The Rise & Sudden Fall of London Irish Community Radio in 1988

 

The late Jimmy Smith made his name in Irish radio and made his pirate radio station TTTR (Tallaght, Templeogue, Ternure Radio) the number one country and Irish music station having helped the careers of many of the rising stars of Irish country music. In 1988, Jimmy, with the impending arrival of new legislation that would silence his beloved station, making way for a new legal independent commercial landscape, he decided to spread his wings but had those wings firmly clipped by the authorities.

 

With a staff of seven and broadcasting twenty four hours a day on 89.6mhz FM, Jimmy set up London Irish Community Radio, a pirate station dedicated to one of the largest ethnic groups in the UK's capital. The station was located on Hope Lane in Acton and followed the same successful formula as TTTR back in Dublin.

 

There had been an explosion of pirate radio stations in London from 1988. According to the Dazed website

‘Needless to say, it (pirate radio) wasn’t going anywhere, and between 1988 and 89, pirate radio stations rapidly started to appear to serve a youth hungry for new sounds that weren’t being catered to by mainstream radio. By 1989, there were over 60 pirate radio stations operating in London alone.’

According to the fanzine ‘Anoraks UK’ from July 1^st – 5^th there were ‘40 pirate radio stations, 11 in stereo’ operating in London. There was numerous ethnic based stations including London Greek Community Radio, London Asian Community Radio and London Turkish Community Radio.

From The House of Commons Hansard page on written MP answers

Just weeks after going on air at noon March 10th 1988, their powerful 500w transmitter blanking out smaller low powered pirates that broadcast on the 89-90mhz FM frequency. This included the ‘obliteration’ according to Anoraks UK’s London correspondent of long running pirate station ‘London Rock’ also on 89.5. Prior to the arrival of LICR, the Irish in the capital could tune on a Sunday lunchtime on the Brent based pirate station JBC on 104.3mhz. By mid April, LICR’s overnight programming of recorded shows was being relayed on another London pirate station ICE FM on 90.5mhz.

Whether it was his reputation preceding him or a suspicion of any Irish content on the radio as the troubles continued in Northern Ireland, in the first week in May the station was raided by the DTI and the police, closed after just five weeks of broadcasting. Jimmy managed to get the station back on the air within a fortnight on low power but he was quickly raided once again putting an end to LICR. In August backers were fined £400 plus £295 costs.

Alan Whelan and ex-pat and a councillor with the Social Liberal democrats said,

"I am against pirating but his radio station proved there is a need to be met".

Local Ealing North MP Harry Greenway made representations to the Home Secretary but to no avail as there would be no legal community license given to a station serving the large Irish diaspora at that time. For any Irish living in London today, to keep in touch with all things Irish tune in to https://www.irishradio.org/

Sources.

Hansard, the House of Commons Archive

Anoraks UK

The British Newspaper Archives

The Irish Post, London

The DX Archive

Radiowaves.fm

Dazed

AMFM.org

Obituary - Jimmy Smith, founder of TTTR, Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

 

Treble ‘T’ R was launched on June 1^st 1981 by Jimmy Smith broadcasting a brand of country and western and Irish music. The station was an instant success with an older demographic not being catered for by many of the other commercial pirate radio stations in Dublin. TTTR stood for Tallaght, Templeogue, Ternure Rathfarnham, the local areas it broadcast to. The station was initially located at the Green Acres Country Club until the venue was bought by Radio Nova and renamed Nova Park. In September 1982 the station was briefly off air when its new base in the Apollo Cinema, Walkinstown was damaged by fire. Having broadcast on medium wave for its first couple of years they added a stereo FM frequency on 96mhz in January 1983. 

 

At 2.30am on May 19^th 1983 as a precaution the station went off air following the raids on Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio. A week later the station returned to the airwaves. The station stayed on air until December 1988 when it closed in accordance with the WTA 88. One of the great voices of Irish pirate radio was on TTTR when it closed, Bob Gallico. Gallico, an American by birth, made his name on Radio Nova as a double act with Declan Meehan. Their breakfast show ‘Deckie Weckie’s Brekkie Trekkie’ was a ratings winner for the Herbert Street super pirate.

 

A Sample of the weekly TTTR schedule from the station.

 

MONDAY-FRIDAY
7.30am Jim's Breakfast Show
Sneaky Pet BJ & various presenters
Midday Miss Elli
3pm The Grace Porter Show
MONDAY 6pm Mostly Country - Tony Forrest
8pm Jim Harte Traditional & Ballads
10pm Noel Casey
TUESDAY 6pm Mostly Country - Tony Forrest
8pm Nashville Country Giants with Jack Green
10pm Big C Show with Connie Lee
WEDNESDAY 6pm Mostly Country - Tony Forrest
8pm Jim Harte Traditional & Ballads
10pm Noel Casey
THURSDAY 6pm Con O’Mahony
FRIDAY Mostly Country - Tony Forrest
8pm Jim Harte Traditional & Ballads
Midnight every night: Close

SATURDAY
9am Rock n Roll Golden Oldies with Alan Walsh
Midday The Doc's Country Clinic with Mick O'Doherty
2pm Ballads with Derek Walsh
3pm Saturday Spin-Off with PJ Lynch featuring Pop, Country and ballads
5pm The Bob Stevens Show
7pm Music for Everyone with Catherine Doyle
10pm Late Show with BJ 

SUNDAY:
9am Country & Blue Grass with Brendan Whelan
11am Tony Forrest
1pm The Jim'll Mix It Show
3pm Country International with Louis Lumsden
5pm Laid Back with Karen Field
7pm A Little bit of Religion
9pm Relax with Ann Byrne
11pm God's Country with Bob Stevens

 

The station even gained praise on the floor of the Dail[1], when Michael Keating TD in a parliamentary debate on new radio legislation said,

‘I also believe it is right that I should state unequivocally my admiration and respect for the professionalism, entrepreneurial flair and enthusiasm of many people associated with the present stations — KLAS, TTTR, Sunshine and others who are giving an excellent service in the Dublin area.’ 

In 1989 Jimmy spearheaded a consortium to apply for one of the Dublin franchise licenses eventually secured by Capital Radio (now FM104) and 98FM. According to the Irish Independent in February 1989,

`Easy listening' Jimmy Smith, for Irish Country 104/106 has a 30-year connection with the music business. A former musician, his broadcasting experience span eight years with TTTR Radio. He identified easy listening as the best route for the franchise’.

 

Station owner Jimmy Smith attempted a TTTR comeback in May 1995 broadcasting on 100.2mhz but the attempt floundered when the transmitter was stolen.

 

In an obituary in the Anglo Celt newspaper

 

‘Jimmy was the founder, leader and manager of the Mighty Avons, back in the heyday when showbands ruled the Irish music scene. Three of the Smith brothers from Keelagh, Ballyhaise, were central to the formation of the Mighty Avons. Paddy, Peter and Jimmy were highly accomplished musicians and soon stamped their style on the Mighty Avons sound. In conjunction with the late Larry Cunningham, they achieved international fame.

Jimmy Smith late of Ballyhaise and Oranmore, Galway, was born to James and Mary Smith in 1938 in Keelagh, Ballyhaise. Jimmy’s foray into show business started with St Bridget’s Ceili Band, while brothers Paddy and Peter were members of a local brass band. This grounding in performance led to the formation of The Mighty Avons in the late 50s.

The Smith brothers and Larry Cunningham’s showmanship was augmented by the musicianship of Mickey Brady, Brian Finlay, Gerry Walsh and Ronnie Griffiths. The Avons were ready to take on the world, and take it on they did - being one of the first Irish bands to conquer the British Charts with the song ‘A tribute to Jim Reeves’ (also number one in Ireland)[2] which received airplay on offshore pirate station Radio Caroline broadcasting from the North Sea.The chart topper brought fame and fortune and they went on to play everywhere in the world from The Albert Hall in London, The Palladium, Carnegie Hall in New York and even playing for Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco, in Powerscourt Wicklow.

One of their claims to fame was that they pulled in the largest crowd ever to the legendary ‘Galtymore’ in Cricklewood long before fire regulations were more than a recommendation. In paying tribute to the icon of the Showband era, musician Paul Cox said: “Always living life to the full, he was one of life’s great gentlemen, he will be sadly missed.”

According to the radiowaves.fm website

Radio West was the original name for Galway Bay FM. The station launched on August 18th 1989. Jimmy Smith of Treble TR, the Dublin pirate radio station which had closed at the end of 1988, was hired to set up Radio West. Due to a delay in acquiring the purchased studio equipment, Radio West went on air through a 250 Watt CTE transmitter with the old TTTR studio brought over from Dublin.

 

He was also involved in ‘Club Setanta’ in Galway City. Following his move West to Galway he even managed to write a novel ‘Ned The Bed’ which was published in 2009. This was a fictional story based on his many years in the showband business.

 

Jimmy Smith, founder of TTTR, Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

Sources:

The Century of Irish Radio 1900-2000

Radio Radio

radiowaves.fm

DX Archive

pirate.ie

Irish Newspaper Archives

Sunday World Archives

The Anglo Celt Newspaper

Irish Showbands

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[1] The Irish Parliament

[2] They performed on BBC’s Top of the Pops, one of the first Irish artistes to do so.