FM104 phone show in the 1990s

BrianD3

I listened to this (Chris Barry/Adrian Kennedy) and the 98FM equivalent a lot when I was in school and college in the 1990s. I can't remember that much about it except that it was trashy. It must have been a minor cultural thing in Dublin and surrounding counties with radio reception - I remember having conversations about it with others in school the next day, probably circa 1994. We thought it was great.

A recurring topic was definitely "scumbags". Callers would claim to be scumbags/burglars and threaten to "bleedin pull the head off" anyone who confronted them or "bounce a hammer off his head". Another phrase I remember was was "how DARE you call my son a scumbag!"

Were the callers mainly plants/trolls? Would the topics be unacceptable today and deemed racist, homophobic or misogynistic? There are some recordings online, they seem to be later ones but I haven't looked into it that closely.

No matter how trashy it was, this was a part of Irish broadcasting history and from a very different time, pre internet, pre a lot of things and a time most people had between 2 and about 10 TV channels so far less to keep them entertained.

KildareP

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058364549/fm104-phone-show-in-the-1990s

I don't know whether they were plants or not, but there were quite a few familiar voices who seemed to do the rounds on all the phone shows - maybe that was the 90s equivalent of internet trolls as the phoneshow was really the 90s version of social media with people just shouting abuse at each other.

Jude and Zultan were two that I remember, Jude was definitely still calling into Niall Boylan on 4FM up until a few years ago.

Deebles McBeebles

Definitely remember the late night Adrian Kennedy show on FM104. They seemed to be covering joyriders in Tallaght pretty much every night. That may have been around 2000 though if memory serves.

Dayo93

Adrian and Jeremy now have a daily podcast , it's along the same lines as there FM104 phone show. Called opinions matters

artanevilla

It was what you listened to in bed before the days of smartphones.

67-97-FM104

SVI40

The were call "Ringers". People who were paid to call in or persons who were perpetual callers. Pal of mine was a night security guard back in those days. He passed the time calling the show to argue black was white. Generally coming out with the most outlandish comments just to stir it up.

Another person I met was studying journalism at the time and she got a few quid to call in.

apache

This brings me back. Used to listen to Chris Barry and Adrian Kennedy. Haven't heard a talk show in about 10 years until recently I listened to Niall Boylan.

o1s1n

It was basically Dublin's version of the Jerry Springer show at times.

I listened to it religiously when I was in school on a little handheld radio. 10pm till 1am. An absolute education for a child back in those days. 😁

I actually have a mad memory of being very young and thinking any time someone said 'In fairness' they were saying 'In Ferns', thought 'Ferns' was a place in Dublin for years.

EmmetSpiceland

The ghost episodes were great. We used to call in on topics like ‘buying drink for youngsters’ and whatever they were talking about.

Was a good laugh.

Yeah Right

The old dance music pirate radio stations used to have prisoner request shows on the weekends. Nothing live, but you could call and leave a message during the day for later that night

"this one goes out to Whacker and the lads on the landing in C-Wing, up in the Joy……..thanks for listening lads…..here's 'THK France'………whopper tune"

Peter Flynt

Whatever happened to Chris Barry?

Yvonne007

I fondly remember "The Overnighter" or "The Openline" with Greg Merriman that came on after. Was a lovely eclectic comedy type show with obvious plants ringing in. Very of it's day. Doubt it would hold up today. I think that Jim-Jim guy was one of the regular callers and had an absurd high pitched voice and was called Tony.

Showing my age.

whomitconcerns

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122506938#Comment_122506938

😁

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-barry-6570a712?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app

Strumms

Greg Merriman was class….I remember Barnaby the monkey boy & Mary Schocolates ..” howiye son !”

When it was good it was great, you’d be hurting from laughing but it seemed all a bit improv inconsistent and unplanned, ran out of ideas and steam eventually…

ELM327

Jaysus I forgot about aul Jude. That guy was hilarious. Listened to the phoneshow in various guises and on various stations from the late 90s till recently enough.

Glaceon

I remember when it was televised on one of the channels on NTL. City Channel I think.

gandalfio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122507124#Comment_122507124

Throw them in the dodder

NewbridgeIR

on Adrian Kennedy show, there was a very aggressive guy called Tony. Strong Dublin accent. Anti-everything.

BrianD3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122507543#Comment_122507543

I think I vaguely recall him. Was there also another lad called Frank, a grumpy ould lad.

Strong Dublin accent and anti everything could describe most callers!

Bellbottoms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122506704#Comment_122506704

I cannot bring myself to listening. So can I ask how does a live phone show translate to a podcast?

The whole thing runs on plants and outrage.

I just cannot imagine it as a podcast.

Atlantic Dawn

Regular callers would get jackets and other freebies.

Bellbottoms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122506938#Comment_122506938

I am not sure what happened between him and FM104. Lots of stories like he was looking for money and FM104 outed him as gay, or that he decided to come out and FM104 dropped him. No idea if they are true, probably not.

He was on East Coast FM for a while.

BrianD3

I wonder how well (if at all) the shows have been archived and if they will ever see the light of day given the controversial content.

To somewhat answer my own question about racism, as recently as 2015/16, the station was slapped on the wrist by BAI. Had this happened 20 years earlier, I doubt that there would have been any slap from anyone.

https://www.thejournal.ie/bai-fm104-racism-complaint-2789953-May2016/

Greyfox

Trashy radio at its best, the AK phone show is probably the best radio show ever

foxsake

that was great radio. Id be howling in laughter sometime.

they used to have this one in sandra ramdani (spelling is prob wrong) on a friday evening for the sex show or something. was utter filth for the 1990s esp as a teen. anybody remember that

I remember some girl wrote in - her fella was mad for speed and then quit but the sex was now **** and she wanted him back on the speed . no idea why that particular story stuck in my head

I think Chris Barry took over Fr Michael Clearys show - he used to have all the lads in mountjoy write to him.. was a bit depressing..

The Nal

Ooooh Halloween….

Yvonne007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122508798#Comment_122508798

Oh. My. God.

You just unlocked an easter egg that I didn't know was in my brain.

For years whenever mentioned Hallowe'en, I always internally said that in my head.

Thank you kind sir/m'am

crybaby

It definitely wouldn't fly today with all the offensive stuff that got aired, but back then, it was a bit of a guilty pleasure for a lot of us.

Yvonne007

It was like some show on "Network 2" that was hosted by Sean Moncrief and sometimes the guy from Apres Match called The End. It showed episodes of The Young Ones and was very surreal.

Great television days. I used to watch Red Dwarf, Roseanne, Who's Line is it Anyway, Absolutely and then The End.

Fridays were great, and no internet or smart phones to demand my attention.

God I'm old.

Yvonne007

Sorry!

The 'member-berry of Greg Merriman's show has taken me completely off topic.

Apologies.

Thelonious Monk

Anyone remember in the late 90s after Adrian Kennedy on FM104 this show used to come on for an hour which was completely off the wall. Some dude used to call in going on about balloons all the time. The host didn't really say much just let these loonies go at it. It was so nuts it could be hilarious at times.

Dayo93

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122507643#Comment_122507643

It's same as the radio show they have People calling in and texting, it's recorded live

megaten

Listend to the Adrain and Jeremy version back in the mid 2000s. Always assumed they had no shortgae of cranks that coud be relied to ring up so never though there would be even a need for plants.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122508871#Comment_122508871

Greg Merriman show mentioned a few times in the thread already. Greg still pops up on radio occasionally, think he did some fill-in for the latter days of the phoneshow.

A decent amount of the comedy bits/recurrent characters were done by Jim Jim who is still on breakfast

Peter Flynt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122508871#Comment_122508871

Didn't Adrian Kennedy have a seance or something or did I completely imagine that?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122508906#Comment_122508906

Pretty much annually on the closest show to halloween.

There was also the nightly psychic show on 98fm - Una Power. She died within the last year or two, didn't get much media coverage.

Yvonne007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122508906#Comment_122508906

Went up to the Hellfire Club if I remember correctly.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122508879#Comment_122508879

They use to call regulars earlier in the day and ask if they wanted to come on. "We're talking about x topic at 10pm can we call you?"

artanevilla

Some posh aul wan used to ring in regular also, Mary I think?

OU812

Know someone who used to work on one of this shows. The first 10-15 minutes were all plants.

There was a jumping off point - subject and two with opposing views, someone would be watching the phones and if they didn’t have the required momentum they’d rule it up a bit more to shock and outrage.

Normally be at least one plant to drop in at a certain point to either change the subject or rule things up more.

There was also a list of “regulars” who they’d call to get on air, convinced them they valued their opinions and flatter them.

All quite contrived.

EmmetSpiceland

Was always funny when someone would still call Adrian “Chris”, years after he’d taken over.

kowloon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122506922#Comment_122506922

I remember they had one where they reported a ghostly apparition appearing every few minutes and moving across a wall in Balbriggan. It was car lights from down the road.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509111#Comment_122509111

Someone did that the first day he moved to 98fm. Probably deliberately, but funny.

Peter Flynt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509111#Comment_122509111

….and Adrian ALWAYS corrected them which led to it happening more and more.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509111#Comment_122509111

I phoned in once about Taxi availability and called him Chris four times on purpose.

Kennedy is a massive bell end.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509280#Comment_122509280

I saw him on the 145 bus once, true story. The living definition of a 'face for radio'.

Sephiroth_dude

https://youtu.be/ua0Bb233H3A?si=Pu3r-YLbyKC3fg2P

Was listening to this recently.

Yvonne007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509280#Comment_122509280

Himself and Jeremy tried to kick me and the OH out of our seats in the Aviva at a Phil Collins gig demanding that we move because these seats were reserved for media and celebrities.

He misread his ticket and had to do the walk of shame 5 rows behind me.

Bellend confirmed.

Bellbottoms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122508874#Comment_122508874

So they stream the show, have people calling in. Outrage, rabble, rabble, all that. Then release it as a podcast. Ok, that makes sense.

Bellbottoms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509560#Comment_122509560

You recognised him? I have no idea what either of them look like.

Do they still shamelessly plug The Snailbox.

BrianD3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122509560#Comment_122509560

Kennedy: Those seats are for celebrities and media. Do you know who I am?

You: Yeah, Chris Barry.