Pat Courtney - Nova FM

imme

I heard Pat Courtney on Nova fm earlier.

He used to be on 98fm morning show hundreds of years ago.

I'm not sure what happened to him after he left 98fm.

Still has a great radio voice.

GreeBo

He has been on Nova for a million years!

Declan A Walsh

imme wrote: »

I heard Pat Courtney on Nova fm earlier.

He used to be on 98fm morning show hundreds of years ago.

I'm not sure what happened to him after he left 98fm.

Still has a great radio voice.

First of all, I never heard it called Nova FM before! It's usually referred to as Radio Nova, or Nova for short. Secondly, he has been with them since its start back in September 2010.

Pat Courtenay left 98FM during the summer of 1998. Afterwards, he worked on stations in Australia and Singapore and I think his native New Zealand. During one of the temporary license runs for The Rock, the pre-cursor to Radio Nova, Pat provided entertainment news from his base on the other side of the world. I am pretty sure he was involved with one of the temporary license broadcasts for Christmas FM too.

"Over and under!"

Declan A Walsh

I should have said 949 The Rock in my previous post, as this was the Dublin-based station that ran in 2007 and 2008 and that Pat was involved with. This is to distinguish it from the similar non-Dublin targeted station, called simply The Rock, that ran a number of years later!

By the way, his name is Courtenay!

imme

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

First of all, I never heard it called Nova FM before! It's usually referred to as Radio Nova, or Nova for short. Secondly, he has been with them since its start back in September 2010.

Pat Courtenay left 98FM during the summer of 1998. Afterwards, he worked on stations in Australia and Singapore and I think his native New Zealand. During one of the temporary license runs for The Rock, the pre-cursor to Radio Nova, Pat provided entertainment news from his base on the other side of the world. I am pretty sure he was involved with one of the temporary license broadcasts for Christmas FM too.

"Over and under!"

Oh OK Radio Nova.
Their marketing department will complain otherwise

I came across a thread later from 2010-2014 dealing with Pat and his Radio Nova introduction in 2010.

I'm not a regular Radio Nova listener.

I think Pat is Irish BTW.

Trebor176

I remember Pat and Elaine on The Morning Crew back in the day. I was only a child at the time, though.

Elaine Geraghty went on to other things, of course, including being CEO at Newstalk for a time.

And yes, Pat has been with Nova all the way through, being on breakfast for a time, then moving to his current.

Max Headroom

Hope this thread is a piss take.....:rolleyes:

Declan A Walsh

imme wrote: »

Oh OK Radio Nova.
Their marketing department will complain otherwise

I came across a thread later from 2010-2014 dealing with Pat and his Radio Nova introduction in 2010.

I'm not a regular Radio Nova listener.

I think Pat is Irish BTW.

No - half-Irish. Pat's mother was the New Zealand side and his father was from Wicklow. Pat Courtenay was born in Auckland and raised around there. He did not relocate to Ireland until he was done with college. He had done some radio in New Zealand before he alighted on Dublin, where he got his first Irish radio gig with superpirate Sunshine Radio.

ford fiesta

Trebor176 wrote: »

I remember Pat and Elaine on The Morning Crew back in the day. I was only a child at the time, though.

Elaine Geraghty went on to other things, of course, including being CEO at Newstalk for a time.

And yes, Pat has been with Nova all the way through, being on breakfast for a time, then moving to his current.

His time with 98FM ended up in Court in 1997 (above post mentioned he left in mid 1998):
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/injunction-granted-to-radio-presenter-1.91181

Declan A Walsh

ford fiesta wrote: »

His time with 98FM ended up in Court in 1997 (above post mentioned he left in mid 1998):
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/injunction-granted-to-radio-presenter-1.91181

Sorry - you're right. It was 1997 - time plays tricks with me! Pat and Elaine and the Morning Crew were replaced in February 1997 with a new breakfast show presented by Mark Byrne, Debbie Allen and Morgan Jones. It had a name, but I can't remember what it was. Pat was moved to a drivetime slot, which he did until the summer - probably July. Tom Dunne, who had been presenting Totally Irish in the evenings, was moved to that slot for a while to replace Pat.

TheBMG

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Sorry - you're right. It was 1997 - time plays tricks with me! Pat and Elaine and the Morning Crew were replaced in February 1997 with a new breakfast show presented by Mark Byrne, Debbie Allen and Morgan Jones. It had a name, but I can't remember what it was. Pat was moved to a drivetime slot, which he did until the summer - probably July. Tom Dunne, who had been presenting Totally Irish in the evenings, was moved to that slot for a while to replace Pat.

It was the Dawn Patrol. Mark went over to Today FM a few months later and was replaced in 98 by his former Sunshine colleague Nails Mahoney.

Declan A Walsh

TheBMG wrote: »

It was the Dawn Patrol. Mark went over to Today FM a few months later and was replaced in 98 by his former Sunshine colleague Nails Mahoney.

That's right - the Dawn Patrol.

If memory serves me right, Mark Byrne moved to Radio Ireland (as it was then) on December 1997. I remember hearing Nails Mahoney on Radio Ireland around that time too. I think he went to 98FM in January 1998 as Radio Ireland rebranded as Today FM.

Pat Courtenay, as we have established now, was gone from 98FM at that stage.

Apart from his brief involvements with temporary licenses, I think Pat has only been involved with four Irish stations, and all Dublin-based. They were two pirates: Sunshine Radio and Energy 103, and two commercially licensed stations: Classic Hits 98FM and Radio Nova. Incidentally, after Energy 103 and before 98FM, Pat was involved with Chris Cary's UK-based satellite station Radio Nova International.

ford fiesta

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Sorry - you're right. It was 1997 - time plays tricks with me! Pat and Elaine and the Morning Crew were replaced in February 1997 with a new breakfast show presented by Mark Byrne, Debbie Allen and Morgan Jones. It had a name, but I can't remember what it was. Pat was moved to a drivetime slot, which he did until the summer - probably July. Tom Dunne, who had been presenting Totally Irish in the evenings, was moved to that slot for a while to replace Pat.

I have a clear memory of listening to 98FM with Tom Dunne presenting, at around 6.30pm on a particular Friday in late May 1997, not a station I would have listened to at the time and I was not familiar with the schedule - though Tom was back announcing an En Vogue track "Don't let go (love)", which would not be one of Tom's usual Irish/Indie tracks that he would have played at that time on 98FM!!. I was surprised to hear this!.

So I think Pat might have been gone by then (May 1997), or Tom may have been filling in for him that week (2 months before Pat's final departure as documented in the article above)

Declan A Walsh

ford fiesta wrote: »

I have a clear memory of listening to 98FM with Tom Dunne presenting, at around 6.30pm on a particular Friday in late May 1997, not a station I would have listened to at the time and I was not familiar with the schedule - though Tom was back announcing an En Vogue track "Don't let go (love)", which would not be one of Tom's usual Irish/Indie tracks that he would have played at that time on 98FM!!. I was surprised to hear this!.

So I think Pat might have been gone by then (May 1997), or Tom may have been filling in for him that week (2 months before Pat's final departure as documented in the article above)

I think it might be the latter. I remember Tom playing a mixture of slightly alternative stuff mixed with some chart music! It was a bit away from his normal kind of music alright. Tom Dunne got his big radio presenting break with 98FM when he replaced Jim O'Neill as presenter of Totally Irish a few years previously.

Declan A Walsh

Barry Dunne is now the only 98FM presenter left from the Pat Courtenay era of 98FM! He joined 98FM during 1996 AFAIK.

ford fiesta

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Barry Dunne is now the only 98FM presenter left from the Pat Courtenay era of 98FM! He joined 98FM during 1996 AFAIK.

So, is Barry the longest serving presenter on the one station (without breaks), on Legal/Independent/"Commercial" Dublin radio ?

If he is, it's a unique and some achievement !!

Declan A Walsh

ford fiesta wrote: »

So, is Barry the longest serving presenter on the one station (without breaks), on Legal/Independent Dublin radio ?

If he is, it's a unique and some achievement !!

I believe he is!!

Declan A Walsh

That's, of course, if you don't include community stations! There could be a couple of longer ones on Anna Livia/Dublin City FM!

amlinopta

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

That's, of course, if you don't include community stations! There could be a couple of longer ones on Anna Livia/Dublin City FM!

Anna Livia/Dublin City had a presentation to a few lads who had been on air since the start back in 1992, maybe 25 years service at the time. Quite a few presenters on that station have gone on to bigger and better things over the years including the likes of Nuala Carey no less.

Declan A Walsh

amlinopta wrote: »

Anna Livia/Dublin City had a presentation to a few lads who had been on air since the start back in 1992, maybe 25 years service at the time. Quite a few presenters on that station have gone on to bigger and better things over the years including the likes of Nuala Carey no less.

25 years is some achievement alright. As regards people who went on from Anna Livia/Dublin City FM, there was a thread about the station a few years ago! It might be worth a re-visit!
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=106236628

I wonder how many of those guys with all those years service at the time are still currently with the station. As I say, if you exclude community stations, Barry Dunne is the king of long-timers in Dublin stations!

I think we have gone a bit away from Mr. Courtenay (or Courtney as the OP called him!)!

ford fiesta

See my edit above, community stations fair enough - but maybe I should have included Commercial also!

Declan A Walsh

Pat Courtenay is also the principal of a company called Pirate Radio Limited. It must be inspired by nostalgia!

Declan A Walsh

Pat Courtenay is one of a very small number of presenters that have been with Radio Nova since the start and that are still there. The others are Greg Gaughren, Marty Miller and Pat James, the latter now on Nova's digital station Classic Rock.

Max Headroom

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Pat Courtenay is one of a very small number of presenters that have been with Radio Nova since the start and that are still there. The others are Greg Gaughren, Marty Miller and Pat James, the latter now on Nova's digital station Classic Rock.

Was PJ with the old nova from the start..thought he was with the rock..then nova.?

Declan A Walsh

Max Headroom wrote: »

Was PJ with the old nova from the start..thought he was with the rock..then nova.?

First off, in case there is any confusion, I was talking about the current licensed Radio Nova, on-air since September 2010.

949 The Rock preceded Radio Nova - there was no overlap. Pat James was on one of 949 The Rock's temporary license runs. Yes, he was with this Radio Nova from the start. Initially, he was on Sundays from 10pm tp 1am. After a number of years, his stint was extended by starting at 9pm. Over three years ago, Pat's program was moved to Classic Rock (the digital station). This year it was moved to Saturdays. There was another related temporary licensed station called The Rock some years later - between 2015 and 2017 - , which was geared towards outside Dublin. For all I know, he could have been involved with that as well.

The other Pat - Courtenay - was the original presenter of the weekday breakfast show on Radio Nova, and he had that slot for a couple of years. Since his move to the afternoon/drivetime slot, the breakfast show has been presented by various combinations of two people.

radiowaves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/115276525#Comment_115276525

There was also a brief spell with Class Radio just after Energy 103 closed.

http://radiowaves.fm/ire/radiowavesnews/courtenays-column/

http://radiowaves.fm/ire/blog/tag/pat-courtenay/

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117804450#Comment_117804450

I checked those links and as far as I can see there's no reference to Pat with Class Radio. He had moved to Radio Nova International before Energy 103 had closed by the looks of things as well.

TheBMG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117807726#Comment_117807726

I hate to contradict you Declan but nearly 100 percent sure that Pat stayed with Energy until its close in 1988.

Nova Satellite didn’t launch until some time later.

When Energy disappeared there was a mad scramble as their displaced jocks all tried to find new gigs. Hence you had the likes of Denis Murray and Teena Gates suddenly pop up in Liberty 104!

also John Walsh from pirate.ie makes reference to Pat working on KLAS in a blog post

https://wirelessflirt.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/a-cure-head-trapped-in-tranquillity-memories-of-klas-98-5-fm/

I believe Bob Gallicoe may have landed up to Treble TR around the same time but I was never a big country fan!

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117808204#Comment_117808204

I stand corrected! I think Energy 103 closed earlier than I thought, or perhaps there was a brief overlap with both stations for Pat. That's a new detail for me anyway - I never knew Pat was with KLAS /Class (I see from the article it changed the spelling of its name around the time he joined!). Fascinating article I have to say.

By the way, I did not know about Teena Gates going to Liberty. Interesting bit of information too. I think I may have known about Denis Murray there. I actually never knew he was with Energy 103!! I did know about Bob on Treble TR - I happened to hear him on one occasion! If memory serves me right, he was playing jazz on the C & W station!

So, it looks like Pat was on three Dublin pirates - 2 superpirates and 1 medium-sized pirate.

radiowaves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117807726#Comment_117807726

The links were provided for entertainment purposes, although he does mention his time with Class Radio in one of the interviews we did with him...

radiowaves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117807726#Comment_117807726

No, as I have already pointed out, he went to Class Radio after Energy 103 ceased broadcasting. Not only was he still on Energy 103 when it closed he was the last live presenter on the station.

Energy 103 closed on the evening of March 11th because Cary had finally received permission to broadcast via satellite. Nova International commenced broadcasting around 6-7 weeks after the closure of Energy.

The Radio Nova Story: http://radiowaves.fm/ire/database/radio-nova-88/