Westmeath pirate station
Signal 102
Setting The Pace!
Signal 102 was a pirate radio station which ran in Athlone, Co Westmeath from 1986 to mid-1988.
Signal 102 first appeared in 1986, broadcasting from the Westmeath town of Athlone, on 102FM.
It was owned and managed by Anthony Magliocco (on-air as Mark Anthony) who had earlier been involved with Radio Carol-Ann. He was helped by Jess Codd (on-air as Jason Ross).
The station was available from a transmitter on a hill outside the village of Glasson with a radius of approx 25 miles and also locally on 101.1MHz. The studio, consisting of record decks, cassette decks, microphones and mixer, was located on the top floor of Burgess Chambers, a stone’s throw from the bridge over the River Shannon in the middle of Athlone town.
Signal 102 was a breeding ground for quite a few who went on to have careers in legalised radio. Barry Flynn (Radio 3/Midlands 103); James Healy (RTÉ Radio 1); Pete Casey (Shannonside/Midlands 103); Roy Jennings (Midlands 103) and Daire Nelson (LMFM) are some of the names who came through the station.
Signal 102 Studio Gallery
Signal 102 Presenter Gallery
Sample schedule from January 1987
8am Barry Flynn
Midday Mark Anthony
4pm Pete Casey
7pm Paul McKenna
10pm-1am Liam Lennon
10pm (Weds) Jason Ross
News on the hour midday-6pm read by James Healy
Signal 102 Gallery
Station phone number was 0902 74981
History compiled with the help of Barry Flynn
Images on this page with thanks to Barry Flynn / Roy Jennings / Anoraks Ireland / The Irish Pirate Radio Archive / Jess Codd
Can you add to this entry?
Is there anything you can add to the information above, or do you know of a station not listed in the database? Please send updates, from the seemingly trivial to full station histories, to this email address. Images can also be sent to john@radiowavesfm.com.