JOHN CLARKE WILL present a Sunday morning show on Radio Nova despite RTÉ threatening the station with an injunction in July.
The legal threat from the state broadcaster was over the use of the name Ireland’s Biggest Jukebox for Clarke’s show.
The veteran 2FM broadcaster quit his daytime Sunday show in dramatic fashion last year, telling listeners he was “reading the signs” and implying he was leaving the programme before he was forced out.
Clarke was head of the music station for 11 years until 2009.
A spokesperson for RTÉ Radio told TheJournal.ie at the time that the issue with the broadcast was 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.
However, the chief executive of Radio Nova Kevin Branigan told TheJournal.ie that Radio Nova does not accept that RTÉ owns the name.
“It’s not a registered trademark. We did an extensive search.”
Branigan also added that RTÉ has not responded to a letter that was sent to the broadcaster seeking clarity on the matter.
That was his name and the name of his show for many years.
Clarke was originally only meant to host a once-off request show but Nova has now signed the DJ.
Branigan added, “We’re very excited to have John on board.
He’s a radio presenter in the true sense of the word and in an age where there’s so much pizzazz, that’s an unusual thing.
“Increasingly djs are now entertainers and TV stars. John plays records and requests, some people describe it as old fashioned but he has a genuine interest in music and people and that comes out over the mic.”
Clarke will take to the airwaves on Radio Nova on Sunday September 27.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say