The Anoraks Programme on Smile FM

With just weeks to go until the nation's many pirate stations were due to close, west Dublin-based Smile FM launched their Anoraks Programme on October 23rd 1988 (listen above). Legislation to herald a new-licensed framework was to be introduced at the turn of the year and the vast majority of stations planned to vacate the airwaves to avoid massive new fines and threats of imprisonment. Plus, to apply for a licence they needed to be off the air.

It was against this backdrop that Smile FM inroduced a feature-rich, two hour long Sunday afternoon Anoraks Programme that, thanks to its timing, would be one of the shorter-lived runs of the genre.

With a variable line up of at least two presenters each week, the show featured all that would be expected of a programme of its type: local and more distant recordings, bandscans and up to date industry news, jingle packages plus gossip and conversation, all based around the radio industry.

As expected, the programme was relayed on shortwave by Prince Terry at Westside Radio International. The final edition went out on Christmas Day, the last Sunday before the closedowns.

This is a recording of the penultimate edition, from 4pm on December 18th 1988.

Next: Countown to Closedowns

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