John Clarke, the former head of RTÉ 2fm, has joined Radio Nova.
In what the Dublin rock station will doubtless regard as a significant coup, the hugely experienced Dublin broadcaster has confirmed a regular Sunday morning stint with Nova – coinciding with the time-slot in which he previously presented Ireland’s Biggest Jukebox on 2fm, and subsequently on the digital channel, RTÉ Gold.
Earlier this summer, controversy erupted when Radio Nova announced that Clarke would be presenting a show under the Ireland’s Biggest Jukebox banner on the station, on a once-off basis, in July. RTÉ quickly issued a legal letter, which sought to prevent the use of the programme name by Radio Nova – and the latter backed off, if only on a temporary basis.
While it has been axed from the 2fm schedule, a show using the same name still runs on RTÉ Gold, where it is presented by another long-time 2fm stalwart, Aidan Leonard. However, Radio Nova disputes that the name is owned by RTÉ and indications are that – unless RTÉ ups the ante legally in the meantime – they will seek to use it when Clarke hits the airwaves on September 17.
Clarke’s 2fm show ended in controversial circumstances when he announced his departure on-air, proclaiming: "My interest in music cannot be accommodated here." He left no one in any doubt about the extent of his unhappiness at what he considered poor treatment by the powers-that-be in RTÉ.
Clarke was one of the pioneering pirate radio DJs who changed the broadcasting landscape in Ireland forever, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He made his breakthrough at the original Radio Nova, which was run by the late Chris Cary. He served as the head of RTÉ 2fm for all of eleven years, until he was replaced in 2009.