The Minster gets involved
The sponsorship of programmes on Radio Éireann, or 2RN as it was originally known, had long been a source of contention for some.  Irish companies paid £5 per five minutes of sponsorship while foreign companies were charged twice this amount.  In the first three months of 1927 advertising revenue amounted to £200 but the entire revenue for 1928 was just £28. By 1929 revenue had risen to £50 per annum.[22] The secretary of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, P.S. O’Hegarty, thought that advertising on radio should be allowed to die a natural death while Seamús Clandillon, the station director, declared that, ‘from a programme point of view they are a nuisance and are regarded by the listeners as an impertinence.’[23]

The first sponsored programme, by Euthymol toothpaste, was broadcast on the 31^st December 1927.  Frequently these programme would use popular or dancehall music to entice the audience and would intersperse advertisements for their clients throughout the show.  Radio Éireann could be received throughout Western Europe and the sponsored programmes picked up a significant following outside Ireland.

When faced with an attack on fellow minister MacEntee on Irish radio, Gerald Boland cancelled the broadcast.

Sean Óg Ó Ceallaigh was due to deliver a radio lecture on ‘Irish Culture: It’s Decline’ on the 11^th of January 1934.  The Minster for Posts and Telegraphs, Gerald Boland, stepped in and had the broadcast cancelled.  Justifying the cancellation, Boland stated that, ‘Mr. Ó Ceallaigh had made a grossly unfair and unjustified personal attack on the Minister for Finance at Mohill on the 1^st of January and must have known that Mr. MacEntee was not responsible for the conduct of the broadcasting service.  I was determined to ensure that he would not avail of the opportunity presented by his broadcast to renew his attack.’[24]

Ó Ceallaigh stated that he had submitted the text of his lecture to the station director a week in advance and no objection had been made but Boland questioned the capacity of Ó Ceallaigh to stick to his prepared script.  In an interview on the subject, Boland said, ‘that if he (Ó Ceallaigh) wants to make a personal attack on a Minister he can do it, but he will not do it over the radio if I can help it.’[25]

Boland also sought to reassure the public that he was taking steps to curtail the amount of jazz music broadcast on Radio Éireann and to replace it with classical music and military marches.  The Minister had already used his influence to have the words of ‘a foreign type of Good Night song,’ that one of the programmes concluded with, excised and he announced that he was prepared to forego the revenue derived from sponsored programmes rather than have them ‘serve to advance jazz.’ [26]

via The Anti-Jazz Campaign ~ The Irish Story by Cathal Brennan
http://www.theirishstory.com/2011/07/01/the-anti-jazz-campaign/

Lee de Forest, 1873-1961, was an inventor and scholar who made significant contributions to the science of electronic communications during the first three decades of the Twentieth Century. He held numerous patents on the technology of radio, television and film.

Lee De Forest, father of radio died 50 years ago this week. De Forest test transmitted from the Martello Tower in Howth in Dublin to the British Navy in the Irish Sea in 1903.

Eivind Motland reports: Norwegian public broadcaster NRK will cease broadcasts on 630 kHz from the Vigra mediumwave transmitter on 30 June. The purpose of keeping it on the air simply isn’t there anymore, as it primarily is targeted towards the fishing fleet to let them get the weather reports. Today NRK broadcasts weather forecasts on dedicated channels on satellite and DAB.

The governor of Nigeria’s Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who was a June 12 activist, recalls the establishment and operation of the clandestine shortwave station Radio Kudirat in 1995. He writes in The Nation:

“We started the radio with a two half-hour broadcast but reports back from Nigeria indicated that the 7125 kHz, 41-meter was not clear and that the half-hour be converted to one single hour broadcast. The World Radio Network was able to assist us in obtaining 6205 kilohert on the 49-meter band. Time of broadcast was 8pm Nigerian time. I was responsible for driving the operations.

“We used a foundation as a front" so that's how you do it.

Radio Nord Revival soon on air on 603 kHz

May 16th, 2011 - 15:07 UTC

by Andy Sennitt.

The Radio Nord revival weblog says: We have now received permission for 2.5 kW on MW 1512 kHz from Kvarnberget (Stockholm) and also on the original Radio Nord channel, 603 kHz, from Sala (the same location as the shortwave transmitter). As for short wave the frequencies have not yet been determined but we will most likely be in the 41 and 31 metre band.

SW frequencies will be announced as soon as they are cleared and power will be 10 kW. We will also be running a test towards North America in night time and hope you will be able to hear us over there. As usual you can also hear us on web radio, now with improved webstreams.

On May 27 official transmissions will start from the former ice-breaker and museum ship s/s S:t Erik and there will be a lot of live transmissions from the ship. We are also planning a small Radio Nord exhibition on board and the plan is to build a studio with vintage equipment of the same type that was used by Radio Nord. Everybody is welcome to join us the weekend of  May 27-29 on board the S.t Erik!

(Source: radionordrevival.blogspot.com)

there is something not right about 'We have now received permission' when referring to the return of a pirate. The bands (MW/SW) are being abandoned by state/private broadcasters and the ships have not being abandoned. If they can make a go of it for peace or love or music, let it be.

More about Seán Óg and the series.

Seán Óg in the studio.

From meeting Peig Sayers in her cottage to playing soccer under the pseudonym John Callaghan, Seán Óg describes the circumstances of his birth in Newcastlewest, Co Limerick in May 1923 right up to his still running radio programme Gaelic Sports Results.

Growing up in Fairview in Dublin, Seán Óg attended an all-Irish school, excelling at singing and twice winning Feis Ceoil medals as a boy soprano. It was as a child that his acting talents were recognised and he was offered a scholarship to study at the Abbey Theatre's school of acting giving this programme some memorable insights into the Abbey and its players.

Seán's love affair with sport began as a child, becoming a star hurler and winning club honours as well as playing for the Dublin All-Ireland hurling team.  Ignoring 'the ban', he also played soccer, cricket, golf and snooker and his broadcasting career was strongly tied to this passion.

Initially involved in retail, Seán was in his 20s before he became involved in the media, beginning a new career as a sports journalist with the Evening Press where he wrote his GAA page until the newspaper closed in 1995.  Seán also had a television career presenting The Sunday Game and interviewing sportsmen like Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali) and Jack Dempsey.

In 1953, Seán took over the weekly sports programme his father had on 2RN and Gaelic Sports Results is still heard on Sunday nights.  This programme now has a world-wide audience amongst the Irish Diaspora through satellite and web broadcasting.

A re-edited version of these eight radio programmes will be available in CD format, published by RTÉ for the 2004 Christmas market.

"Sin a bhfuil anocht a cairde, slan agaibh go leir."

Dust down domhnaill a bu, the presenter of the worlds longest running radio feature hangs up his headphones on Sunday night. Seán Óg turns 78 next week. Our airwaves will miss his Sunday night tones. That feeling that its back to school or work that you get when you hear his voice. Tingles.

see also
Declan Lynch: RTE drops the ball when it comes to sports coverage http://url.ie/b1v9

Eugene McGee: O Ceallachain voice of an era for GAA fans near and far http://url.ie/b1va

For the first time in Ireland, live radio will be captioned to allow access for the 17% of the Irish population with a hearing impairment. On Wednesday 11th May, 8-9am on RTE Radio 1 will be captioned and can be viewed on www.seewritenow.ie

This event is of particular interest to the 17% of the Irish population with a hidden hearing disability. The captions can also be viewed by those using English as their second language or for those working in a noisy environment, gym, factory etc

via @topgold

The Dread Broadcasting Corporation was set up towards the end of 1979,
shortly after Margaret Thatcher came to power. While the population at large
seemed to embrace the new capitalist mood, I recall that things remained
pretty bleak for the average black Joe or Josephine. Their sense of
exclusion was reinforced by the lack of black music on the radio: we were
expected to make do with the prescribed "specialist" titbits (amounting to
between two and five hours a week), even in the most densely populated
ethnic areas.