The UCB relay on 107.0FM in Cork resumed this evening following nearly two days of broadcasting a blank carrier.

The first in a series of commemorative events in honour of Uaneen Fitzsimons,the RTE radio and TV presenter killed in a road accident last week, will take place tomorrow night at the Temple Bar Music Centre in Dublin at 11pm. The event will feature "The Sound In A Light Year" a film by Donal Dineen plus DJ's: Johnny Moy, Donal Scannell, Billy Scurry, Hugh Scully, Glen Brady and Philip Boyle. All proceeds will go to one of Uaneen's favourite charities.

DMR FM continue to broadcast a blank carrier on their frequency of 93.2FM.
Phantom FM's 102.9FM was also blank for a period this morning and again in the afternoon. Their 91.6FM transmissions continued as normal.

Mr Patrick Taylor, former finance director of the UK's Capital Radio who invested over £1m in Century Radio, said today that it was suggested to him that former Communications Minister Ray Burke was paid £35,000 by Oliver Barry, Century's co-founder, in return for placing a cap on RTÉ's advertising revenue. The suggestion was made to him by Mr James Stafford, also co-founder of Century, in late 1991. Mr Taylor also told the Tribunal that he was unaware that Mr John Mulhern, son-in-law of Charles Haughey, was an investor in Century Radio. It was not disclosed in the legal documents drawn up at the time of Capital's investment in the station, he said.
In other evidence given today, Mr Paddy Corbett (Manager of Bank of Ireland, O'Connell Street) agreed that words recorded in an internal bank memo to the effect that Mr Oliver Barry had used his 'political clout to get...a level playing field' - referring to the cap on RTÉ's advertising - were his, but he had no recollection of saying it.
Mr Séamus O'Neill, former marketing director of Century Radio, said that he had sold advertising prior to the station's launch on the basis that the signal would reach 60% of the country on its first day of broadcasting and that it should not have launched, because at that point, only 45% of the country could receive the station. He had never been shown RTÉ's transmission document which stated that it would take nine months before this level of coverage could be reached. This led to advertisers cancelling orders and it became difficult to get new business, he added.

Magic Radio Ltd's proposed service for Cork would have a 70% music output with 21% news and current affairs programming. The consortium is backed by Dublin's Lite FM and Radio Kerry and also includes Fox Radio Ltd, which was set up to acquire further Irish radio interests and is made up of members of Lite FM and The Radio Development Company, which has strong ties in UK commercial radio. If awarded the licence for Cork city and county, their station would be called Magic FM and the service would be highly localised. Musical styles on the playlist include hits from the 60's, 70's and 80's as well as soft adult contemporary and MOR. Special interest tastes of their 15-54 years of age targetted market would also be catered for.

K.I.C. FM's deviation has been set to 75kHz, making the station fully compliant. Planned antenna changes due to take place today were postponed until next week because of heavy winds.

Mad Radio will be off air for much of today owing to maintenance to their aerial system, which has suffered due to the adverse weather conditions. The station hope to be back on 93.2FM in Dublin city by this evening.

Phantom FM are having problems with transmissions on 102.9FM. The station are trying to resolve the situation. Their broadcasts on 91.6FM are unaffected.

DMR FM are now transmitting programming again following a few days of being on a blank carrier. The station broadcast on 93.2FM in Dublin.

Phantom FM carried out technical adjustments today which affected transmissions and led to the cancellation of this week's Anorak Hour. Pearl was on air as usual from 11am but automated programming was aired from 1pm. The station resumed live broadcasts with normal programming at 4pm. The problem, a faulty link aerial, has hopefully now been cleared. Phantom FM have asked Radiowaves to pass on their apologies for any inconvenience.

Beat FM, a consortium applying for the Cork licence which includes Manchester United and Rep of Ireland stars Roy Keane and Denis Irwin, has broken the guidelines issued to applicants from the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC), The Sunday Tribune revealed today. No existing radio operator can own more than 27% of a station licensed by the IRTC but according to the Beat FM submission, Radio Ireland have a 40.5% stake in the group. If awarded the licence, the consortium will invest £2.3m in the station.

Capital C FM, who are backed by - amongst others - LMFM and Clare FM plus individuals who were part of the unsuccessful 'Fuse' bid for a Dublin youth licence, will cater for a 15-34 year old audience should they win the licence. Investment in the station would be £1.4m.

KiX FM Cork, mainly backed by Radio 2000, would invest £2.6m in their station and would cater for the same audience as Capital C FM, using an 80%-20% music to speech ratio. Musical output would be the contemporary hits formula.Sonic FM, whose main backer is existing Cork radio operator County Sound, will also cater for the lucrative younger end of the market.

Red Hot FM is also backed by unsuccessful applicants for the Dublin youth licence but has FM104 on board as well. It's programming will be aimed at the under 35 market and investment will total £2.3m.

Deep South Radio, whose backers include Setanta Sport, Cork Campus Radio and Jersey Radio Holdings, claim their music programming would be more 'reflexive than formulaic' and they will invest £1.5m in their station.

The other bidders are Magic FM and Beat FM.

BBC Radio One is riddled with cocaine users, Culture Secretary Chris Smith will be told tomorrow. The accusations against the BBC's pop station are made by a senior music industry figure and Government advisers. Record producer Robin Millar, who has produced 44 chart-toppers and is patron of the Music Producers Guild, told the Sunday Mirror: "A cocaine culture has got a grip at the heart of Radio One". He claims the clique's influence is so strong that they have stopped a whole new generation of groups from breaking through. "One well-known BBC DJ came straight out and told me, 'The problems at Radio One are to do with cocaine and about who takes it and who doesn't. If you take it you are in the in-crowd and if you don't you are looked upon as an outsider who is out of the loop'. "This DJ had, until quite recently, worked for Radio One but told me how he had been frozen-out by the clique because he doesn't take the drug. "He is now working at another part of the BBC. The point is that this DJ played a certain musical genre and, because he no longer works at Radio One, there is less diversity and the output suffers". Last night Station Controller Andy Parfitt was made aware of the claims. A spokesman for Radio One said: "We cannot comment on something we have not seen. We need to see the evidence."
Source: Sunday Mirror

Dublin's Kiss FM was off the air this morning but are now back broadcasting on 105.8MHz.

The Irish Mix were broadcasting a blank carrier on their 90.3FM frequency for most of this evening.

X-FM will grace the Cork airwaves from the middle of December. According to their website they will be occupying 105.5FM - former home to Kiss FM who closed to apply for a licence - and will be on air sometime between the 10th and 15th December. X-FM's playlist will range from 'Dance, Trance & Hardhouse to Classic Tracks, 80's 90's & Today's Chart Smash Hits' and the station are currently on a recruitment drive for new presenters.

Radio Caroline Cork are off air at present because they have suffered storm damage to their antenna array.

Mr Oliver Barry, co-founder of Century Radio, has denied that a payment of £35,000 to former Minister for Communications, Ray Burke, in 1989 was only a first instalment. He said that lawyers for the Tribunal had searched through his bank accounts for evidence of a second payment but that they had not found one shred of evidence. The accounts of Century Radio show that Mr Barry claimed back the money from the company but he has denied that he claimed it back a second time following Capital Radio's investment in Century. Mr Barry said that the second sum was owed for work carried out, but according to the Tribunal, there were never any invoices produced for this work. Mr Barry earlier told the Tribunal that Ray Burke had asked him for £30,000 in the election year of 1989 and that he was taken aback by the size of the request but decided later to pay £35,000 on behalf of Century because he felt it would benefit them if Fianna Fail were returned to power, as the opposition parties opposed independent broadcasting. This was discussed with - and received the approval of - the other Century investors James Stafford and John Mulhearn, he said. The other two men, however, have denied any advance knowledge of the payment.
Oliver Barry today also apologised for not revealing that John Mulhearn - son-in-law to Charles Haughey - was an investor in Century. "In hindsight it was totally wrong of us to do so," he said.

Virgin Radio in the UK is to launch four new online stations in a bid to diversify its digital radio content. First to launch will be Virgin Classic, which will be followed by Virgin Lite, Virgin Modern and Virgin Wheels of Steel. The move is designed to 'develop the Virgin brand and also go after new audiences, without launching new analogue stations'.

Power FM were once again on a blank carrier for much of this afternoon.

Deep South, if awarded the second licence for Cork, "...will provide a strong, independent voice for the region as well as a real commitment to Cork, a fully-funded strategy and a competitive, fresh and vibrant radio operation", a spokesman for the operation promised last night. Amongst it's backers Deep South has Setanta Sport and Jersey Radio Holdings.

Isle of Man International Broadcasting (IMIB), who hold the island's international licence to broadcast on 279kHz Long Wave, has strengthened its management team with the appointment of one of the Island's leading businessmen - Ron Spencer -as its Chairman. Apart from his business credentials, Spencer has recently returned from a sailing expedition across the North Sea - experience which may prove beneficial! IMIB are awaiting the outcome of a planning enquiry before it can go ahead with Musicmann279, it's half a million watt station. Because of this, founder Paul Rusling - himself no stranger to offshore matters having been involved with Laser 558 - has considered the alternative of an offshore station. They also have a 'magical' link to the past as the company's offices are based at Ramsey Bay - where Radio Caroline North were broadcast for four years. No commitment has been made until the planning enquiry makes a decision. When asked by The Radio Magazine what format the station would take, Paul would only admit to the station NOT being music led and having a credible and substantive news operation. "It would be foolish for us to let our expensive research out of the bag and expose the niche we have found," he said. "The radio industry is now becoming more competitive and stations are forever looking to each other and launching spoilers when a rival launches. We may well not disclose our output until launch day - it could be a nice surprise for some, though perhaps not for others."
Source: The Radio Magazine

Oliver Barry today said that he gave £5,000 to RTE staff as a 'thank you' payment for their contribution in getting Century Radio on air. Previously at theTribunal, RTE executive Peter Brannigan said that it was only £1,700. The money was used to fund parties for staff who worked on the Century project. After a recent investigation into the matter, RTE suspended but later reinstated Mr Branigan. Mr Barry expressed his regret at this. Although he had a lot of respect for Mr Brannigan, he said that their recollection of events were different. Mr Barry said that he was definite the payment was £5,000 and bank records show that he withdrew £5,000 in cash the day the money was paid to Mr Brannigan.

Jazz FM have been on a blank carrier for most of today.

Jazz FM, on a blank carrier since early yesterday, returned to the air at 4.30pm this evening. Digital broadcasts by RTÉ adjacent to Jazz FM's UHF link frequency have been causing major interference to their signal between the hours of 9am and 9pm forcing them to move to a new link frequency. Live broadcasts may return later this evening with the planned return of a stereo signal from tomorrow.

As reported by Radiowaves.FM last month, Jazz FM will be closing on Sunday 17th December to apply for the special interest licence in Dublin and, because of the workload involved in the application preparation, there will be a slight reduction in Jazz FM's live programming. Times are as follows:- tomorrow & Friday: 6pm-2am. Saturday 9th: 8am-5am. Sunday 10th: 8am-midnight. Next Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday: 6pm-midnight. Thursday 14th & Friday 15th: 6pm-2am. Saturday 16th: 8am-5am and on the last day of broadcast they will be starting at 8am and the final hour will be between 6pm and 7pm.

X-FM, who are due to start broadcasting to Cork from mid-December, will not be using 105.5FM after all. Their frequency mentioned on their website has been changed and is now stating that they will broadcast on 105.0FM. Originally planned for 106.8FM, they changed frequency as a result of temporary licence broadcasts starting on 106.7FM. The latest frequency may have to be changed yet again as a result of CRY105 on 105.1FM.
Source: Bill O'Reilly

Oliver Barry gave donations totalling over £10,000 to ten politicians between 1987 and 1989, it was revealed today. All these donations were made by cheque and all were receipted - or at least acknowledged. A separate payment was never receipted - the £35,000 cash payment to former Minister for Communications, Ray Burke. In fact, two months after the payment, Ray Burke wrote to Oliver Barry and thanked him for his efforts during the election campaign but there was no reference to the payment. Mr Barry didn't believe that the large payment, which was in cash at Mr Burke's request, would create difficulties for the minister.

Phantom Fm are still having problems with their 102.9FM transmissions - work is ongoing.

The Irish Mix were off air today on 90.3FM.

Power FM were on a blank carrier again for part of this afternoon.

Jazz FM are back in glorious stereo and live programming returned this evening.

A new station has been monitored on 95.4FM in some areas of Dublin.

From Wicklow on 103.5MHz, Rhythm FM were off air this evening because the bad weather caused problems to their link.

Radio Limerick One's 100FM transmitter is off the air undergoing maintenance work. The station can still be heard as normal on their 105.0FM frequency and they hope to have 100FM back on by Monday at the latest.
Source: Frank Dunne

Dundalk's Kiss FM, who broadcast to Ulster and Leinster, have launched a new look website. You can also give the station a listen if you are outside it's broadcast area. The address is www.kiss106.com.

Radio Dublin were on a blank carrier for much of this afternoon.

Jazz FM were on a blank carrier for a period this evening.

The Irish Mix are still off air today but say they "...will be back soon".

The ex Kiss FM Cork frequency of 105.5MHz has come alive again this afternoon with a mixture of chart/dance music - but no station idents.
Source: Max Power

Dublin South Community Radio today changed their name to Dublin South FM and also launched a new schedule. Dublin South FM is available over much of Dublin between 4pm and 9pm on 104.9FM.

A new ILR has been advertised for Tyrone and Fermanagh, part of the original "NorthWest" franchise which had its bid withdrawn many years ago only to be later re-advertised for Derry only (now Q102.9). The new service will be from Brougher Mountain, on 101.2MHz, with 5KW H and V. The Mid Ulster franchise is also being readvertised shortly. Previously on AM with highly restricted coverage, the new service will move to FM.
Source: Miles J

Deep South Radio, one of seven bidders for Cork's second radio licence, are in negotiations with Graham Norton to confirm him as a shareholder. The Cork-born star of his own Channel 4 show and the excellent Club Orange commercials would be joining forces with Setanta Sport and Jersey Radio Holdings. The IRTC are due to hear the applications on January 29th with the winner confirmed in February.
Source: Sunday Independent

Power cuts have forced Dundalk Local Radio off the air for the past couple of days. The station are now back on 102.4FM but are broadcasting with very low power at the moment. They hope to have a return to full power by the middle of next week when they say they will have a live evening schedule and a jingle package on air.

Kiss FM Cork jingles were heard on the 105.5FM frequency over the weekend. Audio has been described by a Cork radio listener as "ten times better than it was previously".

The shortlist for the Cork licence has been released by the IRTC. Those still in with a shout are Beat FM, Magic FM and Red Hot FM. Beat FM is the consortium which has Roy Keane and Denis Irwin involved, along with Radio Ireland and would be aiming their station at the 15-35 age group. The fact that the Beat consortium is 40% owned by Radio Ireland, against IRTC guidelines which would allow only a 27% stake, concerns the board but they recognise the merits of the application. Magic FM boasts Lite FM and Radio Kerry amongst it's backers and would be targetting a higher aged audience. Red Hot FM has Dublin's FM104 on board and would also be looking for the 15-35 years of age audience. Each applicant has been invited to make presentations before the board at a meeting in Cork on January 29th 2001.

The decision by the IRTC on whether to allow UTV to buy out County Media, which owns independent Cork radio stations 96FM and County Sound, has been postponed until the Commission receives further details from both parties. The matter will now be discussed next month. If allowed, UTV would become 100% owners of the radio stations, which is against current IRTC policy of allowing any existing media group to own more than 27% of a licensed station.

A strong test-tone has appeared on 97.8MHz in Dublin. This frequency was most recently the home of Jam FM, who were asked to vacate because they were interfering with CKR FM's transmissions, receivable in Dublin on 97.6FM.

A break-in at Image FM's transmission site in Limerick has knocked the station's test transmissions off the air. "This was not a chance break-in," a spokesman for the station today told Radiowaves. Only transmitters, a stereo encoder and rds unit were robbed. Continuing, the spokesman said, "...left behind was all the good stuff like cd decks, tuner - not to mention over 1000 cd's. It appears that this break-in was designed solely to put Image FM off the air either by somebody afraid of the station coming on, or by somebody who wants the frequency." He finished by stating that Image FM will be back soon. Image FM have been testing in Limerick on 105.4FM.

Freedom 92FM are having problems with their link equipment which has kept the station off the air again this morning. Work continued through the day and the station returned this evening only to dissappear again later on. They apologise for any inconvenience. Freedom broadcast across Dublin on 92.0MHz.

RLO now have a new transmitter on 90.5MHz with no sign of a return on 100.0MHz, which has been off since last week.

Magic has shifted frequency from 103.2FM to 103.5FM.

A weekend only oldies station has appeared on 107.9Mhz although it sometimes drifts to 107.85MHz.

Source: Image FM

The Radio Authority, the UK's radio regulatory body, is to be replaced. The UK government today published it's long-awaited White Paper on the future regulation of television, radio and telecommunications. A new body will replace all existing sectors and will be called Ofcom.

DMR FM were not on 93.2FM today. It is not clear whether this is a permanent move although the station have been searching for a new frequency recently.

Mad Radio, who will have many new listeners today as a result of DMR not on the same frequency, have also launched a website which went online at 8pm. The address is http://www.madradio93.com/.

Rhythm FM - 103.5MHz to Wicklow and South Dublin - are once again off air tonight.
Comment: Them's fierce winds-a-blowing here on the east coast!

Cross Rhythms Radio were off the air on 1593kHz yesterday. It is now being carried on UCB's relay on 549kHz overnight.

Dundalk's own Kiss FM will broadcast the Bill Clinton address live on 101.2FM and 106.0FM and at their website www.kiss106.com commencing at 17:30 today.

Phantom FM tonight announced that they are to close their FM service on January 4th 2001. The station will be applying for the special interest licence advertised for Dublin and are required to close as part of the terms of that application. The announcement, made on air by Pete Reed at 6pm this evening, was as follows..."In order to comply with an IRTC directive, Phantom FM will be ceasing it's FM broadcasts from Thursday the 4th of January 2001. This is to allow the station to apply for the recently advertised special interest music licence...Phantom's broadcasts will continue as normal on the internet". Comment: Radiowaves wishes Phantom FM the very best of luck.

Jazz FM have decided not to apply for the Dublin special interest licence. The main reason cited by station manager Ollie Dowling is 'insufficient time to prepare an application'. "It's also a bad time of the year," he added, "with everything stopping for Christmas, it would be absolutely impossible to have an application ready for the closing date...and two extra weeks is nowhere near enough," he said, referring to today's IRTC announcement. Jazz FM broadcast to Dublin on 89.8FM

The IRTC have issued a press release stating that the Dublin licence application date has been extended by two weeks to 5pm on Friday January 19th. The decision was taken to allow for time to prepare submissions and to facilitate printing deadlines over the Christmas and New Year period.

A chart and dance station is what's in store for 95.4FM on Dublin's southside. Planning to be on air soon after Christmas, the station are presently testing with a variety of relays mixed with continuous music. Included amongst the relays are BBC Radio 1 and Phantom's 'Anorak Hour' on Sundays plus some old tapes from the past. For example, last Sunday morning, the Coast FM and Sunset closedowns were aired. They are requesting reception reports at reception95@eircom.net

A station broadcasting pop music with an RDS of 'TEST' has appeared today on 103.3FM in Limerick. Although there were no jingles or idents, there was a dj heard linking two songs - but only once. Source: Image FM

The 107.1FM transmitter associated with Kiss FM Cork has returned to the air, relaying the broadcasts on the main 105.5FM transmitter to North Tipperary. Kiss FM Cork jingles continue to be aired on the station and late today, the Kiss FM website changed to announce their return. Meanwhile, X-FM have not yet appeared on their stated 105.0FM frequency.

Radio Caroline's Astra delivered service is now broadcasting an extra night. Starting regular Tuesday night programming, Nigel Harris and Bob Lawrence last night presented a 'Mi Amigo Reunion Night'. Tuesday residency will in future be taken up by Nigel and Johnny Lewis. Extra hours too for the Thursday and Friday night service, which will now start at 5.30pm and Friday night hours are extended to 12.15am. Source: earthradio.co.uk

Midlands Radio 3 were off air for a period this evening due to a mains failure at their transmission site.

East Coast Radio's 94.9FM is on a blank carrier this evening.

Mad Radio wish to apologise to Netscape users who are finding difficulty accessing their website. They hope to have the problem sorted soon.

Cross Rhythms Radio, the religious station relayed from Sky Digital on 1593kHz, is still off the air.

Energy 94's 94.1FM transmitter is tonight carrying programming from XFM, who are also broadcasting on their usual 107.9FM frequency. There is no RDS. Energy's 93.8FM transmitter was on a blank carrier and still has RDS reading 'ENERGY'. Energy returned to normal on both frequencies in the middle of the night.

The test tone on 97.8FM in Dublin was off this morning with transmissions continuing on a blank carrier only. The tone reappeared this afternoon.

A direction issued by the UK's Radio Authority has been threatened with legal action by the Commercial Radio Companies Association (CRCA). The direction seeks to restrict automated programming during daytime on licensed stations but the CRCA claim that the terms of the Broadcasting Act require the Authority to discuss such changes with each individual licence-holder, which the Radio Authority failed to do. In the direction, FM stations would be limited to two hours of automated programming during peak hours and AM stations would be limited to four hours.

In a charity event organised by Midlands Radio 3 for the Children of Chernobyl, 1,087 people have broken the world record for the largest hug! Source: Anto

Vibe FM's 'Rude Awakening' Breakfast Show have been running their own version of the 'Twelve Days of Christmas'. Instead of geese-a-layin'for the sixth day, their version had six geysers lying! Live on air from their studios in Suffolk, six men rang their bosses and gave an excuse as to why they wouldn't be in work that day. However, the prank went wrong when one of them was fired, live on air. Source: Ray D'Arcy Show

Power FM on 97.2MHz in Dublin were on a blank carrier for a couple of hours this afternoon.

From today there will be a weekly update on Radiowaves about the Dutch Pirate Radio scene. In this first issue I will introduce myself, tell you a little bit about the Dutch Pirate Radio scene and how our Radio Authorities, the RDR, operates in Holland...click here for Issue 1.

A report in today's Sunday Tribune suggests that one of the unsuccessful bidders ruled out in this week's shortlist for the Cork licence is considering legal action based on the fact that Beat FM, who were shortlisted, are 40.5% controlled by Radio Ireland, which is a breach of IRTC guidelines The guidelines only allow an ownership of 27% by any media company.

Continuous, unidentified dance music is now being aired on 97.8MHz in Dublin.

Gold FM was on a blank carrier all day today. The station usually broadcast an oldies mix on 87.6MHz in Dublin.

Power FM in Cork plan to return to the airwaves this weekend - weather permitting! They shall be on a new frequency of 104.6FM, former home to Radio Friendly.

East Coast Radio's 94.9FM transmitter was on a blank carrier for part of this afternoon - not for the first time recently.

Oliver Barry and James Stafford, directors of Century Radio, met with then Minister for Communications, Ray Burke in December 1989 and warned him about Century's 'dire financial situation' and that the national independent licensed station was on the verge of liquidation. Mr Barry said that they went to the minister looking for help, 'a favour if you want to call it that.' A suggestion that the idea to cap RTE's advertising revenue came from Century themselves was rejected by Mr Barry who thought that the idea may have come from the minister. Also revealed today was that Barry asked then Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, for assistance in sorting out the problems with RTE but got no help from him.

The Cross Rhythms relay will not be returning to 1593kHz but it will continue to be carried on the UCB 549KHz relay frequency overnight - midnight to 6am, Mon-Fri & midnight to 7am weekends - as a temporary measure.

Nova Dance, 94.7MHz across Dublin, were on a blank carrier this morning. They returned in the afternoon.

A station identifying as Cabra's Choice FM is now broadcasting to Dublin City's Northside on 96.4MHz and are also announcing 106.9MHz. CCFM is broadcasting live programming as well as recorded dj inserts and the playlist consists of 'super sounds of the 70's, 80's and the 90's along with today's best music!'

Metro Radio's Wayne Tunnicliffe caused a pile-up when he stripped beside the A1 near Newcastle-upon-Tyne after losing a bet that Craig Davids would be the Christmas Nr 1. Three cars were written off and one motorist was taken to hospital with severe whiplash after slowing down to take a look. Metro Radio are denying any responsibility for the accidents.

Phone-show host James Stannage has been censured by the UK's Broadcasting Standards Council (BSC) after he asked a caller whether she had ever been raped. The BSC upheld a complaint against Stannage for a verbal attack on the caller during a debate on Manchester's Key 103FM about boxer Mike Tyson. The caller argued that Tyson, who has been imprisoned for rape, had served his punishment and should be allowed to box in the UK. Mr Stannage replied by saying he hoped that she was personally assaulted by Mr Tyson and asked whether she had ever been raped. The watchdog said that Mr Stannage's response to the caller's remarks was "unnecessary, gratuitous and an abuse of the presenter's position."

Hot Radio have changed their RDS reading from HOTRADIO to HOT 99.4.

Power FM on 97.2MHz and Kiss FM on 105.8MHz were both off the air this afternoon but returned at about 4pm.

If the proposed takeover of County Media by UTV goes ahead, it could lead to a 'flurry of deals' from media organisations looking to take over local stations around the country, the IRTC's chief executive Michael O'Keeffe has warned. Allowing the takeover would result in a change of IRTC policy which does not allow existing media groups to hold more than 27% of a licence. Mr O'Keeffe also said that when the original licences were awarded in 1989, the concept of local ownership was considered to be important by the commission. A decision is expected at the IRTC's next monthly meeting at the end of January.

Freedom 92FM are now displaying the day, date and time on their RDS display.

Energy 106FM have just launched a moving RDS service. This is in addition to sister-station Magic 105, who have been providing the service for some time now. Source: Miles J

Phantom FM's breakfast show will start a little later on Christmas Day but will run for longer. Steve Conway will host Phantom's alternative to the regular festive fare between 9am and 1pm on 91.6FM and 102.9FM. Comment: Nice one Steve!

Energy 94's website has been revamped. There is now Energy 94 shows 'on demand', an Energy magazine and the chance to use your own energy email address. The website address is www.energy94.com

The ChrisCary.com website has been given a festive makeover including some old Radio Nova memorabilia. It is also possible to send Christmas messages of support through the site which will be passed on directly to Chris himself. Chris Cary is recovering from a stroke whilst serving a prison sentence in HMP Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight. Comment: As always, the best wishes to Chris, Sybil and Family

ABC 94FM were on a blank carrier late tonight. ABC broadcast to Dublin on 94.3MHz.

88.1FM in Dublin has come to life with a test transmission for Gem 88FM, who are playing an oldies rock & pop mix. The frequency has been home to a blank carrier for the past few months.

Cross Rhythms Radio is now being relayed on 98.4FM in Dublin. Radio Dublin, who usually broadcast on 98.4FM, can still be heard on their main 100FM frequency.

DMR FM, now on 97.8FM, say they are presently working on their audio and promise that they will have live programming after the holiday period.

Power FM in Cork returned to the airwaves with test transmissions on 104.6FM yesterday. Tests will continue through until 5pm tomorrow (Xmas Day) when live programming is due to recommence.

ABC 94FM, broadcasting to Dublin on 94.3MHz, are in a festive mood. They have changed their RDS reading to XMAS FM.

XFM, on 107.9FM in Dublin, were on a blank carrier for a short period this afternoon.

Lex van Dijken here with the weekly update about the Dutch Pirate Radio scene brought to you by Etherpiraten.com. First of all I want to thank everybody for their positive feedback on the first issue. I'm glad that everybody liked it!! This week, there's some hot news about the Dutch Radio Authorities (RDR), Xmas Vs Pirate Radio and the Dutch Pirate Website of the week...click here for this week's issue.

An attempt to pass a quick law making Arutz-7 illegal was withdrawn after opposition members of the Israeli parliament noticed it and gathered support to vote against it. Arutz Sheva Israel National Radio - Israel's only independent national radio station - claims to offer an uncensored view of Israeli events to a worldwide audience but there are some who would like to see it's broadcasts outlawed. The station has just finished it's annual email/telethon but is still calling for support from it's listeners. More information for those who want to help and a daily news digest for those who want to monitor the station's news output can be obtained by joining the station's e-group http://in.egroups.com/group/arutz-7. Source: Mike Terry

Both Freedom 92FM and Energy 94 have added seasonal greetings to their RDS display - a MERRY X-MAS to all involved! Hits 106FM were on a blank carrier overnight but programming returned this morning. XFM were also on a blank carrier overnight.

K.I.C. FM started the day on a blank carrier on 104.0MHz but returned playing automated non-stop Xmas tunes at 2am.

The newest addition to the Dublin airwaves, Gem FM on 88.1MHz, was on a blank carrier for most of today.

The station testing on 103.3FM in Limerick have today changed their RDS reading from 'TESTING' to 'FRESH103' No live programming has been heard but the station have added a professional sounding station id to their 80's and 90's hit music mix. They also have an email address as follows: fresh103@ireland.com.

The IRTC has received expressions of interest for the Dublin special-interest music licence from one consortium proposing a Classic Rock format, another proposing a Country Music service and another looking to cater for a Jazz, Rhythm 'n' Blues audience. The closing date for applicants is the 19th January. The IRTC has also been receiving applications for a medium wave religious service.

The IRTC are likely to advertise a number of community radio stations next year, according to chief executive Michael O'Keeffe. "We already have expressions of interest from colleges in Waterford, Cork and Limerick and have also received submissions from community groups in North Cork, Dublin and Celbridge," said Mr O'Keeffe.

Cork's Power FM is presently experiencing technical difficulties but hope to return to 104.6FM asap.

The battle for the hearts and minds of listeners with the ultimate aim of attracting advertisers has continued as usual amongst the licensed stations this holiday period but a battle of another sort is being played out by two of Dublin's more popular unlicensed stations. Both Freedom 92FM and Energy 94FM have the ability to display rotating RDS text and both stations have been wishing their listeners a 'happy Xmas' via their RDS. But when Energy decided to change their text to wish us all 'HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ENERGY', Freedom - who are entertaining RDS watchers with their newly acquired technology - are now wishing us 'HAPPIER HOLIDAYS FROM FREEDOM'!

XFM were being relayed on Energy's 94.1FM frequency for a short time tonight , although Energy continued broadcasting as normal on 93.8FM. Energy were off the air for a brief period and this seemed to cause the problem, which has happened before - earlier this month. XFM can also be found on their usual 107.9FM frequency across Dublin.

Dublin's ABC 94FM re-commenced broadcasts on 87.6MHz this evening. The station can also be heard - as usual - on their main 94.3FM frequency. This move officially signals the end of Gold FM, which had been on air in Dublin since May 1st this year.

Freedom 92FM are now including programme details on their RDS display, which had given up wishing us 'HAPPIER HOLIDAYS' yesterday, returning to the day, date and time display which debuted last week.

DMR FM, now on 97.8MHz, were on a blank carrier for much of this afternoon but returned at 3.45pm.

Gem FM, testing on 88.1MHz, were on a blank carrier this evening.

Jazz FM ceased broadcasting at 6pm this evening to apply for the special interest music licence advertised for Dublin. The station had originally planned to close on the 17th of December but had a rethink after considering the enormous workload involved in putting together an application. However, following meetings with investors, station manager Ollie Dowling has once again decided to apply and the station have now closed down to comply with IRTC conditions for applicants. Comment: And the very best of luck to Ollie and all at Jazz FM from Radiowaves.FM

Magic 103.2 have resumed broadcasting on their original frequency of 103.2MHz in Limerick, vacating the recently activated 103.5FM frequency. Source: Image FM

Dublin's ABC 94FM today broadcast the first of a return of their once regular programme for anoraks featuring radio recordings from the past. The show was presented by Mike Williams and is set to become a regular at the station in 2001.

A well-known - but unnamed - politician is very interested in fronting Luv FM with a long-term vested interest, a spokesman for the station has told Radiowaves. Luv FM broadcast to Cork 24 hours a day on 107.3MHz and they hope to eventually be in a position to apply for a licence.

Both Kiss FM on 105.8MHz and Power FM on 97.2MHz were off air for long periods this afternoon.

Gem FM are still on a blank carrier today.

Phantom FM will introduce a full live schedule for their last four days on air in Dublin with Steve Conway getting the ball rolling from 7am tomorrow morning. The station are still calling for listener support before they close their FM service at 11pm on Thursday evening and they say you can help by visiting their website and filling in the listener survey forms and downloading the petition sheets. Phantom FM are applying for the special interest music licence advertised by the IRTC and are required to close to meet the terms of the application. Following Thursday's closedown, the station will provide an internet only service, with just continuous music before live programming re-commences online from January 20th.

The 75th anniversary of RTÉ's first broadcast will be upon us tomorrow and the station are hosting a week of programmes to mark the occasion. Of particular interest will be '2RN Calling', hosted by John Bowman at 1.30pm tomorrow. 2RN was the name of the state's first radio service which became Radio Eireann in 1937. Following that Ronan Collins hosts an afternoon of listener's favourite radio clips. The occasion has also been marked on the RTÉ website with the addition of a new section containing a full written history and lots of archived clips. This can be accessed by pointing your browser at http://www.rte.ie/radio/radio75/

Dublin's ABC 94FM once again changed their RDS message today. It now reads ABC 2001 as we approach the New Year.

Energy 94's text has also been changed to wish us a HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ENERGY. Meanwhile, Freedom 92's RDS message wishes it's listeners a HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM YOUR NO 1 RADIO STATION FREEDOM and they have switched to their BBC Radio 1 relay to see in the New Year.

Power FM on 97.2MHz were off the air again for a period this afternoon following a morning on very low power.

It's the last week of the year 2000 and here is issue 3 of the Dutch Pirate Radio News from Etherpiraten.com In this issue I will tell you about the Xmas pirate radio stations, the RDR and of course we have the Dutch Pirate Radio Website of the week...click here for this week's issue.