Radio blackout leaves locals without a voice as station closes after 14 years

A MAJOR part of the south-east faces a local radio blackout from tonight as one of the country’s most successful community station goes off the air.

Radio Kilkenny closes today, with the loss of 30 jobs, and it will be several months before the new station which won the new franchise licence for the Kilkenny/Carlow area last year goes on the air, leaving the two counties without a local voice.

Kilkenny/Carlow Local Radio (KCLR) had hoped to go on the air once Radio Kilkenny shut down. But a protracted legal action, which included the threat of a Supreme Court challenge to its license loss, delayed the process and made recruiting and fixing a start date impossible.

The new consortium which will run the replacement station last night admitted it could be several months before they are ready to go on air.

It also leaves programme producers, presenters and the station’s technical and administrative staff on the dole as the New Year beckons.

The final programme on Radio Kilkenny will be presented tonight by long-serving staff member, Johnny Barry. The station goes off the air at 1am tomorrow after 14 years.

KCLR broadcasting chief, John Purcell, said when the group won the licence in 2002, it had been hoped the transition from one station to another would have been smooth. But this has not been the case, with the High Court challenge and the threat of a Supreme Court hearing.

“Normally it would take between nine9 and 12 months to get a station up and running. But it has only been two and-a-half months since the legal threat was dropped.

“I regret that the people of Kilkenny will be without a local service for some time. We hope to be able to announce a start up date soon.”

“It has been a very difficult time for everyone over the past few months, not least the staff of Radio Kilkenny. We didn’t want it to be like that but it’s the way it is,” said Mr Purcell.

“We now want to look ahead and sincerely reassure people that the station will be locally based.

Radio Kilkenny had been due to go off the air at the end of September but was granted a three month licence extension. And while it was offered a further extension, taking it into the Nnew Yyear, that option was not seen by the station’s board as financially viable.