IRELAND’S FIRST fully-licensed, full-time Christian radio station was officially launched yesterday.
LifeFm opened its studios in Togher, on the southside of Cork city, in a ceremony marked by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Donal Counihan.
Although there have been both licensed and pirate Christian radio stations broadcasting in Ireland on a part-time basis, LifeFm is the first Christian station to be licensed by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) to broadcast seven days a week.
LifeFm station manager Brian Daly said preparations began for LifeFM in 2004 when the BCI invited expressions of interest from groups seeking to set up a community or community-of-interest radio and some people came together.
“A board was formed – it’s non-denominational – with people of all the main faiths, so we have Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Evangelical representatives as well as people of other faiths involved,” said Mr Daly.
LifeFm applied for a licence to the BCI in February 2005, and was granted a licence in September 2005 following an oral hearing. A search for a premises continued until December 2006, when the present premises was located at Deanrock Industrial Estate.
People volunteered to help convert the premises into three state-of-the-art studios, and equipment was donated. On March 16th of this year, LifeFm was able to go on air, broadcasting across Cork city and the greater Cork area.
“Our station is staffed by volunteers, and although we are allowed up to six minutes an hour advertising, we don’t carry that much advertising and we rely very heavily on donations to operate,” said Mr Daly.