RTÉ RADIO HAS threatened Radio Nova with an injunction if it proceeds with its plans to broadcast John Clarke’s Ireland’s Biggest Jukebox radio show tomorrow morning.

Radio Nova said the once-off edition of the show was to be broadcast by the station on Sunday from 10am – 2pm.

However, in a statement this afternoon the station said that papers were served on NOVA by the state broadcaster late on Friday night.

Despite the Dublin-based station promoting Clarke’s show for over a week, it’s believed the radio show will not go ahead.

Nova’s CEO Kevin Branigan said:

We’ve received a threat from RTÉ Radio, threatening to take an injunction against us to prevent us broadcasting Ireland’s Biggest Jukebox tomorrow morning.We’re devastated. So many people have contacted us expressing delight at hearing John Clarke on FM radio once again. Now the state broadcaster has moved to prevent us from broadcasting the show.This is a show that 2FM axed last year amidst a public outcry – now they want to prevent it being broadcast on another radio station. It’s petty and vindictive.

Last year and the veteran 2FM broadcaster quit his daytime Sunday show in dramatic fashion, telling listeners he was “reading the signs” and implying he was leaving the programme before he was forced out.

Clarke was also head of the music station for 11 years until 2009.

A spokesperson for RTÉ Radio told TheJournal.ie the issue with the broadcast is in relation to the title of the programme and not the presenter.

The programme title “Ireland’s Biggest Jukebox” is still being used on RTÉ Radio Gold every Sunday from 11am-1pm.

Branigan said:

We’re going to continue to do all we can to bring John Clarke to Radio Nova, in spite of this set back. We apologise to our listeners and hope they understand our situation.”

Radio Nova said it intends to broadcast a statement on the matter tomorrow morning at 10am.

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