When is Newstalk going National?

cashback

I'm just wondering because I heard a lot about it a few months ago and not so much recently.
I'm just looking for an alternative to wall to wall pop music as offered by 2fm, Today Fm and *shudder* Beat Fm.

billy the squid

The local hospital station moved frequency to facilitate the new NewsTalk frequency down here so it has to be soon enough.

yamo

as far as i've heard, it's the first week in october. expect an announcement of their national lineup later in the week. think they are still finalising details of staffing etc.

Our man in Havana

Any test transmissions yet?

cashback

Right, so something is happening.
I also heard that Radio 1 was changing it's schedule to compete with it. Pat Kenny extending to 1pm for example.

flogen

Was just listening to Newstalk a minute ago and the presenter said that people were texting in saying they had problems tuning the station, he seemed to say it was something to do with test transmissions for the national launch and that people should just re-tune 106FM and save it; also said that that frequency would remain the same for the Dublin area after the national launch.

SimonMaher

flogen wrote:

Was just listening to Newstalk a minute ago and the presenter said that people were texting in saying they had problems tuning the station, he seemed to say it was something to do with test transmissions for the national launch and that people should just re-tune 106FM and save it; also said that that frequency would remain the same for the Dublin area after the national launch.

They changed the RDS stuff today so thats whats confusing car radios and the like. People just need to re-memorise the station on their presets and its done. Should be hearing tests on the other TXs soon.

Pete

DMC

Has anyone got the confirmed transmitter locations and frequencies Newstalk are to use?

The only reference I can see is on Newstalk licence application, and at that, there is some assumed information.

Our man in Havana

I had a test on 106.7 from Mt. Leinster. Very weak tx btw.

yamo

today's herald is saying that ger gilroy and clare byrne are going to be the hosts of the new breakfast show on newstalk.

would they have been better off leaving gilroy there on his own? i'm not convinced about the merits of double headers when it comes to radio shows.

Bard

According to their press release:

Taken from http://www.newstalk.ie/pressreleases_2.htm

Newstalk 106 was granted the Quasi-National licence by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) today (Monday, 22nd May). Subject to final contract negotiations, it is planned that the new radio station will be up and running by October of this year, providing a brand new voice in national talk radio.

bkehoe

Mt Leinster will be 107.2MHz, and the transmitter has yet to be connected to the antenna system.

DMC

Bard wrote:

According to their press release:

Also there....

Newstalk Press Release wrote:

It's successful news and talk formula, which features high-profile presenters including George Hook, Orla Barry, Sean Moncrieff, Ger Gilroy and Eamon Dunphy, will now be available to listeners across the country.

Hindsight is a great yoke.

Our man in Havana

bkehoe wrote:

Mt Leinster will be 107.2MHz, and the transmitter has yet to be connected to the antenna system.

Dunno what the hell I picked up on 106.7 the other day so.

patrickmooney

The lineup was meant to have been released today. Can't find anything about it online *yet*.

Big Tone

Received in Cork last week on 107

bkehoe

Weather permitting, there may be a test from Mt Leinster after midnight tonight if anyone's staying up late. If Beat (on 102.0) goes off air for a few minutes after midnight, then it means work is in progress.

Our man in Havana

Probably a bit stormy for a test.

If Beat (on 102.0) goes off air for a few minutes after midnight

We can only hope.

bkehoe

It'll be tomorrow night now

DMC

The frequencies are now up on www.newstalk.ie site
There is also a PDF map of roughly where the transmitters are.

( www.newstalk106.ie now redirects to the former.)

http://www.newstalk.ie/national-frequency.htm

Location  	Frequency
Hollywell Hill 	FM106.90
Truskmore	FM107.40
Mohercrome	FM107.40
Kilitimagh	FM107.20
Ardagh		FM106.90
3 Rock		FM106
Saggart		FM107.60
Maghera		FM107.60
Kilduff		FM107.80
Wicklow Head	FM107
Wood Cock Hill	FM107
Mount Leinster	FM107.2
Gorey		FM107.8
Knockmoyle	FM107.20
Nagels		FM107
Dungarvan	FM107.60
Mullaghanish	FM107.4
Cork City	FM107.8

byte

Ah, good stuff, DMC.

I'll be using a combination of both Holywell and Trusky.

egal

No Clermont?

DMC

Newstalk has signed the contracts with the BCI today, and will launch ahead of schedulle THIS FRIDAY, 29th.

DMC

egal wrote:

No Clermont?

No. Mohercrome/Loughanlea (between Bailieborough/Kingscourt) 107.4 is covering most of the region.

byte

This Friday! Woo! Will check it out then. Thanks for the info.

oscarBravo

Kilitimagh FM107.20

Cool - that confirms my suspicion.

I'm driving a loaner car while the van is in the hospital, and I was thumbing through the presets. I was very surprised to hear the Newstalk test transmission (haven't been paying attention), but mostly I was surprised at where I picked it up: on the stretch of road between Foxford and Ballina that's a near-total radio blackspot. I sez to myself, I sez: that has to be transmitting from Shraheens.

Nice to have a theory confirmed - even nicer to have Newstalk available, and from a location that gives decent coverage in most of the places I spend my time in the van.

I'm getting the Gorey tx perfect here on 107.8 with the trailer loop.
Also picking up a much weaker wicklow head and weaker still is mt leinster.
I'll be using the Gorey one.

Delighted with this \o/

Mossy Monk

nowt in Dungarvan atm

CrowdedHouse

Loud and clear on 107.2 107.6 &107.8 around here today

Genghis

Yeah, 107.2 from Mt Leinster was clear most of the weekend. This morning before 7 when 'Newstalk Dublin' were re-running some show, 107.2 were pumping out an open-mike style looped trailer for each of its shows.

I only managed to hear two people - the head of news - who asserts that Newstalk 'really is' different; and my friend Orla Barry. She would like everyone in the country know that her show is intelligent, controversial and 'some times infuriatingly so'.

I also notice some Cork ads are already running nationwide.

Anyone know when the actual launch is on Friday? i.e. Would it be midday, or (as in 2001), when the Breakfast Show goes on air?

Finally, any update on the bould Claire Byrne? She's was still reading stories on tv3 last night.

DMC

It will be launching at 6:30am on Friday.

cashback

For a station that's launching at 6.30am on Friday, I haven't seen one bit of advertising yet on a nationwide scale. Maybe I just haven't seen it but nothing in Independent or on TV.
I know it's launching ahead of schedule but still. Not many will know about it.

darkbeatz

happy days just picked it up on 107.2 myself here in rathvilly. chuffed

Genghis

Thanks DMC re: 6:30am start.

In answer to my other question, Claire Byrne is forzen out until November.

Two more observations.

The presenters are having a tough time of it remembering what the station is actually called. Montcrieff and Off the Ball had difficulty yesterday, Montcrieff even acknowledging his mistakes.

- 'Newstalk 106' is embedded in all their minds,
- 'Newstalk 106-108' is preferred for jingles, etc
(ever since Century, every Irish station never neglects to include their frequency in every promotional message), whereas
- plain old 'Newstalk' is to be used when referring to the station live on air (as in 'Text Newstalk now').

Yesterday I even heard Hookie saying ... "and you can e-mail the show; our e-mail address hasn't changed in over 4 years, and it is therighthook@newstalk106.ie". As far as I know the website and addresses are about to change to @newstalk.ie - it seemed funny that G. Hook should draw attention to it never changing before just when it should be changed.

Secondly - Newstalk have introduced new 'news jingles'. The opening and ending sequence are alright in a 'rolling TV news' kind of way, but one thing that needs to go is the music beneath the newsreader. You know the sort of thing - 98FM (Elaine Gerathy, CEO of Newstalk former station) use it because they are afraid that their licensing requirement to move away from music for 5 minutes every hour will drop listeners if they don't embellish the bulletin with background music.

Well, Ms Gerathy, Newstalk is supposed to be about talk. Get rid of the annoying background music right away and let us listen to the news / talk.

Mossy Monk

still nothing in Dungarvan. in the car i can get it on 107.2 and 107.4 with RDS. 107.6 is still blank

107.2 is obviously Mount Leinster. 107.4 Mullaghanish? fair distance if it is but then Radio Kerry can be gotten on 97.0 FM

parasite

there's a newstalk promo running on 107.4/107.8 in cork city, but i can only get it in mono

Mossy Monk

107.6 in Dungarvan is now up and running

will wake up tomorrow to hopefully some good radio
hurray

btw, is the 5 live simulcast for live football still going to be on Newstalk?

darkbeatz

^^ dont see why not

DMC

parasite wrote:

there's a newstalk promo running on 107.4/107.8 in cork city, but i can only get it in mono

It's not in Stereo in Dublin, as it does broadcast in mono.

byte

The Truskmore tests have been running for the past 2 days, with occasional signal fluctuations. Haven't picked up Holywell Hill yet on 106.9

On a side note, I noticed a new (I think) radio station on 106.8 here in Letterkenny, it's called TCR Country and had constant changing RDS info with mobile numbers etc scrolling. Dunno if the 2 will conflict each other as they're only 0.1MHz apart?

Our man in Havana

Is this a skull and crossbones station?

CrowdedHouse

Bond-007 wrote:

Is this a skull and crossbones station?

No - fully authorised


There wasn't much/any fanfare at the 6:30 start

Genghis

CrowdedHouse wrote:

No - fully authorised


There wasn't much/any fanfare at the 6:30 start

They saved that for 8am. Big news bulletin now.

I have been listening since 7, and I have to say - fair play to them. It sounds excellent, and I - as someone who works in Dublin but lives in the Midlands - am delighted.

I was a little surprised to hear Claire Byrne - there must have been some last minute settlement with TV3. And, she has, so far been excellent - got well stuck in to Enda Kenny; Ger Gilroy is also proving better than usual, and they work very well together as a team. It comes across as much younger and progressive than Morning Ireland and still a high quality format.

Good luck to all in Newstalk.

Milktrolley

Genghis wrote:

I was a little surprised to hear Claire Byrne - there must have been some last minute settlement with TV3. And, she has, so far been excellent - got well stuck in to Enda Kenny

Don't expect to hear her on-air tomorrow! From Six-One. Although there was a trailer for Newstalk 106-108 during that bulletin which featured Claire - assuming there's no problems there then.

I was very surprised with the low amount of advertising ahead of its launch. I learned it went live by chance as I stumbled onto their Wikipedia page after I began researching Don't Feed the Gondolas. Of course I've seen plenty of ads, both print and television, since.