“You either shut up or get cut up, they don’t wanna hear about it
It’s only inches on the reel-to-reel
And the radio is in the hands
of such a lot of fools
Tryin’ to anaesthetize the
way that you feel
Radio is a sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation”
Radio Radio by Elvis Costello and The Attractions
ELVIS Costello’s punk anthem raged against corporate-controlled broadcasting and commercialisation of the airwaves in 1977 and the need for an alternative voice on radio is as relevant today.
Commercial radio that strives to please all the people all the time seldom satisfies, merely survives.
The antidote to all that is an alternative radio station without commercial pressures and that is where you will find LCCR on the dial.
Limerick City Community Radio is the kind of station that can cater for the significant minority or be a training ground for the radio enthusiasts who would like to make the leap from hobby to full-time career in radio.
Limerick City Community Radio station has been awarded a one hundred day licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to air in Limerick on 99.9fm at the weekends in 2016.
The station was established in 2014 and broadcasts from Tait House in Southhill.
Limerick Post spoke to station manager Richard Smith this week.
The station is run on a voluntary basis with more than 70 individuals contributing to the station’s weekend schedule. LCCR initially received Regeneration funding but now pays its way from membership funds and sponsored programmes.
“We are all radio enthusiasts really. We all enjoy it,” says manager Richard Smith.
“We are not like Spin South West or Live 95fm. We are catering for a different audience. There is more talk than there would be on other stations at the weekend.”
The station packs an impressive variety of programming into the weekends with classical music, eighties music, local news, sport, history, country music, world music, business and mental health issues all getting coverage in one hour shows.
“We try to have teams of two or three volunteers who can present talk shows on the station. If people are away it makes it easier for running purposes.”
The station is looking for more volunteers, particularly students interested in a career in media, to beef up the stations news and documentary content. You can contact the station at their very accessible website www.lccr.ie which has the station’s full schedule and podcasts of many of the shows which you can access at any time.
LCCR shares the 99.9fm frequency with student radio station Wired FM. Wired FM broadcasts on Monday to Thursday, with LCCR shows repeated throughout the week nights so anytime you tune into 99.9fm there will be something on.
Tune into LCCR at the weekends on 99.9fm or catch up with your favourite show on the LCCR website www.lccr.ie
turn the dial to ….
Eclectic Celt
2pm Sundays
ECLECTIC Celt is presented by journalist John O’Regan and songwriter Lou McMahon, featuring an intriguing variety of roots music and interviews with musicians and songwriters from celtic, ambient and traditional to singer-songwriter styles. Station manager Richard commented, “John is superb at what he does on his ‘Eclectic Celt’ show on Sunday evenings. He is just so professional.”
