Month: July 2020

The first high power transmitting station in Ireland was officially opened by Taoiseach Eamon de Valera in Moydrum, Athlone in 1933. This radio documentary goes back in time to tell the stories about the history of the transmitter in Athlone, memories of locals when radio was called wireless, to the current days when community members make an effort to preserve the site as our national and technical heritage, a site that is still home to the old Marconi’s equipment.

Script: Gearoid O’Brien
Narrator: Phillip Gillen
Produced and edited by Irena Cvetkovic

Contributors: Jim Kearns, Tommy Mollen, Martin Hanley, Margaret Franklin, Geoffrey Foy, Carmel Feeney, Alan Shaw, Ciaran Mollooly and St Mary’s Active Age Group.

This programme was made with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland

An Athlone Community Radio production

June 19th NCRD 2020 from Community Radio Ireland was hosted by 92.5 Phoenix FM. It was a four hour broadcast that really captured the vibrancy that is the buzz of Community Radio during Covid19 lock down.

The day’s broadcast was streamed in uncompressed audio to participating CRAOL stations around Ireland for simulcasting. The stream was provided by Broadcast Technical Services.

Two reports were launched on the day highlighting Social Benefit outcomes within Community Radio and the communities they serve.

‘Community Radio – Delivering Social Benefit’, as part of its Community Media Action Plan. The publication of the report marks National Community Radio Day and was commissioned by the BAI, supported by Community Radio Ireland (CRAOL) and undertaken by Nexus Research Cooperative.

The report examines the development and implementation of an evaluation methodology that addresses the statutory requirement for community media to deliver a social benefit to the community it serves. It is an abridged version of two reports: ‘Assessing the Benefit of Community Radio, A Toolkit for Community Radio’; and, ‘Introducing a Social Benefit Approach to Community Radio – A Compendium of Stories’, both published by the BAI and CRAOL.

A poem was commissioned for the NCRD 2020. Written by Frank Phelan ‘The Story of We’ is a sharp take on the value that community media is to every community that fosters the medium.