Phantom FM is back on the air and I’ve been listening to it nearly everyday since it re-launched. Back in the dizzle, when I was holed up trying to learn how to make comics, Phantom played constantly in the background. I first found it while trying to tune in BBC and I heard the unmistakable sound of Minor Threat and that was that. It stayed on.
I even went as far as recording good songs on to special ‘Phantom Mix’ tapes which I still have. Nerd! It was of course broadcasting illegally and I knew the magic would have to end sometime. I think it was late 2003 when it stopped. It then came back under temporary licence (where they had to do regular news updates etc like a ‘real’ station, which sometimes were painful) but then it was gone again.
After loads of legal grief and massive delays, the station was granted a full licence and is now on 105.2FM. I was very wary about the new version, I presumed the financial backers would steer it in a different direction but as soon as I switched it on my Phantom Phave , Jack Hyland was on the mic! Just like he never went away. The next song he played was Debaser and all was well. Then they took an ad break and I braced myself. (Abrakebabra seem to have an ad every break. I’ll write my thoughts about that place some other day), then a news break where Noel Fergedy’s (?) voice goes all Dalek just before he plays the soundbite which is both high-larious and annoying. I was undecided if the new Phantom was any good and not just another SPIN FM/yoof culture disaster, but when the next DJ played The Misfits I knew I was home.
All the old DJ’s (except for the poached) and most of the background music are still there. My favourite programme the Anorak Hour with Ger Roe is still on Sundays mornings. Obviously many old loyalties remain from the countless volunteered hours put in from the old DJ’s but it’ll be very interesting to see it restructure over the next few months. Some of the DJ’s are world class while others clearly aren’t suited to professional broadcasting. No names mentioned but I want to strangle something every time he’s on, awkwardly raising the pitch of his voice at the end of each sentence. GAH!!
So congratulations to Phantom and all the lads, really really hope it stays on course. It's now a commercial venture, competing with several other stations for that all important ad revenue and hopefully they can whip the terrible, insidious FM 104's and Spin FM's.
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5 Comments:
So pleased phantom has got license, it was like a sad game every year to see phantom put in great proposal and doing great stuff only to have some other mainstream guff station get a licence instead of them,
when i moved to dublin first I lived in a pretty horrific bedsit, I was listening to phantom nearly every day, one day i heard a helicopter flying outside my window and heard the same helicopter on air from Phantom and knew they were close by, never did track down their secret location though, bizarrely a new york lady friend I had over here in first year was a total fan and had been listening to phantom online in new york for years?!
Bob sez: Is it Licence or License?
Yeah they were based right beside/above Whelan's. I was there for a few minutes dropping off a stack of MBLEH's. I know they continued to broadcast online but I never had net access. Sort of like webcomics innit? Still valid and just as good but not nearly as enjoyable as the real deal.
yep,
fair balls to them, its about fookin time as well. It will be weird seeing what changes are made,have to pay for those bus signs somehow!!!
-p
heh heh I think I know which dj you mean. You're 100% right about the rejigging/culling that'll inevitably happen when they get their listenship figures
Nice to have Phantom back even if Today FM has robbed a chunk of their playlist. At least Micko and Pearl are still around - the best DJs they have by a mile. Still sounds like a pirate station though.
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