The New and the Ancient

Red FM......the #1 radio station in Cork and County Cork licensed to target the under 35 audience.....was our first stop on Monday. What a hip and cool place with delightful and engaging personnel. Delightful Nuala Cronin greeted us and arranged for all of our speakers. First was Grainne Murnane the Advertising and Sales Manager. She shared with us a lot of great info about their sales operation and told us about an extremely successful promotion they just ran with/for a local animal park that was based on the TV show "Survivor" format but adapted for radio. As the locals like to say - BRILLIANT! They are just starting to use the Web. Their advertising time is limited to 10 min an hour by law.

Next up was Eilish Berry, an Irish speaker, who voices all the required Irish programming, news and PSAs. She showed us some of the tools she uses to help her be gramatically correct since she learned to speak Irish more than studying it. Irish is a required subject in school so most people have a negative outlook on speaking it. She also told us that speaking Irish is starting to develop a bit of a "cool" factor due to the attention comedian Des Bishop is bringing to it.

Colm O'Sullivan is the Program Director and Assistant CEO. He started in college radio and worked at the competing radio station in the market even though they reach totally different audiences. Talked to us about the strict laws governing talking about drinking on the air. Their license forbids it. Much easier to "get away" with swearing! Opposite from the U.S. Have a personality driven format as that's what listeners demand.

We then visited the production control room and met the talented young woman who is both the station voice and the producer. She played a couple of her most impressive, highly produced spots for us.

We left with some handouts, CD's and a Red FM pen for each person.

Then we were off to Blarney to kiss the stone, have some lunch and SHOP!! Everyone did all three and had a grand time.

Tonight the faculty visited the magnificent Cobh Cathedral.....50 years to build and paid for by only the 2000 local parishoners! Dinner at a local restaurant tucked away down a winding road by the water.