40 years of the radio news

In 1968, the Irish Radio Transmitters Society approached the Department of Posts and Telegraphs for permission to transmit a weekly news bulletin of general interest to radio experimenters and amateurs.

The 19th of January this year saw the 40th anniversary of the commencement of these news transmissions. The Radio News has been kept going over the past 40 years without interruption even during the occasional postal strike when the typed news scripts were delivered by hand to the small number of newsreaders involved.

Initially the news was read at 1200 local each Sunday on 3560 kHz AM by either the late Bill Mc Ilwaine EI9F from Dublin or the late Pat Conway EI3Z from Athlone.
This was followed at 1230 by an SSB transmission read by Jim EI2BB. The news was also transmitted on 2 metres from Navan read by the late Shane Mc Namee EI2A.

Over the years the news service has expanded and today, in addition to the news on HF, regional news bulletins are transmitted on 2 metres FM from different locations throughout the country.

On this 40th anniversary of the radio news service it is good to give a moment's thought and to pay tribute to those who have kept the service in operation over those 40 years, both scriptwriters and newsreaders alike.

Source: IRTS