UK Radio Fun & Anomalies Before 14th August 1967 …

Did you know that the Marine Broadcasting (Offences) Act which came into effect in Britain on 14th August 1967 did NOT in fact outlaw the offshore radio stations themselves?
The legal status of stations like Radio Caroline, Radio London, 390, 270, Scotland, and others did not change on that date.

Instead the new law criminalised UK citizens and companies, forbidding them to supply, advertise or work for these radio stations.

Incredible but true, in the 1960s and earlier, according to the UK’s 1949 Wireless Telegraphy Act, it was illegal for anybody in Britain to listen to Radio Caroline or any of the other unlicensed offshore “pirate” stations!

The absurdity of prosecuting millions of UK radio listeners for listening to music was not lost on the stations themselves and many will remember promotions they broadcast, such as this one in which a magistrate is sentencing a listener to have to listen to the BBC Light Programme for the rest of their life!

Recent Additions To Our Radio Station Archive

Over the last couple of weeks we have added these new items…

1. Manx Radio: Britain’s oldest licensed commercial radio station celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2014. Here are two interviews with their first General Manager, John Grierson, talking about how Manx Radio finally managed to get its license from the U.K. government and their first months on the air.

2. Manx Radio: Chris Williams presents his show dedicated to Radio Caroline’s 50th anniversary on 29th March 2014.

3. WABC New York, N.Y.: 48 minutes with Cousin’ Brucie on one of his morning shows in 1969.

4. Radio Caroline South: Listen again to the “Admiral” Robbie Dale followed by Johnnie Walker on Monday, 28th August 1967, a couple of weeks after the Marine Broadcasting (Offences) Act had become law. 44 minutes.

5. Radio Caroline South Jingles 1968: On 3rd March 1968, both radio Caroline ships “Mi Amigo” and “Caroline”, were seized and towed to Amsterdam by the Wijsmuller salvage company to secure unpaid servicing bills. The Radio Caroline South ship, mv. Mi Amigo, was later sold at auction to Gerard van Dam. Thanks to John Ker, who purchased some of Caroline’s original studio equipment and kindly provided these few remaining jingles and recordings dubbed direct from one of Caroline’s Spotmaster to its Ampex tape recorder. 6-1/2 mins.

6. BBC Radio Four Extra, 20th December 2014: “Here’s Kenny” – Kenny Everett. The story of Kenny Everett’s radio and TV career. Apart from Kenny himself and many of his souvenirs, jingles, promos and clips, this programme includes extracts from pirate Big-L Radio London with contributions from Tony Blackburn and Keith Skues. 61 minutes.

7. BBC Radio Two, Ed Stewart, Junior Choice, 25th December 2014: One of the last voices to be heard on offshore station Big-L Radio London when it closed in August 1967, Ed Stewart was one of the first DJs to join BBC Radio One when it opened six weeks later. Ed Stewart sadly died in January 2016. 117 minutes.

Please Note:
All audio recordings are in .mp3 format within password-protected .zip files. You’ll need to first download the .zip file to your computer. Then to unzip the file you’ll need Winzip or a fully compatible alternative software. You’ll also need the password which you can obtain at no cost by contacting us and explaining briefly what your interest is.

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