BLB Sounds From The Past
This series takes listeners through the incredible history of a community radio station formerly based in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland which was launched in 1979. The station began as a pirate radio operation, challenging conventional broadcasting norms and setting the stage for global innovation in community radio. The series, told from the perspective of one of its founders, Mark Quinn, provides a deeply personal account of the station’s journey and its profound impact on everyone who was in its orbit.
Credits:
Sound recording by Mike Quinn
Sound mixing by Luke Conlon
High Wire Post Production, Dublin, Ireland
www.highwire.ie
Artwork by Jody Hogg Design
www.jodyhogg.com
Produced and presented by Mark Quinn
The copyright for this podcast series is owned by Mark Quinn and is hereby reserved.
BLB Sounds From The Past
Latest Episodes
Bonus Episode: BLB The Last Broadcast
BLB - Bray Local Broadcasting ceased broadcasting for good at the end of December 1988, bringing to a close more than nine years of service to the local community.Launched in 1979, the station became a beloved fixture in the area, kn...
Bonus Episode: What Happened After BLB?
Despite a nearly ten year on-air and behind the scenes campaign in the 1980's to establish community radio in Bray, County Wicklow and the securing of a legal licence in 1989 by the North Wicklow Community Radio Co-op, we do not have a station ...
Episode 6. Closing The Fader on BLB
There were tears in the studio at the end of December 1988 when the faders were finally closed on the BLB mixing desk and the transmitter was silenced for good. In this final episode of the series, Mark Quinn muses over the lasting legacy of th...
Episode 5. BLB The Authentic Lifeline
In this episode Mark Quinn explores when BLB's listeners needed the local community radio station most, it answered the call. At a time when there was no internet or mobile phone services, BLB became the communication channel as Bray suffered t...
Episode 4. Local Politics and Commercial Breaks on BLB
In episode four of this personal journey through the development of Bray Local Broadcasting, Mark Quinn looks at how, despite the station operating outside the law, local politicians were eager to make appearances on air. The episode also trans...
Fan Mail
I've just listened to Episode 1 of this excellent podcast with fascination. I presented a two-hour music programme on BLB each Saturday night for several years, under the name Steve Stevens, and knew that the radio station's predecessor was South Side Radio, from which Mark Quinn, John Murphy, Doug Maguire, Mick Curtis, Olwen Dixon and others had emerged to start Bray Local Broadcasting, but little more than that. It was enthralling to hear Mark tell the full story, complete with forty-year old recorder extracts. I am really looking forward to listening to the remaining episodes in the next few days. Kudos to Mark Quinn for his dedication, commitment, and many, many hours of hard work creating this valuable contribution to local and national history. Sincerely, Steve Power.
Ireland
