The Oldies Radio Station Addicted To Jingles : On-Air Since 1963

If you were living in England in the mid-1960s and listening to music radio, then you’ll almost certainly remember 266 Radio London or Big-L as it was nick-named. In its short life from December 1964 to August 1967 Big-L, broadcasting from the m/v Galaxy just outside UK territorial waters, was Britain’s most profitable commercial radio station thanks to its Top-40 format combined with DJs, catchy PAMS jingles, regular news and weather reports and reverb/echo on the transmitter. And millions of listeners.

50 years after Radio London’s closure, the station is still remembered by many probably because of its unique style. Nothing quite like it exists today although many have tried to emulate the Big-L sound. But there is a radio station today that I believe comes reasonably close. Unlike the Big-L, WLNG isn’t located on a ship but it’s certainly close to sea-water as its studios are in Sag Harbour, right on the coast of Eastern Long Island, New York.

Although WLNG started in 1963 on AM they added FM in 1969 and since selling their AM channel in 1996 they’ve been entirely on 92.1 FM and additionally can be heard everywhere online. Their program format is Oldies and over the years they’ve earned a reputation as a throwback to earlier days because of their frequent jingles, constant reverb/echo, many outside broadcasts from local events and even a reluctance to embrace Stereo — in fact they stayed with monaural broadcasts until 2011.

And then there’s the station’s obsession with retro jingles. WLNG claim to have as many as 2000 of them mostly from PAMS and you can actually see the jingle cartridges lining the studio walls on their studio webcam. This jingle junkie addiction is best summed up in the words of Paul Sydney, WLNG’s President and General Manager from 1964 until his death in 2009: “We’re the only station that when we say ‘Here comes fourteen in a row’ we’re not talking about records.

So what’s the secret to WLNG’s enduring success? In 1998, which was the station’s 35th anniversary and Paul Sidney’s 34th year there, he stated: “The key to staying around for 35 years is pretty simple: Be local, in news, sound and music.

And WLNG certainly is local. Listen to the station and you’ll rarely hear an ad which isn’t for a local business or service. But I think there’s an additional ingredient for their continuing success… WLNG is owned and operated by the people who actually run the station, starting with their General Manager/President and chief DJ, Gary Sapiane.

So is WLNG a replacement for the Big-L? No, I don’t think so. But if you love oldies and especially if you love the old PAMS jingles, WLNG is well worth a listen.

If, like me, you are located in Europe, then I recommend listening during morning hours which equates to WLNG’s overnight show with Al Case or Bill Thomas running from midnight to 6 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. At that time there are fewer ads and more music. You can see WLNG’s programme schedule. And to listen now, just click the “Listen Live” button at WLNG.com.

Remembering The Big-L : Radio London 50 Years On

Earlier this year we celebrated Radio Caroline which first went on the air at Easter 1964. Radio Caroline was Britain’s very first offshore pirate radio station but it was not as popular nor was it as profitable as Radio London which was first heard with test transmissions on 5th December 1964.

Radio London was the most popular and profitable of all the 60’s U.K. offshore radio stations. It gained many millions of listeners and, despite being on the air for only 32 months (closing on 14th August 1967) the Big L, Radio London left behind an enduring legacy as the first station to bring format radio, ID jingles and regular news bulletins to Britain. Radio London also provided the model, and a lot of the DJ talent (e.g. Tony Blackburn, Pete Brady, Dave Cash, Kenny Everett, John Peel, Keith Skues, Ed Stewart, …), for the BBC’s new pop music service, Radio One which started in September 1967.

Philip Birch was Radio London’s Managing Director but in the words of Gordon Sheppard, Big-L’s promotions manager: “Philip Birch WAS Big L … The real financial brain, the controlling wizard that made it all work. … He put together that terrific team: Ben Toney, Alan Keen (Sales & Programme Controller), Eddie Blackwell and Dennis Maitland (Advertising Managers), Mike Stone (Press & Publicity). … In pirate offshore radio (1964-1967), Philip Birch stands taller than most. He put together that amazing team and has to have pride of place.”

In 1980, several years after Radio London had closed, Philip Birch gave an extensive interview recounting Radio London’s history. The recording also includes many original Radio London jingles, its famous Big-L theme tune and the voices of Paul Kaye, Dave Cash, Kenny Everett, Mark Roman, and other Wonderful Radio London voices.

Here are a few more useful Big-L Radio London links:
1. OffshoreRadio.co.uk recently updated its site and mark the Big L’s 50th anniversary with a six-part Radio London Story.

2. If you’re interested in pics, there are plenty to see here from Martin Stevens collection.
And here are more pictures by Gerry Bishop, Hans Knot and John Platt.
Plus more fascinating Big L pics here.

3. On 23rd December 2014 Chris and Mary Payne who jointly run the Radio London website, organised a 50th anniversary celebration on a floating pub on a ship moored on the river Thames in central London. Those attending included Big L DJs Duncan Johnson, Pete Brady, Keith Skues, Ed Stewart, Ian Damon as well as engineer David Hawkins and the m.v. Galaxy’s steward Mitch Philistin, who having crossed the Atlantic ocean with the ship in 1964, worked throughout all of Radio London’s life.

4. Radio London’s first Programme Director, Ben Toney, tells his fascinating story of “The Amazing Radio London Adventure“.

5. And to listen again to the Big-L, Azanorak has one of the biggest online collections of recordings to download for free. From test transmissions in December 1964 to close-down in August 1967, listen once more to Pete Brady, Earl Richmond, Dave Dennis, Paul Kaye, Tony Windsor, Dave Cash, Kenny Everett, Duncan Johnson, Tony Blackburn, Keith Skues, John Peel, Ed Stewart and many more.

6. Listen to DJ Keith Skues’ potted history of Radio London which he presented over the air on Big-L on 23rd July 1967, a couple of weeks before the station closed. This abridged version lasts about 31 minutes and includes jingles, the Big-L “Sonowaltz” theme and other well known Radio London promotions. Note that this recording is in .mp3 format within a password-protected .zip file. After downloading the .zip file to your computer, please contact us to obtain the password which you’ll need in order to unzip the file.

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