Radio in our house moved from 2FM to Phantom after 20+ years on RTE Radio 2
then without warning or blog posting 105.2 became 106.8 as the tuner on the Coby Alarm Clock is like those radios people bought in Apolo 1 Moore Street in the 80’s, ie. shite. So now we are waking up to Dublin’s Country Mix 106.8. Now if I hear country & irish I usually run the other way. But the stuff on offer here is pop country meets decent folk bordering on folk rock which is nearly down my street musically.
the line up is a whose who of irish radio, and now that Donnie Cassidy is outa the Dail he might even gig here! Keith Shanley is on in da morning and he’s not half bad a presenter, he does a better ‘says in the papers’ than Valerie Cox on RTE Radio1, but ye can’t beat Paddy Clancy for that. Anyway Shanley has the voice, not too chirpy like Maxi (she’s sounding younger every decade) but is this the same Shanley that was on Radio Dublin? with the echoie jingle?? Was he on KLAS? i should jump to an anoraks forum to ask these questions but I haven’t the time or pride to ask.
So whats wrong with Country Mix? you see it broadcasts from within the Pale, so in fact its Country Jacks not Country Micks. Country Music Radio in the Capital is always more palatable when its not called ‘Country’ Music. Like Treble T R, Radio Leinster etc. As I say, the music’s not half bad in the morning, it makes bLite FM (now Q102) sound like a throw back station to an era long passed. Dublin’s Country Mix 106.8 plays up to date and of out era music that is not chasing the charts, from its genre and beyond.
Pauline didn’t know any of the bands on Phantom, and found the vibe so good she woke up earlier to it.
There is another battle, the car radio is being switched between BBC Radio Five Live – RTE Radio 1 – 2fm & Newstalk. RnaG after 10pm if Vincent Browne is off or boring and Near FM if Cathal is in the car. 2FM is winning in the car, but still I have yet to hear Rick O’Shea in his new slot. I use public transport to get around during the day and I’m radio free during these hours, spending more time email reading and twittering than anything else. Still Saturday comes and RTE’s Playback washes over me and I say – heard it! heard it! heard it!. Either I got it live, on over night repeat, on Podcast or on demand stream or email link saying listen to this, its hard to miss radio nowadays. dontcha just love it.
other radio things. ‘scanning’ the bands 150khz – 800Mhz this weekend. there is a major buzz off the long wire in the garden, like all bands have a background radiation or all the neighbours have installed CFLs bad news for me. We got CFLs in here we have 7 or so. So i turn these off and SWL with candlelight, no difference! but Shortwave is so much better to listen to in dim candlelight, with stories from clandestine Zimbabwean stations playing Eddy Grant’s ‘Living on the Frontline’ wonderful radio memories that were just created last night! perhaps the buzz is the ESB messing with BPL. (hope not) Bowmans Sunday June 3rd was on the 80thanniversary of the setting up of Corks 6CK. awaiting a download link.
