I've just uploaded a couple of MP3 files for another group, and as I know we have some folk here interested in old radio, I thought I'd post the links here as well.

These audio files are a montage of clips from two of the most well-known "pirate" radio stations which broadcasted here in the 1960s.

For those unfamiliar with the situation in Britain, radio broadcasting at that time was strictly a BBC monopoly, and people were expected to pay for a radio-receiving license too. It was simply not possible to legally set-up an independent radio broadcast station in the 1960s.

The pirate stations transmitted from ships anchored just beyond the 3-mile limit of British territorial waters, so that they were outside the jurisdiction of U.K. laws.

There were many other pirate stations around the coast of Great Britain which came and went, but Caroline and London were about the most famous, both starting in 1964.

The British government did not take too kindly to the "pirates," but had no power to actually close them down since they were outside British jurisdiction. What did eventually happen, however, is that in August 1967 they passed the draconian Marine Broadcasting Act which effectively made it illegal for anybody within the U.K. to support them in any way -- including sending supplies to the ships or placing advertising with them.

Radio London decided it was not worth continuing and closed down on the afternoon of 8/14/67.

Radio Caroline decided to fight, and you can hear a clip as the midnight deadline is passed and a rendition of We Shall Overcome as they vow to continue broadcasting.

There are some great old jingles and commercials here, as well as many clips of DJs who would later work for the BBC in more conventional broadcast environments. There's a clip near the beginning of the Caroline file in which DJ Simon Dee gives a brief rundown on some of the equipment on board.


Enjoy! [Linked Image]


Radio London (MP3, approx. 4.7MB, runs 27 mins.)

Radio Caroline (MP3, approx. 3.8MB, runs 21 mins.)

These will probably run best if you download to your hard disk rather than streaming them.



[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 11-13-2005).]