Ministry Warns Radio Pirates is a headline on page 2 of The Leitrim Observer.
A new station operated by schoolboys had appeared in Dublin using the name of Radio Atlantis and operating daily from 11.30pm until midnight thirty.
Tap here to read
Dublin pirate radio station on the air was a headline from The Irish Press from January 25th 1965.
Radio Showband in Dublin was a headline from The Evening Echo dated January 26th 1965
Says pirate radio will broadcast again soon was a headline from The Irish Press dated February 1st 1965
Boys ran Radio Romeo was a headline from The Evening Herald from January 18th 1966.
Shilling fines on boys of Radio Romeo was a headline from The Irish Press from January 19th 1966.
Boys fined 1/- for operating radio station was a headline from The Cork Examiner from January 19th 1966.
Pirate radios hit ‘monopoly’ was a headline from The Irish Press dated February 23rd 1970
Warning for pirate stations was a headline from The Irish Independent dated February 24th 1970
Priest’s Plea for Pirate Radio Station was a headline from The Ulster Herald from January 6th 1973
Post Office official heard his name on ‘pirate’ broadcast was a headline from The Evening Herald from February 7th 1973
Pirate DJ sets fire to himself was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated February 26th 1977
Behind the scenes at Radio Dublin was a headline from The Evening Press dated January 16th 1978.
Silenced pirate station crackles back was a newspaper headline from The Irish Press dated January 18th 1978
Raid on pop station was a newspaper headline from The Irish Independent dated January 18th 1978
Radio Dublin calling! was a newspaper headline from The Evening Press dated January 18th 1978
We carry on declares pirate station was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated January 18th 1978
Authorities raid radio station was a newspaper headline from The Evening Echo dated January 18th 1978
Radio Dublin plus 4 others on the air last night was a newspaper headline from The Irish Independent dated January 19th 1978
Pop radio fans jam phone lines to Taoiseach was a newspaper headline from The Irish Press dated January 19th 1978
Teenage march to back pop pirates was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated January 21st 1978
RTÉ producers fear skimpy pop radio was a newspaper headline from The Evening Press dated January 21st 1978
Another pirate radio challenge for RTÉ was a newspaper headline from The Irish Press dated January 24th 1978
Pirate’s get chop! was a newspaper headline from The Evening Press dated January 25th 1978
Pirates fight RTÉ in the High Court was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated January 28th 1978
Pirate stays on the air is a headline from The Irish Press from February 2nd 1989.
Another raid on pirate radio was a newspaper headline from The Evening Press dated February 2nd 1978
We’ve 100,000 supporters – pirate radio captain was a newspaper headline from The Sunday Independent dated February 5th 1978
Pirate stations to stay on air regardless was a newspaper headline from The Irish Independent dated February 8th 1978
Why they’re not afraid of government threats in Radio Nova was a newspaper headline from the Evening Herald dated December 8th 1981
News team in a spin! was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated January 18th 1982
DJs duel as SÃle sits in was a newspaper headline from The Irish Independent dated February 15th 1982
Students plan charity drive was a newspaper headline from The Evening Press dated February 22nd 1982
RTÉ puts jam on pirate TV was a newspaper headline from The Evening Press dated February 23rd 1982
Upmarket pirates was a newspaper headline from The Sunday Independent dated May 30th 1982
RTÉ jammed our signal was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated June 29th 1982
RTÉ in bid to thwart ‘piracy’ was a newspaper headline from The Cork Examiner dated July 7th 1982
I’m amazed says pirate Bob was a newspaper headline from the Sunday Independent dated January 23rd 1983
Irish radio pirates now look to Europe was a newspaper headline from the Sunday Independent dated January 30th 1983
Bob Gallico – the zaniest newscaster on the air was a newspaper article from the Evening Herald dated March 5th 1983
Battle on to control the money making airwaves was a newspaper headline from the Irish Independent dated March 8th 1983
Will the pirates rule the airwaves? was a newspaper headline from the Irish Press dated April 11th 1983
Pirates pirate the pirates was a newspaper headline from the Sunday World dated December 25th 1983
RTÉ’s last ditch campaign was a newspaper headline from The Irish Independent dated January 19th 1984
Nova claim that RTÉ are blacking out the pirates was a newspaper headline from The Evening Press dated January 19th 1984
Radio Nova is shutting down was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated February 2nd 1984
Radio Nova lays off 15 of staff was a newspaper headline from The Evening Press dated February 2nd 1984
RTÉ denies jamming pirate was a newspaper headline from The Irish Times dated February 4th 1984
Nova – RTÉ tests official was a newspaper headline from The Sunday Independent dated February 5th 1984
Pickets to go on Radio Nova was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated February 6th 1984
Ambulance row as RTÉ jams pirate was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated February 7th 1984
Radio Wars was the title of an article in The Hot Press magazine dated February 10th 1984
The Hot Press dated February 10th 1984
The Hot Press dated February 10th 1984
Radio Nova staff ‘non-union’ vote was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated February 11th 1984
Facing the ‘sack’ was a newspaper headline from The Sunday World dated February 19th 1984
Nova to close down following VAT claim was a newspaper headline from The Irish Press dated March 10th 1984
Disc jockey caused £1,500 damage was a newspaper headline from The Sligo Champion dated May 11th 1984
Nova News girl quits was an article from The Sunday World dated January 29th 1985.
Gaelic radio to have Patrick’s Day debut was a newspaper headline from The Belfast Telegraph dated March 12th 1985
Pirate chief shocked by raid was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated January 20th 1986
Nova bids to retain equipment was a newspaper headline from The Evening Press dated February 22nd 1986
Cary denies irregularities at Radio Nova was a newspaper headline from The Irish Press dated March 20th 1986
RTÉ ‘pulls plug’ on pirates was a newspaper headline from The Evening Herald dated February 11th 1987
Pirate Cooke Defiant is a headline from The Irish Press from January 3rd 1989.
Lone Pirate is Warned is a headline from The Irish Independent from January 3rd 1989.
Captain Cooke Walks the Plank is a headline from The Irish Press from January 5th 1989.
Pirate Chief is Still Defiant is a headline from The Evening Herald from January 5th 1989.
Pirate Cooke Dodges Radio Ad Ban is a headline from The Evening Herald from January 9th 1989.
The £6,000,000 man was a headline from The Evening Herald from January 19th 1989.
Power restored to pirate was a headline from The Irish Press from January 20th 1989.
Radio Nova taken over by Branson was a headline from The Irish Press dated January 21st 1989.
Minister worried as pirate stays on air is a headline from The Irish Press from January 31st 1989.
Pirate station wins reprieve was a headline from The Irish Independent dated February 2nd 1989.
Pirate loses appeal was a headline from The Evening Herald dated February 6th 1989.
Radio pirate loses in court was a headline from The Irish Press dated February 7th 1989.
Defiant radio pirate returns was a headline from The Irish Press dated February 8th 1989.
State stymied by pirate radio was a headline from The Irish Press dated February 9th 1989.
Reprieve for city radio station was a headline from The Irish Press dated February 15th 1989.
Pirates will have to walk the plank was a headline from The Cork Examiner dated February 17th 1997
Timeline: Dismissed radio presenter seeks court injunction was a headline from The Irish Examiner dated July 12th 1997
Timeline: Radio DJ in court challenge to block sacking was a headline in the Irish Independent dated July 19th 1987
Timeline: Station didn’t tell me about election ban, says sacked radio presenter was a headline in the Irish Examiner dated July 19th 1987
Timeline: Presenter settles his High Court action against radio station was a headline in the Irish Irish Examiner dated November 6th 1997
Master pirate cost Sky TV millions by cracking codes was a headline from The Irish News dated February 16th 1998
Ex-radio chief ‘masterminded’ TV cards scam was a headline from The Irish Independent dated February 17th 1998
Ex-pirate radio chief jailed for £30m Sky card scam was a headline from The Irish Independent dated April 3rd 1998
Ex-pirate radio chief jailed for £30m Sky card scam
A former pirate radio supremo was jailed for four years in Britain yesterday for costing Sky TV £30m in a smartcard scam.
Chris Cary (51), who was chief of Dublin’s Radio Nova in the 1980s and a former DJ with Radio Caroline under the name Spangles Muldoon, spent years trying to crack the secrets of the Sky cards, Kingston Crown Court in Surrey was told.
He was described in court as Europe’s leading smartcard pirate.
Judge Richard Haworth told him: “You were the orchestrator and principal player in a sophisticated hi-tech commercial venture. It was planned and executed with great care and skill.
“In 1995 and 1996 you were the leading manufacturer and vendor of pirate smartcards. Your criminal activity was not a by-product of a legitimate enterprise, this fraud was your full-time occupation.”
The court heard that in a bid to beat the fraudsters, BSkyB had spent more then £30m bringing out a succession of smartcards.
When the pirates cracked one code, another even more sophisticated card had to be developed.
The judge was told that Cary’s Megatek company in Dublin was taking £20,000 a day until he and his accomplices were arrested in June 1996 through the undercover efforts of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and police.
Cary, of Weybridge, Surrey, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud BSkyB with his ex-wife Remi, and another man.
The lucrative scam involved pirates cracking the smartcard codes which authorise decoders to unscramble different satellite channels and selling cheaper versions to Sky customers.
REBEL
Timothy Langdale QC, prosecuting on behalf of FACT, said at an earlier hearing that Cary’s operation moved from Surrey to a shop in Dun Laoghaire shopping centre after two earlier companies operating the scam were closed down by High Court injunctions.
Regarded as a rebel, colleagues said Cary had a total disregard for rules but Nova, in its six-year history, had a 62pc share of the Dublin audience with his formula of ‘jingle, record, record, ad’ with as little talk as possible.
He subsequently bid for the national radio franchise which went to Century but a wrangle with the NUJ over union recognition eventually led to the closure of Nova.
Cary said Nova was the number one station in Dublin for four years and turned over £20m.
Copyright Unison.ie
Tony Allan is seriously ill
The Radio Caroline website reports that broadcasting legend Tony Allan is seriously ill in the Royal Free Hospital in London. Best remembered here in Ireland for his time at Radio Nova, Tony has also worked with Radio Caroline and R.N.I. The report on the website says that he wants no visitors at this time but he is feeling lonely and they ask that anyone who remembers him might send a card, letter or gift to their London offices.
Report: Alex Jenkins
Photo: Joseph King
New website for XFM
XFM, the long-running alternative radio station broadcasting to Dublin on 107.9MHz, have launched a new-look website. It can be viewed at www.isis.ie/xfm/.
Report: Sean Hyland
New series for schools starts on na Life
A  brand new radio series for primary school children commences today at 6pm on Raidió na Life 106.4FM, Dublin’s Irish Language radio station. Raidió na nÓg is hosted by TG4 television personality Niall MacDonagh and will be available to almost 470 schools around Dublin city and county. Each week Raidió na nÓg profiles a different primary school, where the kids get the opportunity to introduce us to their own school from their own unique perspective. The show will feature special guests, reviews, comedy scetches and competitions. One of the main aims of the series is to encourage children between the ages of seven and twelve to listen to radio in a fun and educational way. The shows will also be available online as podcasts from the station’s website, allowing teachers to play it back in the classroom.
Featuring uniquely commissioned music from Stellarsound, Raidió na nÓg is produced by FÃbÃn Teo for Raidió na Life 106.4FM, and is part-funded by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (www.bci.ie)
Radio Nova regenerated 40 years on
In June 1981 the face of radio in Ireland was changed forever with the launch of Radio Nova. The Dublin mega-super-pirate is forever held up as a shining example of how to properly engage the listener and is still reverentially talked about to this day.
However, one of the original station’s favourite sons has done more than just talk – he’s acted. With a proposed launch date of June 29th 2021, 40 years to the day since the official start date of the original, Lawrence John plans to introduce the Radio Nova sound to a whole new generation.
In a statement just released, Lawrence says:
“With the time afforded to me during the first [Covid 19] lockdown in March last year, I had an opportunity to listen to the new FM stations licensed a few years after Radio Nova’s closure. I left Dublin before those stations were licensed, so I’d never heard any of them and presumed all was going well. So when I finally heard them for the first time…shock, horror, it was as if nobody had learned anything from Chris Cary and Radio Nova.
“The success of the pirates, and Nova in particular, was entirely due to the excitement, passion and creativity they offered compared to the safe and conservative output of RTÉ. Thirty years later and the whole thing has gone full circle, the newly licensed stations, have become mini-versions of RTÉ.
“Where did it all go wrong?!!
“Anyway, I started chatting to former colleagues who, to a man, were of a similar opinion and eventually I concluded something had to be done to remedy the situation. I started to produce some syndicated radio shows which I thought stations might use to give a bit more variety, or add a little spice to their output. However, after producing a few shows, I decided what Dublin really needed was another Radio Nova. So, I thought, why not re-launch Radio Nova. With my experience of founding and creating a number of stations, including Dublin’s original Q102 and the Northern Ireland super pirate Energy 106, it seemed like a good idea.
“My plans were met with a thumbs-up from my old Radio Nova colleagues and so I set about planning a relaunch and here we are three months later. Just like the original Nova the new version will also take time to put plans into place, but we’ll get there. The backbone of the musical output will be all the old Nova favourites, with similar-sounding new titles that Chris Cary himself might’ve added in the intervening years.
“You’ll also hear the original jingles, (remastered) some with a new twist and we’ve got some great new Radio Nova sweepers.”
The new Radio Nova have already lodged an application for a DAB licence in Belfast and Lawrence aims to push for both a DAB and FM licence in Dublin.
He continues: “Of course, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle but, if the newly-relaunched Radio Nova is even half as good as the original, it should be twice as good as any FM station in Dublin. I should add that, unlike Dublin’s FM stations which are mostly run by big radio groups, the new Nova will be run on a not-for-profit basis.
“Radio Nova (or Radio Nova – Smooth Hits to avoid confusion with other Novas around the world) is all about the music. Check out the memories and previews daily initially 7-9pm in the coming weeks with looped, syndicated shows from Casey Kasem, Rick Dees and Gary Owens – all big favourites on the original Radio Nova.”
Until a DAB or FM licence comes along the station will be available online.
Listen 24/7 directly on their website radionovainternational.co or on your smart speaker. Say “Alexa, play Radio Nova – Smooth Hits.
Or visit their Facebook page here.”