JET-FM's new shopfront studios in Shannon Town Centre
Last week in Shannon, Saturday morning was spent catching up with JET-FM in its new location in a retail unit in Shannon Town Centre. Community Radio is an important voluntary movement in Ireland and a real community builder – One of the more successful stations which has led on promoting local issues and exploring the history of Ireland’s first New Town has been JET FM, Shannon Community Radio.
Shannon was unique in Ireland for its diversity and cosmopolitan feel as Ireland’s first new town with a population and workforce for the Shannon Free Zone by the airport which attracted many immigrants from the UK, North America, and South Africa not to mention other parts of Ireland.
http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/05/shannon-airport-ireland.html
JET-FM returned to the airwaves on Saturday, September 5th 2009 on 88.1 FM. It will broadcast on Saturdays only as a further part of the process leading to a full licence from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. Broadcasting from new studios in Shannon's Sky Court Shopping Centre, programmes start at 7.54am and continue until 10pm with a mix of music, current affairs and special interest shows.
Community Radio is largely run by volunteers and with the support of a full-time station manager and perhaps a part-time administrator. In the initial stages of service and until sources of funding harden up, stations are usually run completely on a voluntary basis.
Operating costs are met from sponsorships and various forms of fund raising carried out at a station level. There is no central support from National or Local Government for the provision of Community Radio; however some support is available for training.
Paul Ryan "Plane Talking"
Community Radio is a real community builder with a non-commercial agenda involving items of local interest; some idea of the wide range of programming can be obtained from a typical day’s output shown below.
Schedule Saturday September 19th 2009
08:00 Musical Jewels - Marion Halpin
09:00 Saturday Breakfast- John Sherlock, Mary Margaret O'Dea & Brendan Healy
10:00 Plane Talking with Paul Ryan.
11:30 Health & Parenting - with Grainne Ryan
12:00 Anything Goes with Tony Liston and Seamus Moore
13:00 Saturday Lunch - with Andrew Kelly
14:00 Cultures & Customs - with Tony McMahon
15:00 Back to Basics - beating the recession in style.
15:30 SportsNet with Paul Horan and his expert panel.
17:00 The Arts Show - with Tina G
18:00 Ceol 's Caint le Seamus O'Rian
19:00 The West Wind - Jim Armour
20:00 Keeping it Country - Frank Connaire
21:00 Jet Sounds with Ciaran Barrett
22:00 Sonic Boom with Rory Quin
23:00 Closedown
Paddy Halton on the control deck
When I was there last Saturday week Paul Ryan was being his avuncular self hosting the magazine programme “Plane Talking” with the Mayor of Shannon, no less, as one of his guests. For her programme on health issues following afterwards Grainne Ryan covered items of interest including the expected surge in Swine Flu with local schools reopening. A valid concern because you never know where teachers have been during the summer! The Station Chairman, Paddy Halton, meanwhile was manning the control booth and this interloper’s main function was to provide coffee and bacon butties! It has entirely voluntary staffing and goes out on 88.1 FM and on the internet and as well as helping community identity it provides valuable media training for those involved. It is good to see JET-FM having a very visible and public “shop window” in the centre of this unique town and I hope Shannon Community Radio helps to sustain Shannon’s sense of identity for many years to come.
Jet-FM - Shannon Community Radio is licensed by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. The station may be contacted on 061 362 878 or by email
manager@shannoncommunityradio.org
Website;
www.shannoncommunityradio.org
No comments:
Post a Comment