FM104
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| Broadcast area | County Dublin |
|---|---|
| Frequency |
FM: 104.4 MHz Virgin Media Ireland: 930 Online |
| First air date | July 20, 1989 as Capital 104.4FM |
| Format | Contemporary and Rock |
| Owner | Wireless Group |
| Website | www.fm104.ie |
FM104 is an Independent Local Radio station broadcast across Dublin, Ireland, on the frequency 104.4 MHz. It is operated by Capital Radio Productions Limited (unconnected with, and not to be confused with, Capital Radio plc), and is a subsidiary of the Wireless Group, which itself is a subsidiary of News UK. The station broadcasts under a sound broadcasting contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. FM104 broadcasts from Macken House in Dublin's Docklands.
Capital Radio, as the station was originally called, was the first Independent Local Radio contractor to take to the air on 20 July 1989. The station was owned by a consortium of Irish media and entertainment figures and managed by Mike Hogan. Although initially moderately successful, following the launch of rival 98FM, the station consistently trailed in the ratings. In May 1991, the station relaunched as Rock 104, however this was unsuccessful and in late 1991 it underwent a restructuring under new CEO Dermot Hanrahan, who relaunched the station in April 1992 as Dublin's FM104, using the tag-line "Superstars of the 80s and 90s". This format was moderately successful allowing the station to reach financial stability. However, the station still lagged behind its competitor 98FM. A change in programming direction in 1995, together with the introduction of the highly successful Strawberry Alarm-clock saw it finally overtake 98FM, though 98FM would itself undergo a (less radical) relaunch, dropping the "Classic Hits" moniker, and poaching Chris Barry for a time.In April 1996 FM104 moved into the Number 1 slot in the Dublin market for the first time. Since then, FM104 and 98FM have been keen rivals, however in the JNLR survey published in October 2012, FM104 has almost double the daily listeners and market share of 98FM.
In 2004 the original shareholders sold the station to Scottish Radio Holdings for €30m, in the first of a sequence of ownership changes. SRH were subsequently sold to EMAP, who in turn sold the station in 2007.
Denis O'Brien's Communicorp was the highest bidder for Emap's Irish operations when that company decided to sell its radio stations, buying FM104, Highland Radio and Today FM on 14 July 2007. In October 2007, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) approved Communicorp's proposed takeover of Today FM and Highland Radio, but not FM104. The deal was completed by January 2008. Due to a Competition Authority decision, Communicorp was required to sell-on FM104, which it did (to UTV Media) immediately upon its acquisition. O'Brien offloaded Highland Radio in mid-2008.
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