After Eamonn Cooke took over, Radio Dublin had ever increasing ambitions. It was the first radio station in the Republic of Ireland to complete a 24-hour broadcast, this on the occasion of the Irish general election of June 1977. The broadcast was hosted by Roland Burke and David Moore. The "marathon" broadcast over the following Christmas, of at least 185 hours was history in the making leading the way into really a new world of 1978. It was for many years accepted as just another radio station, with little being known about its lack of a licence. The station ceased full-time operation after the jailing of the station's then-owner Eamonn Cooke for child sex offences which took place at the radio station,