Q102 Derry

O'Neill

Anyone know what has happened to the station? It looks like they've been bought over by a company now based in Belfast and are pretty much non-existant.

NIMAN

Haven't listened to it for any length of time in maybe 10 or 15 years,but as you say it appears to be like a franchise station now?

Does it even have local presenters or is it just a feed from a studio in Belfast?

Losty Dublin

It's been part of the Q Northern Ireland network since God knows how long now; I'd say since about 2004. If you're lucky you might hear them do one link a week saying hello to somebody in Stroke City in order to conform to IBA's minimal local broadcast output requirements. Other than that it's pretty much networked from Belfast all week.

O'Neill

NIMAN wrote: »

Haven't listened to it for any length of time in maybe 10 or 15 years,but as you say it appears to be like a franchise station now?

Does it even have local presenters or is it just a feed from a studio in Belfast?

The last I heard they shared an office space with Derry News but I'm not even sure that exists anymore. Kind of sad to happen to a station that used to have some sort of prominence in the city. Apart from BBC Radio Foyle, there's now only Drive 105.

fmfan

Q102.9 is a shadow of its former self. Frankie and co in the end where only interested in making a quick profit and Derry lost a truly local and decent station for the people of Derry. It is complete rubbish now. But on the bright side I see that River Radio are looking to bring back local radio to Derry, if only on the dab platform.

https://www.derryjournal.com/news/uk-news/river-fm-director-gerard-doherty-tells-council-station-will-fill-gap-youth-radio-market-dab-licence-3132668

NIMAN

Are young people actually listening to radio though, especially with Spotify and the like?

And having a DAB only station would limit their potential market even more. I'd say many households may have an FM only radio.

O'Neill

fmfan wrote: »

Q102.9 is a shadow of its former self. Frankie and co in the end where only interested in making a quick profit and Derry lost a truly local and decent station for the people of Derry. It is complete rubbish now. But on the bright side I see that River Radio are looking to bring back local radio to Derry, if only on the dab platform.

https://www.derryjournal.com/news/uk-news/river-fm-director-gerard-doherty-tells-council-station-will-fill-gap-youth-radio-market-dab-licence-3132668

That's good, hopefully they get a license. It's good that they're involving the Nerve Centre and the Tech which is something I wish Channel 9 did more when they were broadcasting. It always amazed me that they didn't link up with other production companies in the area. The owners seriously took that license for granted.

fmfan

I see that River Radio in Derry have won a license to start broadcasting on DAB in Derry.
https://www.derrynow.com/news/news/614017/derry-radio-station-awarded-new-licence-to-support-its-development.html

wintergirl3

fmfan wrote: »

I see that River Radio in Derry have won a license to start broadcasting on DAB in Derry.

River Radio was operating as a pirate on 104.7 for a period, they now appear to be going "legit" as a DAB station.