In tune with the Banner

A LOT has changed in the radio business in the past two decades but the objective for Clare FM is still the same – to celebrate and promote what is local.
This Friday the radio station based on Francis Street, Ennis celebrates 21 years of broadcasting, a feat not accomplished by many radio stations.
Throughout the years there have been major changes in media, largely due to huge advances in technology, and Clare FM has kept up with all of the changes, still providing the people of Clare, and nowadays much further afield, with a key radio service.
General manager of Clare FM, Susan Murphy, says it’s hard to believe the station has been around for 21 years, because there is still a real vibrance to the station.
Over the years a number of people who have gone on to achieve notoriety in the world of media have worked in Clare FM, including Rachael English, Alan Cantwell, Marty Morrissey, Áine Hensey, Caimin Jones, Dympna Moroney, Sinead Crowley, Joe MacRaollaigh, Aisling O’Loughlin and Siún Nic Ghearailt.
“Rachael English worked her as a news reporter when the station opened. She went straight from here to RTÉ and ended up presenting Five Seven Live and more recently Saturday View. Alan Cantwell was news editor for about five years in the 1990s. He went from Clare FM to INN and then on to TV3,” Susan explained.
“Marty Morrissey was head of news and sports when the station opened. He was here a relatively short time and went on to national broadcasting. Áine Hensey presented Miscovered Mountain, a traditional folk music programme with quite a lot of Irish. She went on to Raidio na Gaeltachta and RTÉ Radio.
They weren’t the only Clare FM alumni to head for the national broadcaster.
“Dympna Moroney was also a news reporter and went on to news reporting on RTÉ television, and is now editing the news on RTÉ. Sinead Crowley worked in news here and she now works on RTÉ entertainment news. Joe MacRaollaigh was a presenter and news journalist here and went on to work with TnaG news and is now with RTÉ news. Aisling O’Loughlin did work experience here and went on to the newsroom in TV3 and is now working with Xposé.
“Siun NicGhearailt did work experience here, and is now with TG4 news and RTÉ Nuacht. Caimin Jones was the first chief executive and presented On a Clare Day, and he now runs a successful communications business,” Susan recalled.
She spoke also of Dominic Considine, who was one of the early sales managers at Clare FM, who went on to set up Loyalty Build and is now a very successful international businessman.
Susan explained that Clare FM was the brainchild of the late Michael Evans and, along with Flan Galvin the former managing director of The Clare Champion, a consortium was formed to apply for one of the IRTC local radio licences in the late 1980s, under the name of Clare Community Holdings. They won the licence.
“Prior to that there were only pirate radio stations and there was really only the two RTÉ radio stations. So it was all new and so exciting for all involved and it was a wonderful opportunity.
“People were hugely enthusiastic about Clare having its own radio station. The approach of the station was always to celebrate what is local and to reflect that from early morning right through to late night programming.
“Our mission statement was that Clare FM would provide the people of Clare with a comprehensive radio service that reflects their individual communities as a whole. That was and still is our challenge, to keep what we do interesting and modern and local,” she commented.
In 1998, Liam O’Shea was appointed as general manager of Clare FM.
“He had huge experience having worked with RTÉ and working in radio and television abroad. The radio was going through a turbulent financial time at the time of his appointment, and he was responsible for turning the stations fortunes,” Susan added.
She was appointed as general manager in December 2009 and Mr O’Shea is now the chairman of the board.
Susan stressed that right from the start, Clare FM really pushed and promoted the station, with a considerably low budget. “Everybody did Trojan work do get the name Clare FM out there. The people of Clare really embraced the station from the start. They wanted a radio station of their own. They felt that Clare FM was and still is their voice, and loved having a radio station where their views could be aired,” she said.
She added that 21 years ago the radio station only had access within Clare, but now their audience is potentially much bigger, through the the likes of the internet and social networking sites.
“Our potential listenership is huge. That really raises the bar for us to reach out to the diaspora right across the world. So we have become much more than a local radio station, but our emphasis always has to remain on what is local and on delivering quality and innovative programmes.”
“Radio is so different from what it was 21 years ago. There have been so many advances in technology and we have to constantly move with them. There are also a lot more rules and regulations from the BCI, as well as increased charges such as broadcasting levies. We also have a much more diverse, multi-cultural listenership. The secret to all of this is to adapt and we can never allow ourselves to get into a comfort zone.”
Susan pointed out that Clare FM is lucky in that people as far as Castlebar can tune in.
“Clare FM is also listened to on The Aran Islands, in Connemara, North Kerry, North Tipperary, Limerick, as well as online with a potential worldwide audience. That gives us so much scope and opportunities in terms of what we cover,” she added.
She believes that the key to the future of Clare FM is harnessing the ideas, skills, knowledge, creativity and talents of staff at the radio station.
“We currently have 22 full time and 15 part-time staff. It’s important to pull everyone together,” she commented.
She said that radio serves two types of customers – the listeners and the advertisers.
“We cannot survive without either. In light of the current economic situation, particularly for our advertisers, it’s crucial that we work with them. 80% of our advertising business is repeat business. We have advertisers who have been with us from the start, so we have to put a huge focus on customer service and support for them. We also have a core audience of a couple of thousand who have been with us since the start. Sometimes they go for a short time, but they always come back,” Susan said.
Another key to the success of Clare FM, in the general manager’s opinion, is their chairman and board.
“We are very lucky that Liam O’Shea is a visionary person and very fortunate that we have a board who are very committed and supportive,” she said.
Susan added that Clare FM has a lot of plans for the future.
“Our short term strategy is to set achievable goals for our sales team, without compromising the quality of programming. Our medium to long-term strategy is to make the company stronger. Once digital radio comes into the region, we intend to apply for a digital licence. That is the future of radio. A brand like Clare FM is like a hungry animal, and it has to constantly be fed. It is a wonderful achievement to make it to 21 years and hopefully we’ll be here in another 21 years”
She said that Clare FM has been recognised both nationally and nationally as a leading light in radio broadcasting.
“We have represented the county and the radio industry on the national and international stage, competing with the best. We have won 26 awards including the New York Radio Awards, Celtic Film and Television Awards, and others spanning news, features, documentaries and sports.
The longest running show on Clare FM is Mike Gardiner’s Country Corner, which Susan added, is very popular.
“We also continue to broadcast 10 hours of traditional music every week on The West Wind and that has been the case for 21 years. The show has five different presenters and is a bit hit as a show. It is also podcast and is downloaded to a large extent,” she said. Sports coverage is also a huge thing for Clare FM. In 21 years they’ve had 2,500 outside broadcasts at matches across the country.
In the past month, Clare FM launched its radio app and in the first week it was downloaded 900 times.
This Friday, will mark the 21st birthday celebrations for the radio station. They will have three outside broadcasts taking place – The Breakfast Show with Paul Moriarty coming live from Patrick Burke’s window in Kilrush; The Ed Myers Show will be broadcast from a boat on the lake in Mountshannon, and The West Wind will come live from Bunratty Folk Park.
“Throughout the day there will also be loads of big giveaways. The celebrations will culminate in a 21st party in The Queens on Friday night,” Susan said.
Clare FM will host Trad on the Prom in Glór on Friday and are hoping to have a Country Corner Special in December.