David Prewett leading an FRA free radio protest on 8th November 1967 at the opening of BBC Radio Leicester
It is with deep sadness we report the death of leading UK free radio campaigner, David Prewett, who died on 27th August 2023 aged 87. David worked tirelessly in the 1960s and early 1970s for ending monopoly radio on the UK mainland.
Starting in 1965, David was the leader of a listeners organisation based in Oxford campaigning for the introduction of UK commercial and non-commercial radio in addition to the BBC. By early 1967, with the UK government poised to ban the very popular offshore “pirate” stations, David became a founder member and hon. Secretary & Public Relations officer for the Free Radio Association (FRA) and a year later, together with other FRA colleagues, David formed and was leader of the National Commercial Radio Movement (NCRM), later to become the Campaign for Independent Broadcasting (CIB).
David possessed both the technical radio knowledge and the skills for getting publicity combined with the mild-mannered knack of working well with colleagues and being tireless at parliamentary lobbying. In short he was an indefatigable campaigner.
It was David’s technical knowledge which enabled a practical plan setting out how radio stations in addition to the BBC could be established in Britain despite limited available medium wave frequencies as set out in CIB’s 1969 “Sound Broadcasting Study“.
This provided an invaluable argument for David, together with CIB’s Press & Public Relations colleague, Martin Rosen and others for gaining media publicity as well as for intensive lobbying of MP’s in the House of Commons after the government changed in 1970.
A few examples:
November 1967 : See photo above with David Prewett, centre, leading an FRA free radio protest on 8th November 1967 at the opening of Radio Leicester, the BBC’s very first local station. This protest was not only against BBC monopoly radio but also because the BBC had stated that their local stations would be financed out of the national license fee – clearly unfair because all listeners would pay even when located outside the range of any local station. Note: David’s wife, Jill, also in this photo.
August 1968 : Article in “The Times” newspaper re. Free Radio “Coffin Demonstration” at 10, Downing Street, London marking 1st anniversary of outlawing of offshore radio stations with amusing annotation by David P.
1968 : David Prewett’s “Sound Broadcasting Study” published by NCRM-CIB.
December 1968 : Article in “Record Retailer” magazine about proposals for commercial radio including the “Sound Broadcasting Study“.
May 1970 : Letter from David Prewett to Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, castigating his government for manipulating UK sound broadcasting policy with examples of their misleading statements.
14th June 1970 : David Prewett speaking at the Free Radio rally in London’s Hyde Park a few days before the 1970 General Election. Radio Caroline’s Ronan O’Rahilly and CIB’s Martin Rosen are also included in this recording.
July 1970 : Meeting with Chris Chataway – Minister Of Posts & Telecommunications
2013 : David Prewett remembers…