View source for Cork's 96FM

{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name = Cork's 96FM
| logo = Cork's 96FM logo, 2023.png
| logo_caption = Logo used since 2016
| city = [[Cork (city)|Cork]]
| area = Cork City and [[County Cork|County]]
| rds = 96FM
| branding = 
| frequency = [[FM broadcasting|FM]]: 95.8–96.8&nbsp;MHz
| translator = 
| repeater = 
| airdate = 10 August 1989 (as Radio South)
| format = Hot AC/CHR/Talk
| language = English
| power = 
| erp = 
| haat = 
| class = 
| facility_id = 
| coordinates = 
| callsign_meaning = 
| former_callsigns = 
| former_frequencies = 
| affiliations = 
| owner = [[News Broadcasting]]
| licensee = 
| sister_stations = [[C103]] (dual franchise){{refn|group=note|See [[Radio in Ireland#Cork ILRs]]}}
| webcast = {{URL|96fm.ie/player}}
| website = {{URL|96fm.ie}}
}}

'''Cork's 96FM''' is one of three local radio stations licensed by the [[Broadcasting Commission of Ireland]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bci.ie/licensed_operators/local_radio_cork.html|title=Local Radio Services: Cork's 96FM|publisher=Broadcasting Commission of Ireland|access-date=20 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507203938/http://www.bci.ie/licensed_operators/local_radio_cork.html|archive-date=7 May 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> for [[Cork (city)|Cork City]] and [[County Cork|County]] in Ireland (the other two being its sister station [[C103]] and youth music station [[Red FM (Ireland)|Red FM]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bci.ie/licensed_operators/local_radio.html|title=Licensed Operators – Local Radio Services|publisher=Broadcasting Commission of Ireland|access-date=20 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327043154/http://www.bci.ie/licensed_operators/local_radio.html|archive-date=27 March 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> It broadcasts from studios at Broadcasting House, St. Patrick's Place in Cork City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.96fm.ie/station/contact-us.aspx|title=96FM – Contact Us|publisher=96FM|access-date=20 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828234304/http://www.96fm.ie/station/contact-us.aspx|archive-date=28 August 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

96FM is operated as a dual franchise with C103 by County Media Limited which is owned by Onic which is in turn owned by [[News Broadcasting]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utvmedia.com/radio.asp?sub=au&sublk=cst&fursublk=ra&id=17|title=ABOUT UTV – Corporate Structure – UTV Radio – Ireland|publisher=utvmedia.com|access-date=19 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731122642/http://www.utvmedia.com/radio.asp?sub=au&sublk=cst&fursublk=ra&id=17|archive-date=31 July 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2000/nov/23/citynews.broadcasting2|author=Jason Deans|title=UTV moves into radio by acquiring County Media|work=The Guardian|date=23 November 2000|access-date=19 August 2009}}</ref> The station's sound broadcasting contract (and thus its broadcasting licence) is advertised together with that of C103 and one company is required to operate the two stations, in a similar situation to that of [[Shannonside Northern Sound|Shannonside FM and Northern Sound Radio]] in the north-west of Ireland.

==History==
[[File:Cork's 96FM Logo.png|200px|thumb|Cork's 96FM logo used from 2009 to 2016.]]

===Radio South===
Founded by four former Cork Examiner journalists, with backing from a number of Cork business people, Cork's 96FM launched as "Radio South" at midday on Thursday 10 August 1989. However, that name lasted for less than a year. Radio South was the third of the newly licensed commercial stations to come on air in the country ([[Dublin]]'s [[FM104|Capital Radio]] and [[County Mayo]]'s [[Mid West Radio]] being first and second respectively).{{fact|date=June 2024}}

The first voice heard on air was the station's first Head of Programming Frank Murphy who introduced the new station in both [[Irish language|Irish]] and English. This was followed by Neil Prendeville's first show, the first song played was "[[A New Flame]]" by [[Simply Red]] – a chart hit at the time. The then [[Lord Mayor of Cork]] – Councillor Chrissie Aherne, who had been flown by helicopter to the station's studio (located just to the north of the city at Whites Cross), then officially opened the station for business.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

The first day's broadcasting featured several outside broadcasts from across the coverage area. Local dignitaries, were invited by the station to an event that night in Cork's Imperial Hotel which was attended by several hundred people. The attendance included the then chairman of the IRTC (now the [[Broadcasting Commission of Ireland|BCI]]) former Supreme Court Judge [[Séamus Henchy]].{{fact|date=June 2024}}

Many of the original voices on the new station were familiar to Cork listeners; Tadgh Dolan was formerly of [[RTÉ]]'s local radio service, [[Radio in Ireland#RTÉ radio|RTÉ Radio Cork]], while Neil Prendeville, Tony Magnier, Joe O'Reilly, Gerry McLoughlin, Paul Byrne, Rob Allen and others had formerly been heard on now defunct local pirate stations, such as [[Irish pirate radio#Pirate Radio Outside Dublin: Cork|ERI]], the major pirate station in the area which closed around midnight 30 December 1988.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

The initial Radio South provided a wide-ranging format, and a number of special interest programmes, including an hour-long [[country music]] show at 18:00 every weeknight presented by local country music authority Roger Ryan. Joe O'Reilly presented the 'Oldies and Irish' show on Sundays, a vestige from Radio ERI. Radio South broadcast 24 hours a day from the outset, unlike many other of the new local stations who closed overnight in their early days.{{fact|date=June 2024}}


===Hits and Memories 96FM===
Mediocre listenership figures for Radio South, lead to a relaunch in July 1990 and a name change to 'Hits and Memories 96FM'. The station was now under a '[[Classic Hits]]' format imported from Australia, similar to that of the by then successful '[[98FM (Ireland)|Classic Hits 98FM]]' in Dublin. By this stage the original special interest programmes of Radio South were gone (except the 'Oldies and Irish' show on Sundays which, thanks to public support, survived the upheaval).{{fact|date=June 2024}} The programme, presented since 1991 by Derry O' Callaghan, was the most listened to show on local radio in Ireland as of 2015.<ref>source: IPSOS/MRBI 2015 {{Full citation needed|date=June 2021}}</ref> The new format lead to a gradual increase in listenership.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

[[File:Cork_%28city%29_offices.jpg|thumb|Broadcasting House, the headquarters of Cork's 96FM and the Cork City studios for its sister station, C103]]

===Merge-over with County Sound and office relocation===
In 1991, a 'merge-over' took place between 96FM and the Mallow-based [[103FM County Sound|County Sound 103FM]] coming under a common ownership and combined JNLR figures. In 1994, the station moved premises from the rural Whites Cross (the former Radio ERI studios) to a city centre location at Patrick's Place which is a small section of Wellington Road, in a building which was formerly the location of [[St Finbarr's College, Farranferris|St Finbarr's College]] and then [[Christian Brothers College, Cork|Christian Brothers College]]. The station named its new premises 'Broadcasting House'.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

RTÉ's [[John Murray (Irish broadcaster)|John Murray]] was "Head of News" at 96FM from 1990 until 1992.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

===Late 1990s===
The late 1990s led to the complete discarding of the 'Hits and Memories' moniker, and some programming changes, with night-time programmes to appeal to younger listeners (not heard in Cork since the Radio South days) being introduced.{{fact|date=June 2024}} The late 1990s and early 2000s also saw the introduction of new transmitters to provide practically full coverage of the county (the original licence was for Cork city and part of the county, but this was later extended to allow the whole county to be covered.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

===21st century===
Writing in ''Radio Today'' in 2013, Kieran McGeary, Chief Executive, Station Manager and Programme Director of Cork's 96FM and C103, stated that 96FM had a "very strong line-up" but that finding new younger talent was a major challenge for the whole radio industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://radiotoday.ie/2013/01/viewpoint-where-is-the-next-generation/|title=VIEWPOINT: Where is the next generation?|date=31 January 2013}}</ref>

In 2014, the station's flagship presenter, Neil Prendeville, departed 96FM for rival station RedFM. In August 2015, 96FM's listenership figures slid behind those of RedFM for the first time in the history of the stations.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

In 2024, the station adopted its first networked programming from sister [[Wireless Group]] stations. These include a new Sunday morning show featuring veteran broadcaster [[Ryan Tubridy]], produced by [[Virgin Radio UK|Virgin Radio]] in London. Both shows retain local branding and regional news services. The station also provides networked output for [[Live 95|Live95]] in Limerick, from 8pm-12am weekdays.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

==Controversy==
In March 2023 the station made the front page of a National Newspaper when former newsreader Pearse McCarthy was accused of drug dealing, which occurred during his time as a newsreader and presenter with 96FM.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41083951.html | title=Cork radio newsreader faces nine drugs charges including drug-dealing | date=2 March 2023 }}</ref> He was later convicted and sentenced to 8 years for drug dealing.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41143303.html | title=Former 96FM presenter Pearse McCarthy gets eight years for drug-dealing | date=19 May 2023 }}</ref>

==Frequencies==
*95.6 Fermoy-Mitchelstown area
*'''95.8''' West County Cork
*96.0 Carrigaline-Cobh
*'''96.1''' North County Cork
*96.2 (a) Macroom (b) Clonakilty
*'''96.4''' (a) Cork City and surrounding county areas (b) Bantry
*96.8 (a) Youghal (b) Kinsale 
(mains in bold)

==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist|group=note}}

===Sources===
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.96fm.ie}}
* Cork's 96FM - Listen Live | http://www.liveradio.ie/stations/corks-96fm

{{Local radio in Ireland}}
{{Media in County Cork}}
{{News Broadcasting}}
{{Cork City}}

{{coord missing|County Cork}}

[[Category:Radio stations in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Mass media in County Cork]]
[[Category:News Broadcasting]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1989]]