North West Radio
Encyclopedia
North West Radio was a radio station that broadcast to south County Donegal
, north County Leitrim
and throughout County Sligo from 1989 to 2004. It was a sister station of Mid-West Radio (MWR) and was replaced by Ocean FM
. The station had studios in Sligo Town and Donegal Town.
Throughout its history, NWR topped listener polls and had won several high profile awards. At the time of the removal of its license it was the most listened to local station in the Republic of Ireland
, with a daily listenership figure of 64%.
The decision to give the license to Ocean FM was a controversial one and split the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) three votes to three, with the chair casting the deciding vote in favour of the new station. The Commission argued that it had done so because the link up between NWR and MWR meant that not enough programmes were being produced by N.W.R. and that the station did little to attract younger listeners. These claims were denied by the CEO of NWR and MWR, Paul Claffey, who said that it amounted to Dublin telling people in the north west what kind of station they should listen to.
The decision was also unpopular with many of the residents of Counties Sligo and Leitrim, and a group to save the station was established and around 5,000 marched on the Dáil in Dublin demanding a reversal of the awarding of the license away from NWR.
Many people in the south of County Donegal
would have preferred to have received Highland Radio
from Letterkenny
instead of N.W.R., or Ocean FM, for that matter, from Sligo Town.
North West Radio stopped broadcasting on midnight, 30 September, 2004, with Amhrán na bhFiann
being the last track played.
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, north County Leitrim
County Leitrim
County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
and throughout County Sligo from 1989 to 2004. It was a sister station of Mid-West Radio (MWR) and was replaced by Ocean FM
Ocean FM (Ireland)
Ocean FM is a local radio station that broadcasts to parts of the northwest of Ireland. The station covers the area of south County Donegal, north County Leitrim and most of County Sligo and it broadcasts into parts of south-west County Fermanagh. It started broadcasting on 1 October 2004,...
. The station had studios in Sligo Town and Donegal Town.
Throughout its history, NWR topped listener polls and had won several high profile awards. At the time of the removal of its license it was the most listened to local station in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, with a daily listenership figure of 64%.
The decision to give the license to Ocean FM was a controversial one and split the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) three votes to three, with the chair casting the deciding vote in favour of the new station. The Commission argued that it had done so because the link up between NWR and MWR meant that not enough programmes were being produced by N.W.R. and that the station did little to attract younger listeners. These claims were denied by the CEO of NWR and MWR, Paul Claffey, who said that it amounted to Dublin telling people in the north west what kind of station they should listen to.
The decision was also unpopular with many of the residents of Counties Sligo and Leitrim, and a group to save the station was established and around 5,000 marched on the Dáil in Dublin demanding a reversal of the awarding of the license away from NWR.
Many people in the south of County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
would have preferred to have received Highland Radio
Highland Radio
Highland Radio is an Irish radio station operating under a licence from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, and is the licenced local radio service for the County Donegal franchise. It began broadcasting on March 15, 1990, and is currently franchised until 2014. Highland's headquarters are...
from Letterkenny
Letterkenny
Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...
instead of N.W.R., or Ocean FM, for that matter, from Sligo Town.
North West Radio stopped broadcasting on midnight, 30 September, 2004, with Amhrán na bhFiann
Amhrán na bhFiann
is the national anthem of Ireland. The music was composed by Peadar Kearney and Patrick Heeney, and the original English lyrics were authored by Kearney. It is sung in the Irish language translation made by Liam Ó Rinn. The song has three verses, but the national anthem consists of the chorus only...
being the last track played.