ and Dublin was no different as newspapers were deeply concerned at the arrival of the instant medium of broadcasting. The Irish Independent was one of the major morning dailies along with the Freeman's Journal and deeply worried about the arrival of radio. But the proprietors of the paper saw an opportunity in promoting their newspaper firstly over the radio and secondly ahead of its rival publications. The La Scala featured the 'Irish Independent Choir' also referred to as the 'Irish Independent Choral Society'. They insured that they were booked to perform during the 'Irish Week' and therefore in pole position to be used in the test transmissions from 2RN. The All Male choir were ideal for radio and were popular with listeners on their first appearance. Even the Freeman's Journal in reviewing those first broadcasts had to refer to the choir as 'The Irish Independent Choir'. The choir was conducted by William McGouran and had won multiple awards and prizes at competitions including Feis Ceoil's. 

 

The test broadcast on Wednesday December 16th featured the La Scala orchestra playing for Opera singer Renee Flynn (see the Story of 2BP) and then the Irish Independent Choir contributed four songs. One in Irish, a lament arranged by 2RN musical director Vincent O’Brien and then three songs in English, ‘JohnPeel’ arranged by Mr. Percy, ‘Three are Women’ from an opera written by Ashton Oakley and ‘Comrades in Arms’ written by Adolph Adam. The Theatre owner George Fleming was in the 2RN studio’s listening to the relay from his venue around the corner.

 

Another test broadcast was conducted on Thursday 17^th with an in studio music selection from William Manahan and his band playing Irish airs.  Before and after each test broadcast Seamus Clandillon in his own form of advertising for his station implored listeners to purchase a wireless receiving license as required by law for radio 'listening-in'. A proportion of the license would be directed to the station to improve its facilities, pay the artistes and extend transmission relays and power. Further test transmissions included relays of 2LO from London and 2BE from Belfast.

If you want to support my work in preserving and presenting the history of Irish radio and archive as much broadcasting history as I can, then for the price of a cup of coffee (takeaway these days) you can financially support the work at -              https://ko-fi.com/irishbroadcastinghistory

Interestingly on the day that 2RN launched, the Independent newspaper moved to new head offices on Middle Abbey Street from their location on Dame Lane. Their move consumed more column inches than the launch of their competitor 2RN.

 

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[1] The cast of Wicklow Gold included Jimmy O'Dea (Larry), Ria Mooney (Kitty O'Byrne), Chris Sylvester (Ned O'Toole), Kathleen Carr (Widow O'Byrne), Nan Fitzgerald (Moira Cullen), Fred Jeffs (Dr McCarthy), Joan Fitzgerald, Frank Fay. Released in 1922 it was set on Fair Day in Avoca, Co Wicklow, an old farmer, Ned O'Toole, determines to 'make a match' for his browbeaten son, Larry, but Larry is courting Kitty, Widow O'Byrne's daughter. Ned wants Larry to marry a |g| wealthy farmer's daughter. Ned is thwarted in his ambition when Kitty and her mother trick him into believing that there is a gold deposit in the river that runs through the O'Byrne’s land. As a result, Ned gives his consent to the marriage of Larry and Kitty. The film was produced by Irish Photo-Plays Limited

The First Ladies of Irish Radio, Renee Flynn & Victoria Clarke Barry

For hundreds of thousands of viewers, RTE’s ‘Dancing With The Stars’ is a must watch as professional dancers, paired with celebrities attempt to impress the Judges including Lorraine Barry. Her family have had their talents showcased on the Irish broadcasting landscape for longer than you might think.

In a predominately male dominated world, radio in its infancy had two Irish female pioneers and after almost 100 years, it is time to celebrate their contribution to Irish broadcasting history. First up is Renee Flynn, a soprano that has appeared on every radio station to broadcast in Ireland up to the Second World War. In January 1926 Ms. Flynn appeared in 2RN but this was not her first visit in front on the radio microphone. In December 1925 she had sung on the stage of the La Scala Theatre off O’Connell Street which was relayed to the nearby studios of 2RN and aired live as a test broadcast for the new station. 2RN officially became the Irish Free State’s station on January 1^st 1926. But even her December broadcast was not her first as she became one of the first women to appear on Irish radio when she broadcast on 2BP.

2BP was a Marconi organised temporary station that was set up to prove to the new State’s Government the power of radio. (see our blog post on 2BP’s history). It’s studios and transmitter were located in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire and a main listening-in station set up in the RDS during that years annual Horse Show. Renee sang into the microphone shortly after the station had been visited by President William T Cosgrave, who was originally visiting the hotel to meet with New York Supreme Court Judge, Daniel Cohalan.

Renee and her immense talent would enthrall theatre goers and radio audiences alike and she was in high demand. Not content with appearing on the first two licensed stations broadcasting from Dublin 2BP and 2RN, she appeared on the other Irish station 2BE singing with the Belfast Wireless Orchestra in April 1933. Earlier in 1931, she crossed the Irish Sea to London to appear on the London Regional Service before performing and recording with the BBC Symphony orchestra in 1936. Her broadcasting career in Ireland continued as 2RN was transformed into Radio Athlone in 1933 and when Athlone was renamed Radio Eireann in 1937, one of the first singers to appear on the station was Renee Flynn accompanied by the Irish Radio Orchestra.

The composer Vaughan Williams Requesting Renee for his recording

When the experimental 2BP was on air for those three days in August 1923, not only were listeners entertained by the velvet voice of Renee Flynn but also by the piano playing of Victoria Clarke Barry. Miss Clarke was the daughter of the well-known Dublin band leader, John Clarke Barry, who specialised in a new style of music at the time, American jazz. John Clarke Barry was immensely popular at home and abroad. A big family man, he and his wife would go onto have six sons and seven daughters. Victoria at times would step into replace her father as leader of the band when her father was indisposed. Later she would form her own touring band known as ‘The Lady Revellers’ and had a stellar career of her own. She had answered a newspaper advertisement seeking artists to appear on this new medium of radio in 1923 for the Marconi Company. As Victoria played the piano in front of the microphone at the Royal Marine Hotel, her father’s band entertained the visitors to the Horse Show itself in Ballsbridge. It must have been a great sense of pride in her father as he stood at the radio set in the RDS and heard his daughter entertaining over this new medium. Victoria featured in the band’s advertising and also accompanied her father and the band to Belfast to appear on 2BE in October 1923 after her inaugural appearance on radio on 2BP.

Victoria’s younger sister Billie would become the doyen of the Irish stage when in the sixties she set up an acting school to provide trained performers for the many theatre shows in Dublin and will be forever associated with the Gaeity Theatre. Billie’s own daughter Lorraine followed her mother’s passion into the theatre and dancing and was a perfect choice to be a judge on Dancing With the Stars when RTE purchased the rights of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, known outside the UK as DWTS.