Brian Johnson aka-Tom Hardy 1954-2022 Irish Era in brief Kiss-FM Closedown 1988

2 years ago
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Tom Hardy was a veteran of the finest radio stations ever to broadcast, and they came from Ireland. On the North Sea on Radio Caroline in the late 1970s,(MiAmigo). Then Dublin's Sunshine Radio, Radio Nova, the big Dublin Super Pirates. Monaghan's Kiss-FM 103.7 was created by Miles Johnston, with funding sourced by best mate the late Jeff Camblin.
It started signals in October 1987, Tom joined as station manager and midmorning presenter in Jan 1988, thanks to his buddy Brian Robinson, who worked on Nova, and the Voice of Peace.
The "Kiss Crew" were some of the best of the previous more than decade of brilliant broadcaster and creative talent to come under one station. As such Tom was at the chair, to close down this Era of broadacsting, and he did it at Kiss FM 103.7 AM1008-1413-1170
Tom was go on to work on the best of Irish legal broadcasting, 98FM, and Today FM (the national station) and more. While Miles went to SKY television for 21years.(and Energy 106.6 Belfast)

His sudden death in March 2022 has shocked us all. May his journey to the great radio Ship in the sky be a wonderful one.

This is a short series of clips with Tom on the (miAmigo) Radio Caroline,(I missed his time at Sunshine Radio in 1979) on Radio Nova 1982 (Before the raids of may '83) and then the only station to get a big signal into Belfast, Kiss-FM, based in the northern county town Mongahan.
Thank you to all the Kiss Crew of that era.
Thirty two years later, it seems just a whisker away

Good Bye Tom, as as you said in the close - Yes we were friends.

All the indpendent stations in the UK and Ireland, were to close by Dec 31st 1988.
Edit from 'The Irish Era' of Pirate Radio archive March 2022

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