8Radio, the only alternative station offering left in Ireland is back on the airwaves on a temporary licence in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick from now until Sunday March 26th.
Its frequencies are Dublin (94.3FM), Cork (106.7FM), Limerick (105.2FM) and Galway (89.5FM) on FM in Ireland.
8Radio was formed by Phantom’s Simon Maher and received a temporary licence last year for November and December. Of the latest licence, he says.
“The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland are soon to publish their Strategic Plan for the next 3 years and 8Radio.com are continuing to put forward the case that we strongly believe that there is a market for an Alternative Music Service. If we want to have people listening to locally produced radio in the future, then we need to provide outlets for those musical niches and licence them under business and regulatory structures that will allow them to survive in a very competitive multi-media marketplace.
This is an opportunity for the BAI to really influence listener choices and the future development of music radio but it is not an indefinite window. The growth of streaming services and the continuing drop in traditional radio listening presents a real threat to the future of music services in particular, and radio in general.
8Radio broadcasts online and via apps and internet radio.
Presenters include Gugai, Maher, John Loftus, Ann Marie Walsh and Dan McDermott.
