Simon Davis - Andy Walker - Ralph McGarry - DJ Power

Colin West - Gav Kennedy - Joey Dee - Johnny X
Tony Ford - Chris Woods - Sue Jackson - Danielle Caffery
Robbie J - Ronan Scanlan - Tony MacNamara - Jane Miller
Brian Dixon - DJ Li - Gareth Skelly - Patrick Meade
Tony B - Captain Ron - Dave Wilson - Mark Mayo
Mark Brennan - DJ Gar - DJ Toolz - Jack Russell
Alan Murray - Dave Alcatel - Chloe B - Nikki Summers
Adeanna Jones - Alan Walker - Mike McCoy - Keith Morris
Miles Butler - Steve Adams - Jack Daniels - Greg Turner
Sunny Days - Craig Matthews - Brendan Kilkenny - Ronan Larkin
Nikki Chase - Ciaran - Scot Saunders - Scott Turner
Pierce Power - Fergal Rigby - Alan T - Barry Shields
Johnny Turbo - Captain Earmuff - DJ Dingaling - Nicky Nitro
Ronan Devitt - Andy Walsh - Ryan Phillips - DJ Slobby
Frank Johnson - Louise Jordan - Louise Scott - Elaine Kane
Brian Greene - Chris Ryan - Dave Phelan - Kieran Murray
Clare O Dee Rafiq Declan Kelly Wayne scales
Andy Stevens Ian Duffy James dean Greg Browne
Andy K - Michael Hogan - Mike o Brian Pat gill Paul Duffy
Dara Kelly Robbie chase Stevie Dee Vinny s
Mike Ryan Dave Stevens Nikki Liam Conway Sarah Baybay Joe90
Tony Forde - Jason Dee - Robbie J - Paul Saunders

The history of Dublin’s Freedom 92 fm - by Ralph McGarry

The Beginning: March 1995 to March 1996.

On Sunday 22nd January, 1995 I noticed a new radio signal on the Dublin airwaves. It was a station called Freedom FM and it was broadcasting on 107.2 FM. I don’t think it lasted long.

At 6.30pm on Thursday, 2nd March 1995, Andy Walker rang me to tell me he had just put a 30-watt tone on 103.0 FM, and he wanted me to give him a reception report from my house near Tallaght village. I rang him back twenty minutes later telling him I could indeed hear the signal. He then began to tell me of, what turned out to be, the successful launch of Freedom FM. Himself and Simon Davis were so prepared that they even had a mobile phone number with which their listeners could contact them. The phone was actually Andy’s, and it turns out that he was the first teenager I knew who had a mobile phone. Remember, this was the days when mobile phones were the size of a shoebox and confined solely to the possession of businessmen and drug pushers. Andy was neither. I was impressed.

The following day Freedom commenced test broadcasts on 103 FM.

I marked in my diary that Freedom FM officially launched at 7pm on Monday 6th March, 1995. I think Andy and Simon were quite happy with that achievement, as they managed to go on air around 2 weeks before Pulse FM, adjacent to the frequency they were planning to use, and a week before the planned launch of HOT 107.

I presented a once off ambient music programme from Simon Davis’s bedroom on Sunday 16th April 1995. Andy had asked me to join the station, but as I was going to Israel for the summer, I could only commit to a number of shows in May of that year.

Whilst in Israel, Andy kept me abreast of the pirate situation at home, and when I returned, offered me the post of Head of Programming and Promotion. One of the first things I set about doing was to get some press coverage, and later that September, both Hot Press and Tallaght’s Echo newspaper covered Freedom. Simon and Andy also wanted me to put some structure to the station. It was already beginning to sound like a pop/chart music station. We introduced a play clock to nurture this type of music format. We devised the tag line “Dublin’s Premier Chart Music Station” (a derivative of which is still used today!) and we introduced specialist programmes, featured artist weekends, and a comedy programme. The now infamous Alternative Crew also made their debut during this period. Those early days of Freedom FM were the most raw, yet creative time in the station’s history. The problem was if you lived outside the postal codes of Dublin 12 or 6W, you weren’t going to hear any of it. Something needed to be done about this situation.

During the summer of ’95, Freedom FM had to move to 102.9 FM due to the establishment of Pulse FM on 103.2 FM. Even with this separation, Pulse’s mighty power output was killing Freedom’s weak signal. In early 1996, I suggested that Simon and Andy re-position the station to 92.4 FM, for two reasons. Firstly, Q95 were linking on 92.0 FM and hadn’t had any problems being so close to 2FM, and secondly, I could see the IRTC allocating the frequencies at the higher end of the band to licensed stations, forcing the established pirates off the air (Which is what subsequently happened). I argued that being down so close to RTE, no-one was going to interfere with our signal, and we were assured of a long tenure on that spot on the dial.

I remember Simon being very much against the idea. And I could understand why. He had spent much time and effort in trying to establish a station on 102.9 FM, and felt all his work, which was beginning to bear fruit, would be washed down the tubes. He also felt that we would be isolated down the other end of the band. In early 1996, the main tx’s of pirates were at the upper end of the FM band, with the lower end being used for just link transmitters. Freedom

Freedom's Mission Statement:

Since we started broadcasting on 6th March 1995 Freedom 92fm has been Dublin’s Premiere Chart music radio station.

We broadcast 24 hours a day 7 days a week on 92.0 FM to Dublin and worldwide on the net from this website.

24 Hours a day, every day we bring you the best mix of Chart, Dance, Rock, Pop & R‘n’B. Our presenters are some of the most dedicated in Dublin and will stop at nothing to bring you what You want to hear, when you want to hear no matter what it is!