In Cork the big stations were ERI (1982–1988) and the original (1982–1984) South Coast Radio. ERI unsuccessfully applied for a commercial licence in the area in 1989 under the name 'Sound of the South'. Subsequently its studio and transmission facilities were leased to a new licensed station, the then 'Radio South' in 1989, allowing this new station to come on air relatively quickly. Radio South was relaunched in July 1990 as 96FM and eventually bought out by County Sound in February 1991 with the original 4 shareholders selling all their shares to the Mallow based station.
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Outside of Cork city in County Cork, the two most significant stations during the 1980s were the Bandon-based WKLR, and NCCR (North Cork Community Radio), which broadcast from the old Majestic Ballroom in Mallow. WKLR (West Cork Local Radio) founded in 1984, initially intended for the West Cork area, but towards the end of the station's life had extended its transmission to cover Cork city and much of the rest of Co. Cork. The close-down night of NCCR in Mallow on the 31st December 1988 was struck by tragedy, when local farmer and former presenter and shareholder of the station - Pat O'Connor - who was participating in an interview - collapsed and died suddenly during a commercial break. The station immediately announced it was closing earlier than planned "due to unforeseen circumstances". Pat O'Connor had also been a brief national celebrity was he was chosen as a representative of rural Ireland to guest present an edition of the 'Saturday Live' chat show on RTÉ TV in 1987, however his RTÉ appearance meant he had to resign his involvement in the pirate NCCR to avoid controversy beforehand, and did not appear on NCCR again until the closedown night. NCCR had come into being in 1985 when a community co-operative took over the ownership of a previous station - NCLR (North Cork Local Radio) that had been in existence since 1981.
Another well remembered pirate station in County Cork was Community Radio Youghal (CRY), whose existence, (like NCLR in Mallow) was ironically inspired by a stint in the town of RTÉ's mobile community radio station (which provided temporary community radio services during visits to dozens of towns nationwide in the 1980s). CRY had been on air for almost a decade and was one of the longest surviving pirates in Ireland when it closed at the end of 1988. CRY returned to the airwaves 7 years later in 1995 with a licence
The 90's also saw the birth of one of Cork's most memorable pirate stations, Radio Friendly. Radio Friendly provided Corkonians with music from the "Underground" DJs of Cork, some from the infamous Sir Henry's nightclub at the time and its DJs included Stevie G and Greg & Shane of Fish Go Deep. The station got its name from its owners MR P, Miss Ken D and some Djs from Dublin's Power FM. The original transmitter was the original Power 98.7FM equipment. Radio Friendly for most of its existence were on 104.6FM but moved to 104.0FM in late 2001 until its closure.
Another big station in the late 90s early 00's was Kiss 105.5FM which had a more commercial side than Radio Friendly and was aimed at a younger audience, such DJs such as Colin Edwards, Damien Sreenan, Dave Newman and Derek O Keefe were regulars on this, it closed down in 2001. Kiss actually first appeared on 105.3FM, but moved to 105.5 some months later after they extended coverage. They later introduced another transmitter for the north Cork area on 107.1 lasting until it broke down.
The main pirate station in Cork was Kiss 94.8, but they have been the subject of much Comreg attention and have been raided several times having broadcasting equipment confiscated. The most recent relaunch of Kiss 94.8 lasted only 3 weeks with the station being raided once again (13/08/2008 13:00) and all equipment was confiscated while off air. This is believed to be due to the popularity of the station which poses a financial threat to other licensed broadcasters in the area. However Kiss made a surprising return they now however broadcasting on 88.9 as another station is currently now on its old frequency 88.7.
GalaxyFm now after Changing to NRGFM 88.7MHZ
NOTE : The below data may not be accurate but gives a rough idea of what was on air in Cork.
- 100.6 Heat Fm [2004] - 101.5 Buzz Fm [2003-2005] - 101.5 Fresh Fm [2005] - 101.5 Static Fm [2006] - 101.5 Rush Fm [2006] - 102.3 Vintage Fm [2002] - 104.0 X-Fm [2005] (was KLUB FM) ---- 104.6 Radio Friendly [1996-2001] ---- 104.0 Radio Friendly [2001-2002] - 105.5 Kiss Fm [1999-2001] - 107.1 Kiss FM [2000?] North Cork transmitter of the above Kiss FM - 106.7 Liquid Radio [May 2011] - 105.0 Galaxy [1 Month 2006] - 106.5 Nrg Fm [2004] became Kiss FM - 106.5 Kiss Fm [2004-2006] ---- 94.8 Kiss Fm [2006-2008] ---- 87.8 Kiss Fm [2009] ---- 88.7 Kiss Fm [2009] ---- 95.5 Pulse Fm [2005 - 2007] ----106.5 Pulse Fm [? -2010] - 105.2 Freak Fm [2004] - 106.5 Spin Fm [2006] - 106.5 Heat Fm [2006] - 107.4 BPM [2004] - 107.4 Fresh Fm [2005] - 107.4 Galaxy [2004 - 2005] - 107.4 Tech Fm [2006] - 107.5 Spin Fm [2006] - 107.5 Phantom [2007] - 87.7 Sub Fm [2005 - 2006] - 87.7 Heat Fm [2006] - 93.1 Heat Fm [2004 - 2005] - 94.8 Tech Fm [2003] - 105.2 Dream Fm [2006 - 2007] Station in Clonakilty - 93.3 Touch Fm [2007] - 104.0 Rush Fm [2007] - 104.0 Klub FM [2000 -?] - 104.2 Klub Fm [2000 - 2007] - 94.8 Club Fm [1999 - 2000] - 105.2 Vibe Fm [2007] - 101.5 Storm Fm [2007] - 97.4 Galaxy [2008 - 2009] -100.5 Galaxy [2009] - 87.8 Galaxy [2009] -88.7 Galaxy (2011) -87.8 ice-fm (2011) -100.5 buzz-fm (2011) -88.9 Kiss-FM (2011)
| Name | Frequency | Genre | RDS | Stereo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radio NOW | 87.8 MHz | HD&T [house Dance & trance] | yes | Yes |
| NRGFm | 88.7MHz | Dance/R&B | Yes | Yes |
| KissFM/off air | 88.9MHZ | Dance & R&B | Yes | Yes |