Radio Nova 100FM (Ireland)
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| Branding | Radio Nova 100FM |
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| Frequency | 100.3 MHz |
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Radio Nova is a radio station licensed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, based in Dublin, Ireland. It was awarded its broadcasting licence by the BAI in September 2008 and launched on 1 September 2010. It is the only Dublin radio station licensed to transmit to the extensive Dublin commuter belt, including Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare and Meath (County Offaly can also pick up the frequency of Radio Nova 100fm however it is greater in some areas than others and Mullingar County Westmeath usually cannot get the station). Nova is available throughout County Louth, in south Armagh, south Down, east Tyrone and north Armagh although in some of these areas reception is patchy. Nova broadcasts on 100.3 FM from Three Rock Mountain Dublin, 100.5 from Saggart Hill, County Dublin, to serve County Kildare and 95.7 FM from Bray Head in North Wicklow, to cover County Wicklow. The station covers County Meath from its main Dublin transmitter (100.3 MHz).Radio Nova 100fm in County Offaly operates (100.3 MHz) to 100.5. Welsh fans can also tune in coastal areas such as Holyhead (Welsh: Caergyb)[1]
Shareholding
The station is one of the few independent operations in the Dublin market, with most other stations owned by RTÉ, Communicorp or UTV. Its shareholders are Bay Broadcasting Ltd, Vienna Investments, Des Whelan and Pat McDonagh. It has loose shareholder affiliations with Red FM (Cork), WLR FM (Waterford), Classic Hits 4FM (Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway) and Sunshine 106.8 (Dublin).
Programming
Nova broadcasts what it describes as a diet of "guitar-based music". In November 2012, it received a derogation from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to reduce its news content from 20% of total programming to 10%, on account of it being a special interest station. As a result, Nova continues to broadcast hourly news bulletins between 6 am and 12 midnight, as well as music news segments at various times during the day. Its main newscasters include John Harte and Conor Irwin.
Presenters include Pat Courtenay, Greg Gaughren, Marty Miller, Dee Woods, Paul Moriarty, Pat James, John Bowe, Kevin Brannigan (Chief Executive), Ernie Gallagher, Dave Redmond, Sinéad Ní Mhórdha, Adrienne O' Hora, Gerry Healy, Sean Ashmore, Steve Downes, Peter Devlin and Brian Walsh. Past presenters include Hugh O' Brien, Mike Maloney, Enda Murphy, Jason Dee, Barry Egan, Carol Dooley, Joan Lea, Louise Maloney, Rick Wakeman and Breffni Clack.
Ambitions
While NOVA's licence allows it to broadcast to Dublin and surrounding counties, the station has made no secret of its ambitions to broadcast to a wider area. In April 2013 and September 2015, NOVA received temporary licences from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to run a temporary, pilot station called 'The Rock'. The temporary station broadcast to several areas outside NOVA's own transmission area: Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Kilkenny and the North East (Louth, Monaghan, Cavan & North Meath). The station's Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Branigan, stated that the purpose of the temporary licence was to test the market in these areas for a full-time classic rock radio station.
The Rock previously broadcast under a BAI temporary licence in 2007 and 2008 and was the forerunner to NOVA.
Several articles appeared in the Irish media in the Sunday Business Post and Sunday Times during 2015 in which Branigan stated he intended to apply to the BAI for approval to extend Radio NOVA to include these extra areas in 2016. If approved, the station would create an additional 10 full-time jobs. Radio Nova hoping to start broadcasting quasi-nationally,Radio Nova Rocking All Over The Land, Nova Ups Volume.
Location
The station is based at Castleforbes House, Castleforbes Road, Dublin.
See also
- Radio Nova (Ireland) - pirate station by the same name operating from 1980 to 1986