i102-104FM was a regional station in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, launched on 7 February 2008. The station had won a licence – as part of a strategy by the

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) ( ga, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann) was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ( ga, Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann). The BAI is ...

to create a network of regional youth stations across the Republic – to operate a 'youth' oriented station that would broadcast across seven counties in the northwest and west of Ireland, targeting listeners aged between 15 and 34. In 2011, i102-104FM merged with its sister station

i105-107FM i105-107FM was a regional radio station in Ireland that broadcast to the north east and midlands of the country. The station was one of four regional youth orientated stations that were licensed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to chall ...

; the combined station now broadcasts as

iRadio iRadio is a music-driven youth radio station broadcast in the Border, West, Mid-East and Midland regions of Ireland. The station is one of four music-driven youth stations that were licensed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to challe ...

. i102-104FM had its studios originally in Galway City, and towards the end of the station's life, Athlone. It was licensed to cover Counties

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

, Leitrim,

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...

and

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

. It was also popular in the neighbouring regions of counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan and the border areas of the North. In County Donegal, because local radio station

Highland Radio Highland Radio is the local radio service for the County Donegal (North) franchise, operating under a licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). Headquartered at the Mountain Top in Letterkenny, the station broadcasts throughout a ...

was already broadcasting on 103.3 MHz, i102-104 used the frequency of 96.9 MHz. High-profile figures such as the comedian

Tommy Tiernan Tommy Tiernan (; born 16 June 1969) is an Irish comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for hosting ''The Tommy Tiernan Show'' (2017–present) and playing Gerry in the sitcom ''Derry Girls'' (2018–2022). Early life Tiernan was born in ...

and the presenter

Hector Ó hEochagáin Shane Ó hEochagáin (; born 17 August 1969), known mononymously as Hector, is an Irish television and radio presenter born in Drogheda, County Louth, and raised in Navan, Co. Meath. He currently presents ''The Tommy and Hector Podcast with Laur ...

were signed up in an effort to raise the profile of the station. There had been five competitors for the lucrative northwest licence, with bids coming from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

's SPIN 1038,

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

's Red FM, and the northwest station Ocean FM, through 'Vibe FM', and the €20m licence was granted to i105-107FM in November 2006. i102-104FM was owned by the iRadio consortium that has applied for several other of the regional youth licences on offer from the BAI, winning the northeast and midlands licence through i105-107FM. In August 2009 i102-104 was rated the fastest growing 15-to-34 radio station in the country, reaching over 166,000 people each week.
/ref> It was also the regional radio station most listened to by 18- to 34-year-olds in Ireland.

References

External links

i102-104 FM
{{coord missing, Ireland Contemporary hit radio stations in Ireland Mass media in County Donegal Mass media in County Galway Mass media in County Leitrim Mass media in County Longford Mass media in County Mayo Mass media in County Roscommon Mass media in County Sligo Defunct radio stations in the Republic of Ireland Radio stations established in 2008 Radio stations disestablished in 2011

See also

References

External links