Atlantic 252 - A good example of a Red Pill

From 92,93 onwards, I thought that they started to move away from the original HotHits format that they started with in 1989, maybe it was to compete against the UK CHR radio stations which were focusing specifically on the UK top 40 chart to provide them with their "new music" content. The original HotHits format integrated new music from the US top 40 with select music from the UK top 40 to generate a particular and unique CHR sound, a sound that was a little more adult orientated.
I thought it was the beginning of the end of Atlantic 252 when they started to tinker with it.
Then again, long wave transmission would have never been sustainable as a music medium with the development of the internet and of course broadband.

ford fiesta wrote: »

Lois Lane (Katherine Orman) was another Newsreader who can be seen here, with The Pizzaman (Gary Wilkinson) at 22:20 from 1998 Trim studio footage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5hWbg6TvhE

That's who I was trying to think of!

She definitely does not have a face for radio!

Purple Mountain

You'd hear the same song maybe three times in 90 minutes.
I had no idea this was broadcast from Ireland. I fell for the marketing ploy so.

julyjane

Remember the love shack? I'm sure they gave out a London postal address but the phone number began with 00 353

When did it cease?

julyjane wrote: »

Remember the love shack? I'm sure they gave out a London postal address but the phone number began with 00 353

When did it cease?

Trim number 046-36677
Ceased in Christmas 2001

Moon_shoes

When I'd tell people that Pat Kenny was the chairman of the station, they thought I was mentally ill &#55358;&#56611; https://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/0928/730803-atlantic-252-one-year-on/

Moon_shoes wrote: »

When I'd tell people that Pat Kenny was the chairman of the station, they thought I was mentally ill �� https://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/0928/730803-atlantic-252-one-year-on/

I know, the sound of Atlantic 252 was just poles apart from the establishment at RTE. Fair play to RTE for giving them freedom to just do it.

Rikand

Purple Mountain wrote: »

You'd hear the same song maybe three times in 90 minutes.
I had no idea this was broadcast from Ireland. I fell for the marketing ploy so.

Fairground by Simply Red was played more frequently than that. God I hated that song

Doctors room ghost

jrmb wrote: »

Another station called "Irish TV" broadcast to the UK and Ireland on Sky, but it failed too around 2017. They had 32 separate "County Matters" programmes though, and I think they were each produced weekly. It could be that they were just too ambitious.

And don’t forget the Druid chef

Rikand wrote: »

Fairground by Simply Red was played more frequently than that. God I hated that song

Yes from around 1992 onwards they started to limit their new music output to a reduced number per hour, going from approx.8 (standard HotHits format) to about 4-5. The loss of those 3 - 4 new songs per hour had a direct impact on the quantity and their commitment to playing content from the current US top 40. Essentially they were moving towards a "Music Mix" type format and any new music on their playlist was a reflection of a "select" number of songs from the UK top 40 that suited their overall sound.
Hence, hearing songs like "Fairground" by Simply Red played on very heavy rotation. Unfortunately a type of blandness was starting to creep in as every local radio station in Dublin were doing the "Music Mix" thing aswell.

Infoanon

Moon_shoes wrote: »

When I'd tell people that Pat Kenny was the chairman of the station, they thought I was mentally ill �� https://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/0928/730803-atlantic-252-one-year-on/

You are confusing roles - Pat Kenny was not the programme director or music director , he was the chairman of the joint venture thus smoothing the working relationship between RTE and RTL and ensuring the goals of both - maximise profit was achieved.

Grandeeod

When I drive from Trim to Summerhill on Dempseys highway at night, I spot the large tower/aerial/transmitter and remember the 252 days. Nice memories on this thread, Cheers folks!

Grandeeod wrote: »

When I drive from Trim to Summerhill on Dempseys highway at night, I spot the large tower/aerial/transmitter and remember the 252 days. Nice memories on this thread, Cheers folks!

I agree, it's some tower!

Moon_shoes

alzer100 wrote: »

I agree, it's some tower!

Thankfully the refurbishment made on the mast last fall means that it can stand there for another 30 years.

Moon_shoes wrote: »

Thankfully the refurbishment made on the mast last fall means that it can stand there for another 30 years.

The only problem is that there is a lot of feeling that the electricity consumed to power that transmitter and it's maintenance costs are a waste of RTE's resources while at the same time they want to close down their DAB network.

Purple Mountain

Rikand wrote: »

Fairground by Simply Red was played more frequently than that. God I hated that song

252 reminds me of Seal's Kiss From A Rose because that was what I used to hear on a loop.

Tork

Information Society's "What's on your mind" is another one. That was on the test transmission playlist before the station properly opened.

E mac

Spent the summer of 1994 driving a tractor listening to 252. To this day I hate Big Mountains version of Baby I Love Your Way. Felt like it was played every hour

Tork

As was Charles and Eddie's "Would I lie to you".

There was also a newscaster who was into El Dorado (BBC soap opera) wasn't there?

Some more memories.

In the early days:
Sowing the Seeds of Love by Tears for Fears was played a lot.
Classic Rock Sundays with Paul Kavanagh, Mary Ellen O'Brien and Al Dunne (different time slots or different Sundays).

Nails Mahoney moved from 2FM to Atlantic 252.

Mark Byrne moved from Century Radio to Atlantic 252 after the former's demise.

mojesius

I remember a lot of Ace of Base, M People and Lighthouse Family when I think of Atlantic 252

"She leads a lonely life, hmm she leads a lonely life..."

Tork

Oh god, that awful Ace of Base song. Forever burned into my brain in mono!

There's a Facebook group:

atlantic 252 - long wave giant memories

Some Irish 252 presenters that come to mind right now:

Paul Kavanagh
Robin Banks
Al Dunne
Henry Owens
Rick O'Shea
Stephen Cooper
Mark Byrne
Nails Mahoney
Dusty Rhodes
Enda Caldwell
Carl Kinsman
Greg Parke
Derek Flood

ford fiesta wrote: »

Some Irish 252 presenters that come to mind right now:

Paul Kavanagh
Robin Banks
Al Dunne
Henry Owens
Rick O'Shea
Stephen Cooper
Mark Byrne
Nails Mahoney
Dusty Rhodes
Enda Caldwell
Carl Kinsman
Greg Parke
Derek Flood

Also Batman Gomez, aka Liam Coburn, and Jo King. I presume Cork's 96FM's Steve Haze, aka Hollywood Haze, is Irish too.

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Also Batman Gomez, aka Liam Coburn, and Jo King. I presume Cork's 96FM's Steve Haze, aka Hollywood Haze, is Irish too.

I thought Carl Kinsman was Jo King ?

So which of the Irish presenters had you not heard of before Atlantic 252.

Here's my list of the ones I can think of. And, yes, I did find out some more about what some of them were doing before Atlantic 252 since then!

Paul Kavanagh
Dusty Rhodes
Rick O'Shea
Stephen Cooper (I think that's where I heard him first, although it could have been the '90s pirates before his stint)
Henry Owens
Jo King
Al Dunne
Robin Banks
Hollywood Haze (assuming he's Irish)

I would have said Greg Parke, but I don't think I heard of him until after Atlantic 252.

ford fiesta wrote: »

I thought Carl Kinsman was Jo King ?

Sorry - I forgot!

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

So which of the Irish presenters had you not heard of before Atlantic 252.

Here's my list of the ones I can think of. And, yes, I did find out some more about what some of them were doing before Atlantic 252 since then!

Paul Kavanagh
Dusty Rhodes
Rick O'Shea
Stephen Cooper (I think that's where I heard him first, although it could have been the '90s pirates before his stint)
Henry Owens
Jo King
Al Dunne
Robin Banks

I would have said Greg Parke, but I don't think I heard of their names until after Atlantic 252.

Some well established names in there Declan by the time they got to Trim !