The "Dublin's Country 106.8FM" thread

[Hack]

A plethora of rumours going around the Eist weekend in Sligo that presenters are on one-third wages, sackings in the offing, no money coming in, backers not backing etc. Anyone confirm?

[JamesDeane]

Have heard that one also, on the Sligo note, how was it, I totally forgot and thought of it on Sunday!

I'm not surprised by the news from Dublins Country, they are getting it so wrong.

[Hack]

Only heard from a third party who bothered to go... couldn't face a five and a half hour drive.

He said it took a while to warm up but apparently Phil Cawley's DJ set was a great laugh, taking the piss outta the BCI attendance "This is another Irish track, am I keeping to quota?" and every so often whipping the fader down on a track and saying "Now we'll take a break for the news".
Attendance was better than expected but still down on last year.

[reindeer]

Well, Pam Wilson has gone back to Live 95FM in Limerick, where she was previously with RLO and then 95FM.

So i guess someone's not happy.

[Guest]

I can't see it lasting at all. Does ANYBODY actually listen to it?

Country music fans wouldn't be bothered, its not what they want from a radio station.

Ironically, there'd be too much country for people who dont like the music. And you either love or hate it, lets be honest.

The solution is to go all out country or change the terms of their license and do what everybody else is doing.

[RadioFriend]

The reason that this Radio Station is failing is because they are not a country Station……………….

Its all very well to be trying to fill your playlist with Chelly Wright, Reba and Vince Gill but please trust me if you want this Station to be the Radio Station in Dublin you need to play wall to wall Declan Nerney and Paddy O’Brien.
I don’t know why but people go crazy for all this Country and Irish Music?
:(

[quntum]

Personally I agree with what been said, it's not playing the music it was licensed to play. I also think that there isn't such a market for the music at present and I believe the K.I.C. FM crowed should be brought back and let the music be played for the sheer love and enjoyment if it.
Anyone where any of the K.I.C. FM crowed have gone?? They had some good presenters like Keith Murphy, John Leonard, Shay Harper, Darren Mahon, Mike Ryan ???

[Pierce]

Why dont they just go out and get the Kic FM jocks to run the station. They did it and they did it good. KIC were so good that they had to be taken down before country came on. Come on Country can you no copy the the pro's. Country means country!!!

[Guest]

Bob Conways on in the morning, no presenter after him and then Les Vickers come's on for a few hours !!!
We know that Pam is gone, but where is Gerry Wilson Gone??

Anyone know whats really going on??



P.S. Where was Les Vickers before he come to Country 106.8fm

[Guest]

Also, Steven Keogh does weekends on FM104. He's on this Sat between 1 and 6pm.

[Guest]

Yeah things must be Bad @ Country 106.fm if Stevo Keogh has to work the weekends on FM104. I think he's a great jock and his talents are wasted on Country.

Country is going way downhill, for god sake they have some sort of amateur on for the Breakfast Show, Declan Finn i think his name is. He repeats himself no end??!?!?

What ya think, have a listen i think 7am - 10am @ the weekends.

[Guest]

Yeah, i heard that Declan Finn this morning, he's really bad, God Bless him!

[JamesDeane]

I wonder, they are sounding a little more country from what i have heard in the last few weeks, i would love to get the chance to run the station and make it a success!

Cant be brain surgery!

[DarrinWard]

They can't have long - what a rediculous idea in the first place!!

Did this station invest any money whatsoever in market research to predetermine if it would be even remotely successful??

You wanna know what REALLY bugs me though. You can't blame the guys over at country 106 - Hell if I was given a liscense I'd accept it no questions asked - but what the hell were the odtr / irtc or whoever deals with these things thinking when wasting a liscense on this trash.

Can they really expect pirate radio to simply dissapear whilst the public are subject to the ongoing trash currently provided by legal radio in this country??

Can they be expecting to much?? HELL YEAH.

In my opinion the IRTC need to get their thumb OUT of their ass and do some work.

I know for a fact that I could create about 5 different radio stations tomorrow (given the funding was not a problem) for about 5 different markets..

So - if these markets still need to be addressed then why on earth are those LAZY ass puta madres (spanish - look it up) sitting on their ass's doing nothing.

Phantom FM cater for a market which is just not covered by legal radio, as do Jazz FM.

C'mon guys - Get my TAX DOLLARS to work now and get off yer lazy hole!!

[Pierce]

look if Kic fm could do it they can. I am not a great fan of country but I think we need it we need a variety of music stations on the band . All i say is if you are going to do it do it right...

[Trinity]

Look in response to you all. Country will never work as a format for a Dublin Station. Country will work as a national station if they play lots of "hairy bacon " stuff.

Harvey & Brown had very respectable jocks. Gerry Wilson, Stephan Keogh, even Pam Wilson.....but they had no BUCKS....no money no fun. No ADS lads that was the problem and advertisers did not what to touch them. Come on....it all starts at the top.......They should never have been given the licence

For those who are interested Pam Wilson is back in Limerick , Stephan Keogh is weekending on 104 and Gerry .......????

[Euan Roberts]

Forget Country 106, Hey what were BCI thinking of when they granted this licence to people not remotely interested in Country music as a Art which it is.

You name Gerry Wilson, Bob Conway, Stephen Keogh, these guys have sweet all knowledge of this music. All three were hired obviously because the money was good at the time and nothing else. Its a joke.

Anyhow, the pressing problem for Country is how they managed to forget about their marketing stragedy in addition to been allowed on the air in the first place. It beats me. Hello, Branding, Promotions, Advertising, and Public Relations. What happened guys. With all their money and investment at the start of this venture, now look at them.

I honestly think, the Broadcasting Commission aside from them been a pretty useful Media Body should readvertise a licence for a special music in either the Jazz or Alternative areas of music. Preferably, something like Phanthom FM.

[aki ross]

Personnaly I don't blame the BCI.

They are not the ones who didn't properly promote the station.
They are not the ones who seemed to be in an identity crisis soon after coming on air.
They are not the ones who changed their name a few times in as many months.
They are not the ones who alineated genuine Country Listeners by NOT playing country
They are not the ones who hired BIG named jocks, who were not respected by the Country music Fraternity.
NO! It is not the BCI's fault.

The fault lays directly at the door of the Programmers and Directors of the station concerned.

Someone said that they probably didn't do enough market research. I don't know about that, but it sure seems that way.

A Country station CAN work in Dublin. Look at KIC. Go as far back as Treble TR.

It can work, but only if you programme to the Country Fan. They are a hard, loyal, disserning and critical bunch, but they are damn loyal, that's for sure. A small loyal audience, captive if you want, can be squeezed for more cash than a wishy washy transcient audience.

Does that makes sense to anybody out there?

[Euan Roberts]

Excellent points Aki Ross, i guess the 106.8 should be doing what doing what you suggested a long time ago. Now look at them. Your right Treble TR was a highly successful station back in the 80's. For God's sake if a easy listening such as Lite Fm can work and capture a 12% audience reach and have a market share of 9% after 2 years, hell what's so different about achieving the same results with a country station.Agressive audience Research, Marketing, Promotions, Public Relations, Branding, programming, you name the list goes on. Now 106.8, get your act together.

[Mike]

Id take issue with Aki's point about not blaming the BCI.

They are the ones who generally have been paranoid about risk-taking and any form of innovation ever since the century collapse

They are the ones who fear the free market that they supposedy operate in and see the need to protect well healed investors from their own stupidity

They are the ones who are supposed to analyse each application with a fine tooth comb to asses its business soundness and expertise of its applicants

They are the ones gave this licence to Country because they had doubts about the feasability of another applicant who had already been operating successfully for several years and were applying for the second time

They are the ones who have dragged their hells for years about licencing new services (and in most parts of the country are still doing so) because of the fear that either new stations could go bust or threaten the profitibility of existing cosy monopolies despite the fact that they were (supposedly) bring about more competition and not just substitute new monopolies for old

[Eric]

Hear they gained 2% for first 6 months - not bad with zero marketing behind them.

Will it increase the asking price, as it's common knowledge that the station is up for sale!

[JamesDeane]

They had marketing, I remember seeing the station logo all over bins in the ILAC centre and Liffey Valley.

It's a poor result and they have missed the mark.

Would not mind buying in if I had the cash, it could be a successful station if handled right.

Wonder what is is worth?

[Mike Flynn]

Irish Independent
www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=184&si=819641&issue_id=7976

TWO unsuccessful applicants for Dublin's 'special music licence' are seeking legal advice after Scottish Radio Holdings (SRH) agreed to buy the troubled station which won the licence.

Two of the short-listed applicants, Phantom FM and Jazz FM have spoken to lawyers and are planning to go to the Competition Authority.

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has approved 'in principle' SRH's decision to buy Dublin's Country, which was backed by Crimeline's David Harvey and businessman Paul Coulson.

The country music station had failed to meet audience targets and was eating up cash with expenses running at €100,000 a week. However, the sale has angered a number of the consortia which had bid for the licence.

Simon Maher of Phantom FM said that questions had to be raised about the transferability of radio licences. "If an operator can't fulfil the licence requirements, the licence should go straight back (to the BCI) to be re-awarded," he said.

Oliver Dowling of Jazz FM said that the sale of the station would be unfair and that the tender process should be carried out again. BCI rules, set in October, state that radio staions could not be within two years of the licence being awarded.

[Mike]

Best of luck lads I think most of us are sick to death at this stage at the way the BCI bends over to accomodate stations who dont want to play by its own rules (The reawarding of the Mayo licence to Bogwest being a case in point)