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Atlantic 252 - A good example of a Red Pill

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  • 23-07-2020 5:33pm
    #1
    Moon_shoes
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭


    20 years ago, I was working on a building site, one day in the canteen, one of the lads put on Atlantic 252 and I mentioned how Atlantic 252 was an Irish based, RTE controlled operation, well they all laughed at me as if I claimed to have been abducted by aliens.


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    #2
    jrmb
    Registered Users Posts: 696 ✭✭✭jrmb


    I remember the year or two before it became the short-lived "TeamTalk 252". The presenters, news, advertising and phone numbers all suggested that it was a British station. Originally it was a joint project of RTÉ and RTL from Luxembourg. RTL is still huge in other European countries.


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    #3
    Infoanon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,619 ✭✭✭Infoanon


    jrmb wrote: »
    I remember the year or two before it became the short-lived "TeamTalk 252". The presenters, news, advertising and phone numbers all suggested that it was a British station. Originally it was a joint project of RTÉ and RTL from Luxembourg. RTL is still huge in other European countries.

    Atlantic 252'was aimed at the UK market


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    #4
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 13,712 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Whatever about being a red pill, Atlantic 252 was a rare example of a clever, forward-thinking, commercial success at RTE.

    I'd like to see RTE gear themselves more to an international market with streaming services. Something like an English-language version of ARTE, the French/German taxpayer-funded cultural channel which is available for free around the world.

    It's not only an important cultural export for France, in particular, but it also raises commercial revenue. Ireland has an unusually enormous diaspora, and this should be seen as an asset that's waiting to be exploited. If not for TV, then for radio.

    An RTE World Service for Irish life and culture, basically.


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    #5
    Infoanon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,619 ✭✭✭Infoanon


    A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »
    Whatever about being a red pill, Atlantic 252 was a rare example of a clever, forward-thinking, commercial success at RTE.
    .

    Actually RTE simply copied Novas planned LW service that was to be based at Mosney...

    Indeed Nova where the first LW station from Ireland

    RTE approach to international broadcasting can be summed up by the fact that they use spot beams instead of wide beams for their radio services on the astra / Sky service (moved from wide to spot beam circa 2014)


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    #6
    Biafranlivemat
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 386 ✭✭Biafranlivemat


    A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »
    Whatever about being a red pill, Atlantic 252 was a rare example of a clever, forward-thinking, commercial success at RTE.

    I'd like to see RTE gear themselves more to an international market with streaming services. Something like an English-language version of ARTE, the French/German taxpayer-funded cultural channel which is available for free around the world.

    It's not only an important cultural export for France, in particular, but it also raises commercial revenue. Ireland has an unusually enormous diaspora, and this should be seen as an asset that's waiting to be exploited. If not for TV, then for radio.

    An RTE World Service for Irish life and culture, basically.
    Off topic

    Irish TV was tried in the US starting in 1999/2000 by a company called Celticvision.
    They bought their programming from RTE, and heavily relied on advertisements.
    They were in the Boston market and a few other places across the Country.
    They went out of business after a few years. They were doing ok with Advertisements. But RTE charged a lot for their Programming. Which is crazy since, the value of a day old, late late show is worthless (In my opinion)

    Don't think there is much of a market for a RTE world service.


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    #7
    jrmb
    Registered Users Posts: 696 ✭✭✭jrmb


    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.


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    #8
    ford fiesta
    Registered Users Posts: 3,423 ✭✭✭ford fiesta


    There was also Tara TV.
    Nothing to do with Radio Tara (Atlantic 252).

    Both RTE ventures though.


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    #9
    Dtp1979
    Registered Users Posts: 12,727 ✭✭✭✭Dtp1979


    Hold on, you’re telling me that lllllllllllloong wave radio Atlantic 252 is gone?


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    #10
    Declan A Walsh
    Registered Users Posts: 5,991 ✭✭✭Declan A Walsh


    Moon_shoes wrote: »
    20 years ago, I was working on a building site, one day in the canteen, one of the lads put on Atlantic 252 and I mentioned how Atlantic 252 was an Irish based, RTE controlled operation, well they all laughed at me as if I claimed to have been abducted by aliens.

    While it is true that it was oriented towards the UK market and it had a lot of British voices (and some Americans) in its first few years, there were always Irish presenters as well and, as time went on, they became very much the majority.
    https://forumofgames.com/




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    #11
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    I listen to longwave radio Atlantic 252, now give me my money.


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    #12
    colm_mcm
    Registered Users Posts: 73,382 ✭✭✭✭colm_mcm


    I remember ads for Bacardi Breezers and condoms, long before I tried either out!


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    #13
    Dtp1979
    Registered Users Posts: 12,727 ✭✭✭✭Dtp1979


    What is the phrase that pays?


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    #14
    byte
    Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 19,096 Mod ✭✭✭✭byte
    byte


    Dtp1979 wrote: »
    What is the phrase that pays?
    I listen to long wave radio, Atlantic 252?


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    #15
    TheBMG
    Registered Users Posts: 579 ✭✭✭TheBMG


    byte wrote: »
    I listen to long wave radio, Atlantic 252?

    ... now give me my money!


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    #16
    alzer100
    Registered Users Posts: 819 ✭✭✭alzer100


    A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »
    Whatever about being a red pill, Atlantic 252 was a rare example of a clever, forward-thinking, commercial success at RTE.

    I'd like to see RTE gear themselves more to an international market with streaming services. Something like an English-language version of ARTE, the French/German taxpayer-funded cultural channel which is available for free around the world.

    It's not only an important cultural export for France, in particular, but it also raises commercial revenue. Ireland has an unusually enormous diaspora, and this should be seen as an asset that's waiting to be exploited. If not for TV, then for radio.

    An RTE World Service for Irish life and culture, basically.

    As much as I liked Atlantic 252 especially in its early years, it wasn't really an original idea or thinking outside the box with respect to its format, sound and target audience as far as RTE was concerned. Its concept was born from Dublin's super pirates of the late 1980's, namely Sunshine 101 and Super-Q102. RTE were just able to bring that particular "sound" to a wider audience in the UK and it worked (for a couple of years anyway).


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    #17
    Grandeeod
    Registered Users Posts: 12,076 ✭✭✭✭Grandeeod


    All the presenters stood during their shows so they would be more lively. The mast is still at the former studio near summer hill in Meath.


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    #18
    Declan A Walsh
    Registered Users Posts: 5,991 ✭✭✭Declan A Walsh


    alzer100 wrote: »
    As much as I liked Atlantic 252 especially in its early years, it wasn't really an original idea or thinking outside the box with respect to its format, sound and target audience as far as RTE was concerned. Its concept was born from Dublin's super pirates of the late 1980's, namely Sunshine 101 and Super-Q102. RTE were just able to bring that particular "sound" to a wider audience in the UK and it worked (for a couple of years anyway).

    It's true that it drew it's concept from the superpirates, and, indeed, some of the presenters from those stations turned up on it. But it was different from the existing RTE stations and the new commercially licensed stations in a few ways.

    1. It was the only example of a joint venture between RTE and an outside company, i.e. RTL, the owners of Radio Luxembourg.

    2. One of the big USPs was the fact that it was broadcast on long wave. When the station started in 1989, practically all cars in Ireland had a long wave option as did shop radios. It was accessible throughout most of Ireland and there was no issue about retuning.

    3. It played a lot more music than any of its other licensed competitors - the superpirates wall to wall music concept indeed. It did not have any 20% news remit. There were some news headlines but they took at most 5 minutes, if that!

    4. It was unusual in that the major target audience was the UK, even though it was broadcasting from Ireland.

    5. There were a lot of UK voices and some American ones too.
    https://forumofgames.com/




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    #19
    Infoanon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,619 ✭✭✭Infoanon


    Declan A Walsh wrote: »
    It's true that it drew it's concept from the superpirates, and, indeed, some of the presenters from those stations turned up on it. But it was different from the existing RTE stations and the new commercially licensed stations in a few ways.

    It sounded like a pirate station and that was not accidental.

    Charlie Wolf is the American voice you refer to and he had made his name on the UK pirate ship station Laser 558.

    Basically he was to do on Atlantic what he had done on laser and the impression of being a maverick station blasting in from the Atlantic was all part of Atlantics marketing.

    It was a huge success until FM came of age in the UK and rules on talk content where relaxed .


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    #20
    Moon_shoes
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭Moon_shoes


    I often wondered why wasn't Atlantic 252 based at the RTE D4 radio centre for cost effectively reasons? Pat Kenny was chairman of the station so it would have saved him the trouble and petrol of having to drive up and down to Trim to chair meetings, there'd be obvious other savings too of course like less cleaning staff security etc etc. Nowadays apart from the local stations, it's rare for a radio station to be in a stand alone building.


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    #21
    alzer100
    Registered Users Posts: 819 ✭✭✭alzer100


    Declan A Walsh wrote: »
    It's true that it drew it's concept from the superpirates, and, indeed, some of the presenters from those stations turned up on it. But it was different from the existing RTE stations and the new commercially licensed stations in a few ways.

    1. It was the only example of a joint venture between RTE and an outside company, i.e. RTL, the owners of Radio Luxembourg.

    2. One of the big USPs was the fact that it was broadcast on long wave. When the station started in 1989, practically all cars in Ireland had a long wave option as did shop radios. It was accessible throughout most of Ireland and there was no issue about retuning.

    3. It played a lot more music than any of its other licensed competitors - the superpirates wall to wall music concept indeed. It did not have any 20% news remit. There were some news headlines but they took at most 5 minutes, if that!

    4. It was unusual in that the major target audience was the UK, even though it was broadcasting from Ireland.

    5. There were a lot of UK voices and some American ones too.

    RTE along with Radio Luxembourg may have come up with the logistics of the radio station and I was a huge fan of it, but when you take everything into consideration for the first couple of years they essentially took a HotHits format that had been tried and tested on two Dublin radio stations and utilized a high powered AM transmitter to introduce it to a UK audience.
    I do have to credit to RTE for empowering the people who where involved in Atlantic 252 to use that format which did produce results.


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    #22
    Declan A Walsh
    Registered Users Posts: 5,991 ✭✭✭Declan A Walsh


    Infoanon wrote: »
    It sounded like a pirate station and that was not accidental.

    Charlie Wolf is the American voice you refer to and he had made his name on the UK pirate ship station Laser 558.

    Basically he was to do on Atlantic what he had done on laser and the impression of being a maverick station blasting in from the Atlantic was all part of Atlantics marketing.

    It was a huge success until FM came of age in the UK and rules on talk content where relaxed .

    There was at least one other in its early days: Mary Ellen O'Brien.
    https://forumofgames.com/




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    #23
    Dtp1979
    Registered Users Posts: 12,727 ✭✭✭✭Dtp1979


    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGEfbzPqtGc


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    #24
    Declan A Walsh
    Registered Users Posts: 5,991 ✭✭✭Declan A Walsh


    Dtp1979 wrote: »
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGEfbzPqtGc

    All names unfamiliar to me - all shipped in from the UK.
    https://forumofgames.com/




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    #25
    alzer100
    Registered Users Posts: 819 ✭✭✭alzer100


    Dtp1979 wrote: »
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGEfbzPqtGc

    Have not looked at the video yet but all I can remember are those names from the early days...

    Sandy Beach, Dusty Rhodes, Robin Banks, Batman Gomez etc. Rick O'Shea came on board after around '92, '93 (I think). I stopped listening at that stage as the format was starting to change.

    In 1991, I actually purchased a very expensive portable Sony LW radio, it was about the size of a Walkman but had SW and LW tuners so I could listen to Atlantic 252 when on the move! I know, I know... sad! But for me it really was the best CHR station around at that time.


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    #26
    bossdrum
    Registered Users Posts: 349 ✭✭bossdrum


    I went on the beer with the 'pizza man' in the mid 90's in Maynooth. He was a friend of a DJ friend of mine.
    His name wasn't as cool as Rick O'Shea or Robin Banks but he was a nice enough guy.


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    #27
    Declan A Walsh
    Registered Users Posts: 5,991 ✭✭✭Declan A Walsh


    alzer100 wrote: »
    Have not looked at the video yet but all I can remember are those names from the early days...

    Sandy Beach, Dusty Rhodes, Robin Banks, Batman Gomez etc. Rick O'Shea came on board after around '92, '93 (I think). I stopped listening at that stage as the format was starting to change.

    In 1991, I actually purchased a very expensive portable Sony LW radio, it was about the size of a Walkman but had SW and LW tuners so I could listen to Atlantic 252 when on the move! I know, I know... sad! But for me it really was the best CHR station around at that time.

    Some more of the funny names on Atlantic 252: Cousin Brucie, Jo King, Wayne Scales, Pizzaman, Bam Bam, Dickie Bow, Annett Curtain, Dan the Hitman, Desperate Dan and Hollywood Haze.
    https://forumofgames.com/




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    #28
    alzer100
    Registered Users Posts: 819 ✭✭✭alzer100


    Declan A Walsh wrote: »
    Some more of the funny names on Atlantic 252: Cousin Brucie, Jo King, Wayne Scales, Pizzaman, Bam Bam, Dickie Bow, Annett Curtain, Dan the Hitman, Desperate Dan and Hollywood Haze.

    I remember a great weekday ineup in and around 1991 consisted of:
    6 or 7am -10am Charlie Wolf
    10am - 1pm. Henry Owens / Al Dunne
    1pm - 4pm Kevin Palmer
    4pm - 8pm Dusty Rhodes
    8pm - 12am Sandy Beach

    I recall the daily break in transmission at 7:pm (I think) as they would change over to a lower powered transmitter for nighttime broadcasting.


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    #29
    Declan A Walsh
    Registered Users Posts: 5,991 ✭✭✭Declan A Walsh


    alzer100 wrote: »
    I remember a great weekday ineup in and around 1991 consisted of:
    6 or 7am -10am Charlie Wolf
    10am - 1pm. Henry Owens / Al Dunne
    1pm - 4pm Kevin Palmer
    4pm - 8pm Dusty Rhodes
    8pm - 12am Sandy Beach

    I recall the daily break in transmission at 7:pm (I think) as they would change over to a lower powered transmitter for nighttime broadcasting.

    I remember all those presenters. Kevin Palmer made a half-hearted attempt at a funny name by calling himself Captain Kevin! In the first year, Atlantic 252 used to close down at 7pm every evening.

    Incidentally, the very first breakfast presenter was Gary King. He announced his arrival with "Mine will be the first voice you will ever hear"! Charlie Wolf started off as the drive time presenter that finished off the day's broadcasting at 7pm. "Captain" Kevin did a stint at breakfast along with newsreader Andrew Turner (ex BBC Radio 1 and Laser). At one point, there was a female newsreader who adopted a funny name - can't remember either of her names!
    https://forumofgames.com/




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    #30
    Declan A Walsh
    Registered Users Posts: 5,991 ✭✭✭Declan A Walsh


    Declan A Walsh wrote: »
    I remember all those presenters. Kevin Palmer made a half-hearted attempt at a funny name by calling himself Captain Kevin! In the first year, Atlantic 252 used to close down at 7pm every evening.

    Incidentally, the very first breakfast presenter was Gary King. He announced his arrival with "Mine will be the first voice you will ever hear"! Charlie Wolf started off as the drive time presenter that finished off the day's broadcasting at 7pm. "Captain" Kevin did a stint at breakfast along with newsreader Andrew Turner (ex BBC Radio 1 and Laser). At one point, there was a female newsreader who adopted a funny name - can't remember either of her names!

    I did a quick google and I came up with Becky Chippendale, who I remember. But she was a co-presenter rather than a newsreader. I'm pretty sure there was a female newsreader who changed her name to make it sound funny.
    https://forumofgames.com/




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    #31
    ford fiesta
    Registered Users Posts: 3,423 ✭✭✭ford fiesta


    Declan A Walsh wrote: »
    I did a quick google and I came up with Becky Chippendale, who I remember. But she was a co-presenter rather than a newsreader. I'm pretty sure there was a female newsreader who changed her name to make it sound funny.

    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


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