Everyone has their own personal recollections of Nova, as well as their own personal views of it. It depends, I suppose, where you are looking at it from - inside or outside. The view from outside has been expressed by Nova's army of dedicated listeners over the years and needs no comment from me.

Ground-breaking, a broadcasting revolution, the greatest Irish radio station ever, some of the sobriquets applied to Radio Nova - it never seemed like that while I was there. But it WAS challenging, exciting, and with the freedom to be creative. And it gave me the happiest working years of my career to date.

So where did it start for me...1981...working as a Sales Manager for Weatherglaze - picked Nova up on my car radio one day. The voice of Jason Maine - didn't know where it was coming from - it didn't sound like a pirate station - great signal - very professional. Logged it in on the number one button. Gradually found out details and usually listened when in the car and occasionally at home.

Radio has always been (and still is) my first love. Previous to Nova - 2 years in network affiliate radio in Augusta and Savannah, Georgia. Then got sidetracked by acting career. Always wanted to be back in radio - fantasised about it - a station like Nova? absolutely professional - but of course, no chance - steady job - show-biz given up for economic reasons - family to feed and all that - but what if?

"Think you have a good voice?"
And then the fateful day when I was in my car in Dublin one morning at 9.30 - a highly unusual circumstance, given my work schedule with Weatherglaze - radio switched on just at the moment when for the one and only time on the Job Spot - Nova advertised for a newsreader. Ken Hammond was leaving. "Think you have a good voice? Can you write news? CAN YOU TYPE? Make a cassette tape and submit it to Radio Nova, 19 Herbert Street etc..." Well, I was pretty confident about the typing bit, so what the hell - lets do it for the crack. Wrote up a few news items out of the Herald and Press that evening, spake them to my recorder and called to Nova the next day.

Door was answered by the Elder Lemon, Mike Edgar. Gave him cassette. And that, so I thought, was that. Three days later came a letter from Sybil Fennell saying she'd like to talk to me. Rang her and said I'd come in that afternoon. And that afternoon turned my life around. I started with a weekend news gig, while I gave notice to Weatherglaze and then went full time on the breakfast shift. The rest, to descend to cliche, is history. Happily, I'm not yet.


"And as the old bollux knows I wish him the very best"
Early Nova days - I joined as a newsreader, but never had any pretensions about making news my career. I am not, nor ever have been, a journalist - the news was my point of re-entry into radio. Right from the start, I had intended to develop my dormant presenting and comedic skills and in Nova I found the freedom to do it. I got to know Tony Allan at this early stage - and it laid the foundations for some of my most creative moments in Nova - others have their own opinion of and experience with Tony - mine were nothing but joyfully creative and fun. We are still fast friends - and as the old bollux knows, I wish him only the best.

Right - the arrival of Declan Meehan - at this point we are ensconced in the Portacabin in Nova Park, because of the jamming of RTE. The start of the Bob and Dekkie Show. Well, technically the Declan Meehan Breakfast Show, or "Brekkie-Trekkie", but this is MY piece. It was one of those partnerships that just happened - the right people in the right place at the right time - we just clicked. Dekkie is another of nature's gentlemen and a total professional. His easygoing style fit into my style perfectly and it just worked. It was the happiest time of my radio working life and for the first time, despite the undesirable getting-up time of 5am, I would look forward to Mondays.

1983 - I had been back to the United States for a holiday and on return settled back in to Herbert Street - a couple of weeks later - the closedown and a day I'll never forget. Enough has been written about it. All I can add is that I can still vividly recall the rollercoaster of emotions I went through. Then three days later - business as usual.

Declan brought out the best in me - both of us subscribed to the dictum that you're only as good as your last broadcast and we always strived to make each one the best ever. Occasionally we succeeded, but I like to think that we were never merely adequate.


"The Brekkie-Trekkie ranks No.1 for me for sheer fun"
Dec and I didn't invent the two-person breakfast show - but we did pioneer it on Irish radio - it was the first and according to a few people whose opinion I respect, still the best. I've had a good number of breakfast show partnerships over the last 20 years - all good and creative, but the Brekkie Trekkie ranks No.1 for me for sheer fun. The Gallico/Courtenay/Moore line-up with NRG was, perhaps, more comedically creative - but that's another station - and another story.

Couple of years with Dec - embracing Novacare, "Busy Line", gigs on the Isle of Man, the closedown, the giveaways, the blags and freebies (though I never got to go to Los Angeles), the move to Rathfarnham with the station being built around us as we broadcast, the day I had to get to the station in 9 inches of freshly fallen snow and just managed to get out of Greenacres at 1pm...and then...Dec went to London for 6 weeks...and then another 6...and then...

The breakfast show with John Clarke - the funny bubble competition - with Terry Villiers drawings of our heads on billboards - our Andy Warhol 15 minutes of fame - the the Zoo Crew, with Colm Hayes back in the driving seat along with Dave Harvey, the lovely Kathy Quinn and our occasional scriptwriter Dick...weird and wonderful...then..."60 second theatre" - a wonderfully creative time with Tony Allan...and then...well things got a bit ropey, then, didn't they? - the NUJ - the pickets and all that shite...out of which came Magic 103...for me the Nova Breakfast with John O'Hara and then haring down to Leeson Street for Mid-Morning Magic with Peter Madison...and that was another fun partnership...


"Thank you Chris and Sybil - for being there"
And then suddenly - it was over...I heard about it over the airwaves at 6pm. QED. NOVA was gone...but not forgotten - ever - I owe it everything I am today. Thank you Chris and Sybil - for being there. And thanks to all those professional people I worked with during that time...in addition to those already mentioned - Andy Archer, Tom Hardy, Tony Gareth (nee O'Callaghan), Jason Maine, John Lewis, Laurence John, Greg Gaughran, Tony McKenzie, Denis Murray, Dave "Jingles" Johnson (need Andrew Hanlon), Mark Weller (nee Costigan), Brian Dobson, Ann Cassin, Ken Hammond, Siobhan Purcell, Roland Burke, Aiden Sheeran, Bernie Jameson, Paul Cotter, Jenny McIvor, Linda Conway, Shane McGowan, the Edgar Bros., all the gang at Bay City and anybody else who knows me and whose name has dropped out of the overstuffed information centre up top.

IT WAS GOOD TO BE THE KING!

As mentioned previously, the partnership with the brilliant Pat Courtenay on Energy 103, along with Finoula Sweeney, (Lisa Moore in dem days) and occasionally John Sharkey, was wonderfully creative and many, many, many laughs. Of all the loony things we did, I've picked out two little series to put on audio- "Starsick" and "Spycatcher". Both came originally from Pat C.'s fertile brain, and gave us some of our finest and funniest moments. So, thanks Pat - these are for you.

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