A new radio station will start broadcasting in Galway this weekend when Freedom FM airs on 87.9FM.
The station launches on Saturday September 18, playing music from the 90s and noughties.
Freedom FM will play a mix of chart, dance, R n’B and rock music from its extensive music library of songs which stretches from 1990 to 2009. The station will also air specialist music programmes and features.
Established as an online station in August 2020, the station has been able to use modern technology to allow DJs broadcast from studios in their own homes, from anywhere around the world, with shows coming from Vancouver, New York, and Sydney, as well as closer to home in Galway, Limerick, Meath, Kildare, Louth and Dublin.
“Like many people last year during the extended lockdowns I found I had more time on my hands than I wanted”, says Sean Power, station manager. “So I roped in two friends, Paul Kavanagh and Ralph McGarry, to establish an online radio station.
“Before we knew it, we had over 24 people from around the world playing music from the 90s and noughties. All of our presenters and DJs are in their late thirties and early forties. They are having fun on the radio and enjoying the music of their youth. This feeds into the sound of the station; it is all about reliving your youth for people who grew up during those two decades. I think one of our station promos says it perfectly: ‘Freedom FM - broadcasting to Generation Y. Why? Because someone has to!’”
The success of the online version encouraged them to consider bringing the music of their youth to the FM band, and so they submitted an application to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI ) in May, and signed contracts in September. The station will broadcast to Galway on 87.9FM , as well as Limerick, Cork, and Dublin on different frequencies under a 30 day temporary broadcast licence from the BAI.
The station continues to broadcast around the world online so those living outside the city’s reception area can still tune in across county Galway via the website www.freedomfm.ie or through a smart speaker.
