4fm - Irelands-Only-Multi-City-Radio-Station

kerry4sam · 30-05-2015 9:15am #1

How does a Radio Station become a "Multi-City radio station"?

Where I am in Kerry, in my car I have 2Cork Radio Stations saved and also 4fm, a Dublin-based Radio Station.

I find the local RadioKerry has too much talking so I almost always listen to Classic-Hits-4fm when driving now.

It states on their site (here) that they are Irelands' only Multi City Radio Station, but I am curious as to how they have managed this? How does it affect the FM-broadcast-band-space available? It's as clear as RadioKerry any and every time I'm listening ie no interference.

Just Curious.
Many Thanks,
kerry4sam

Antenna · 30-05-2015 9:36am

4FM are franshised for all the counties of Cork and Limerick, Clare Galway as well as the Dublin area, not just the cities so there will be a bit of coverage in adjacent counties too. (R Kerry for example doesn't abruptly cut out either as you drive over the border out of Kerry)
Parts of Co. Kerry would get it on 104.6 (especially in North Kerry) and 95.4 or 97.4.

If they just had transmitters for Limerick city and Cork city (not covering all the counties of Cork, Limerick as well as Clare), as is the case with the religious station Spirit, you would be unlikely to hear it

L1011 · 30-05-2015 2:54pm

A licence was offered for a multi city and they won it

smallfridge · 30-05-2015 4:55pm

Once a radio signal goes out you can't stop it as they say. So much the same as you can get Radio Kerry perfect in Cork City and Clare fm in Limerick city etc..

There's a spill over of 4fm into Kerry due to the close proximity to cork and Limerick.

You'd pick up the likes of Beat and WLR in East parts of Cork too.

kerry4sam · 30-05-2015 5:11pm

^^^ Thanks so much.

Just my Random thoughts at 9am this morning

Thanks for your replies,
Much Appreciated,
kerry4sam

14-09-2015 3:55pm

Sorry to resurrect this thread! Been listening to 4FM whilst on hols in Cork recently,and really like it! A nice alternative to the nationals blasting out current chart stuff. I wonder if they will ever go national or cover more cities in their Multi City coverage. Would love to have 4FM in the car in the Sligo area!

L1011 · 14-09-2015 4:34pm

zorro2566 wrote: »

Sorry to resurrect this thread! Been listening to 4FM whilst on hols in Cork recently,and really like it! A nice alternative to the nationals blasting out current chart stuff. I wonder if they will ever go national or cover more cities in their Multi City coverage. Would love to have 4FM in the car in the Sligo area!

There isn't realistically enough capacity for another national station and they already don't quite cover the areas they're licenced for so any request for further coverage would probably not be taken well by the BAI.

14-09-2015 4:49pm

L1011 wrote: »

There isn't realistically enough capacity for another national station and they already don't quite cover the areas they're licenced for so any request for further coverage would probably not be taken well by the BAI.

Pity RTE wouldnt swap RnaG with RTE Gold on FM,I think there is a market for an oldies music national station!

John Joe Jones · 14-09-2015 4:58pm

Not to mention the fact that 4fm has been pretty unsuccessful with listenership and very financially unstable for all of its existence.

end of the road · 15-09-2015 10:07pm

pitty about the BAI. more concerned about the bank balance of a radio station then ensuring a radio sector bringing choice to the people. can't stick to your remit? by by. otherwise, just de-regulate the lot and be done with it.

Sully · 16-09-2015 11:39am

I enjoy 4fm, I listen to it on the radio player app. Shame it doesn't broadcast in Waterford tho

end of the road · 16-09-2015 1:58pm

Sully wrote: »

Shame it doesn't broadcast in Waterford tho

yeah, thats a mystery i will never understand. it broadcasts to clare but not waterford? makes no sense to me.

L1011 · 16-09-2015 2:49pm

Clare was logical to licence as the Galway and Limerick signal would cover it; Waterford is still an odd exclusion. The BAI are not known to protect existing stations from new licences nor is there a frequency issue.

Antenna · 28-09-2015 10:18pm

L1011 wrote: »

they already don't quite cover the areas they're licenced

I take it some less populated parts of Co. Galway ?

The 4FM coverage in Co. Cork (which is difficult to cover needing several transmitters) is similar to established local stations
Clare and Limerick are also well covered.

L1011 wrote: »

Clare was logical to licence as the Galway and Limerick signal would cover it;

Clare is mainly covered by a transmitter within Co. Clare - Maghera on 104.6.

transmitters for Galway and Limerick cover parts of Clare shadowed from Maghera but most of Clare would be receiving 4FM via Maghera

L1011 · 29-09-2015 9:26am

Antenna wrote: »

I take it some less populated parts of Co. Galway ?

Yes.

Antenna wrote: »

Clare is mainly covered by a transmitter within Co. Clare - Maghera on 104.6.

transmitters in Galway and Limerick cover parts of Clare shadowed from Maghera but most of Clare would be receiving 4FM via Maghera

More a quirk from the licence covering Clare really. Had they not licenced them for Clare, they wouldn't have that TX but most of the county would realistically have spill-over cover from Galway and Limerick and no rights to market/directly pitch for ads etc there.

29-09-2015 10:50am

The coverage from the Galway tx is good,I can get it on the road to Sligo,it fades out around Knock,Co.Mayo.

Antenna · 30-09-2015 9:26am

L1011 wrote: »

More a quirk from the licence covering Clare really. Had they not licenced them for Clare, they wouldn't have that TX but most of the county would realistically have spill-over cover from Galway and Limerick and no rights to market/directly pitch for ads etc there.

The main source of controversy about this was that Waterford was not also included, either Waterford city and surrounding areas (from just one extra transmitter), if not all of County Waterford.
There was no difficulty subsequently allowing Spirit radio to transmit to Waterford city on FM

4fm - Irelands-Only-Multi-City-Radio-Station

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