Author: Dundalk FM

Dundalk FM wishes to submit an application to host the National Community Radio Day on Friday 18th June 2021. There is some information about last year’s event which was hosted by Phoenix FM in Blanchardstown on this link to the Craol website https://craol.ie/events/ The Programme and Technical Committee has put some ideas together and this is what we have come up with so far: Dedicated programming from 10 pm – 4 pm with an NCRD First Cut Special from 6 pm– 7 pm and 1-hour shows outside these times, although from 7 pm we have the Build Up and Match Commentary. Each hour will be hosted by one or two volunteers. We could possibly use youtube/OBS to Livestream some parts of the day. We are asking our presenters for 3 things: 1 Suggestions for 15-minute featurettes during the day. 2.Presenters to volunteer to host/co-host 1 x hour during the day. 3. Volunteers to help to produce one of the featurettes listed below – this would mean pre-recording interviews with Community Radio presenters on Zoom or Cleanfeed. We will ask Craol Stations to pre-record some inserts for the day, for example: A Good Luck message. Craol Awareness raising promos about the CR movement in Ireland with a diversity of accents and in different languages. Each station could do a 3 minutes – 5 minutes slot about their station when it was set up, how many people are involved, about their locality, followed by a local singer/band. Station Challenge – which station can do the most ‘Keepie Uppies’ in 60 seconds with a specially commissioned NCRD ’21 Craol Football 🙂 Each station could do a slot about a community group that makes a show e.g. sports, community group e.g. HOTM, Toastmasters, Then between the hours of 10.00 am and 4.00 pm, the hosts/co-hosts would introduce one of the 15 minute pre-recorded features during each half-hour. Time Feature 1 Feature 2 10 Chair Dundalk FM Interview /Welcome – Craol Chairperson BAI CEO or Chairperson AMARC Chairperson President Higgins Interview with the oldest station and newest temp station 11 CRAOL Community partners e.g. Aontas Craol Initiatives – Newsroom, QQI Training 12 Craol Achievement Award Winners (play 30 seconds of an audio clip) New programming from Craol Stations e.g. American Football, Russian Group etc 1 Link up the same groups e.g. Lion’s Club in Ros FM in Ireland/abroad Senior Citizens Panel Discussion – e.g. origin of Local Sayings. 2 Discussion – Remote Working/Broadcasting during Lockdown Craol International – examples of collaboration NEAR FM & European Community Radio Stations, Dundalk FM and WROL 950 AM simulcast on St Patrick’s Day. 3 Sports Shows on CR Ireland New Radio Documentaries aired on CR stations. If you are available to contribute your suggestions and experience, please join us on Monday 29th March at 10.30 am via Zoom when we will be finalising the application.

Celebrate World Radio Day in Dundalk 2025 Dundalk FM invited community groups and listeners to a very special event on Thursday 13th February – World Radio Day – a ‘Social Benefit in Community Radio’ Conference in the Tallon Suite, Gateway Hotel, Dundalk. The conference brought together presenters and contributors to hear how being a member of the station has enhanced their lives, community development and educational work. After lunch participants practiced reading News, Sports, Weather and community notices. Radio station staff gave instructions on using technology such as audio editing software and how to record to a Digital Recorder.  This was the first such conference in the country and was a model for the Community Radio and Media Sector in Ireland. Pat Byrne and Marissa Lucchesi broadcast live from the Gateway between 10am and 12pm and community groups had the opportunity to outline their plans for 2025 and highlight forthcoming events. Dundalk FM, which is celebrating 20 years on air, was able to bring this event thanks to a Sound and Vision Social Benefit Project which is funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee. Watch the complete event on Youtube David Larkin, speaking on behalf of the Chairperson Community Radio in Dundalk has reached a milestone insofar it has been a fully licenced station now for 20 years – it began as a weekend pilot service radio in 2002, and was awarded a full licence in 2004. The frequency has changed over the years from 107 to 100 to 97.7FM. The make up of our community in Dundalk has also changed. It has grown in size, it has attracted major business investments, it has wide ranging educational services. Dundalk has a thriving community and voluntary sector, which along with sports facilities and arts venues means that Dundalk FM is busy keeping listeners up to date with developments. Keeping Community members informed and aware of what is happening around their community is Social Benefit Number 3. Three of six that we are going to explore today with the help of presenters and community group representatives. As part of funding that the station received from Round 48 of the Sound and Vision Community Benefit Round, the station decided to invite Community Groups to a one day workshop to explore and document the social benefit stories of their involvement with the station. Thank you for coming along today and I hope we will encourage you to think think about the station as a place where programmes are made – yes, but also a place where people’s lives are enhanced through gaining skills and confidence and that your sense of identity and belonging is increased by engaging with the station Anita Guest Hello my name is Anita Guest, and I’m a member and radio presenter at Dundalk FM. I present a radio show called Rehab Care On Air every Thursday night at 9 I go to Rehab Care 4 days a week, I’m an independent person and can speak up for myself. I like music, puzzles, word searches, computer games and knitting. I first came to Dundalk FM in 2004 with my friends from Rehab Care, Jason Kelly and Oliver Hanratty to learn how to do a radio show. We signed up to do A Learn About Radio Course with Paddy Mac and Edel McMullen who worked at the station. I was nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect and I was anxious about using the radio equipment and speaking in to the microphone and hearing my voice. Over the last 20 years, I have recorded one off special shows including Spotlight, Alphabeats, Spooky Halloween shows and Christmas Specials. I present my own Rehab Care On Air Show every Thursday night at 9 O’ Clock and I also received a CRAOL Achievement Award for my documentary The History And People Of Rehab Care Dundalk I represented Dundalk FM at the Craol Achievement Awards Ceremony 2023 with my mam and Dundalk FM Station Manager Alan Byrne at the CRAOL Féile in The Sheradon Hotel Athlone. I’ve learned a lot at Dundalk FM, like how to put a running order together, how to do a playlist, how to research, how to use a digital recorder and how to record and save a show using a sound desk, microphone and computer. I love coming in to Dundalk FM because its a big achievement for me to be able to do my own show. The staff have always been very kind to me and always helped me with recording and editing, and Tony who works at the station helps me to make promos for the show. I love meeting people at the station and having the craic and a laugh with them. I pre-record the show on Friday afternoon and it is Broadcast the following Thursday night. My mam and me listen to it at home together and she is very proud of me for being able to do it. Ebony Devlin I heard about Dundalk FM because my mum told me about it, and I told her that I was a massive fan of radio, I always loved radio from a young age – it was the way I saw the world. My mum asked Paddy Mac if I could come into the studio. It was really fun. It was really exciting. So the next thing was that I put my name down for a Radio Course with Marissa. I found it easy enough. I just basically did the mic training and everyone else did the editing. I couldn’t do that because I’m visually impaired. I put in a programme proposal and recorded a demo for a show called ‘A Little Bit Of Everything’. The demo was easy because you had to basically pretend you were doing your show and you got to introduce the songs. And I got it. Now I have my own show Before I come in, I have to listen to the songs online. I basically do my own song list and build my