WITHIN hours of Radio Ireland signing its contract with the Independent Radio and Television Commission, the station began test transmissions, playing music Maggie May by Rod Stewart was one of the tracks played.
The delay in finding a replacement for the former chief executive, Mr Dan Collins, whose was dismissed two weeks ago, meant the contract with the IRTC could not be signed and the all-important tests could not go ahead.
RTE has had the transmission system ready since last Thursday and has been broadcasting a test signal.
The contract was signed at the IRTC's offices yesterday morning by the chairman, Mr Niall Stokes, and the secretary of the IRTC, Mr Celene Craig. The chairman of Radio Ireland, Mr John McColgan and the secretary of the board, Mr Joe Moreau, signed for the radio station.
The signing took-place following the appointment of Mr Dick Hill as managing director. There wash some relief on the part of the IRTC that the contract could be signed. It had been made clear toe Radio Ireland that the contract would not be agreed until it had, reviewed the management structure and appointed a chief executive.
Until Monday, Radio Ireland had not been able to confirm whom it was appointing. The IRTC had been angry at the split between Mr Collins and Radio Ireland's promoters, as it had great faith in Mr Collins. Any further delay would have jeopardised the March 17th launch.
Mr Hill's appointment is an interim one. IRTC has decided to review the management structures at the station in six months.
Mr McColgan will be executive chairman and editor-in-chief while Mr Andy Park will be assistant programme controller. The post of programme controller is still to be filled.
Mr Park came in during the split between Mr Collins and the station's board. His appointment his understood to be temporary. M Hill's is a permanent post. Radio Ireland has a 10-year contract to broadcast, which started yesterday.
Mr Hill spent 30 years with RTE and was controller of television. He began his career as a television producer. In recent years he has been the manager of the Cork Opera House and ran independent productions companies. He had, been living in west Cork, but has moved to Dublin. This is his first position in radio.
Yesterday he said he was, pleased to join the station at this stage of its preparations, when so much is in place and tested. He would be able to concentrate on the "what rather than the how".
It is understood the IRTC was concerned at the delays in appointing a chief executive. However, Mr Hill was only able to accept the post last Saturday. One other name, Mr Robin Walsh, former head of BBC Northern Ireland, had also been given to the IRTC as a possible chief executive.
Mr Hill said that from the first day of broadcasting Radio Ireland would concentrate on being a national station, appealing to a 25 to 45 age group. Its mix would be 60 per cent music to 40 per cent talk.
Mr Hill said he was attracted to Radio Ireland because he had, been involved at the start of other projects with Mr McColgan. Mr Hill had been the founding controller of Network 2 in 1978 while Mr McColgan was head of entertainment at RTE.
Mr McColgan said Radio Ireland would go on air at midnight of March 16th. Some 1,000 people, including politicians and pop stars, would be invited to a party in the Jervis Centre, behind the Radio Ireland studios.
The opening programme will be a montage of voices from around Ireland. The President, Mrs Robsinson, will officially launch the station and from midnight until 1 a.m. there will be special programming with presenters talking about their shows and interviews with those attending the party.
Throughout the night and the next day there will be a celebration of Irish classical music while Emma O'Reilly and Gavin Dulfy, who will present the morning programme, Daybreak, will present a special programme looking at the Irish at home and around the world. There will also be a special Scrap Saturday with Dermot Morgan.
Broadcasting staff at the station held a meeting yesterday at a Dublin hotel. At lunch following the planning meeting, there was applause when one of the promoters, Mr Robbie Wootton, brought in a radio playing the first test transmission.
The tests will continue on 100 FM until the launch. The last station broadcast on the 100 FM wavelength was at 6p.m. on November 19th, 1991, the day Century Radio went off air.
The chairman of the Independent Radio and Television Authority, Mr Niall Stokes, has no regrets about the handling over the past few weeks of the crisis at Radio Ireland, which led to the dismissal of Mr Dan Collins.
Speaking for the first time since the crisis at the radio station Mr Stokes said he was confident Radio Ireland would provide an alternative for radio listeners. He said he was optimistic that the national commercial television, channel, TV3, would be "on air" before the present IRTC left office in November 1998.