The Swinging Radio England Story

[@maryrafuse3851]

In Canada we had our legal pop radio. Lots of stations in every town & city. All these years later I'm envious of the pure romance found in pirate radio. We also had our radio's under the pillow but the signals we listened to were not from romantic ships, sometimes in a storm tossed sea. I hope the British people remember the fun and romance. It is part of your history and a fight for ordinary people, working people in Britain. The elitists lost this battle. Thanks for sharing your golden time of beautiful young people and the voices and music that came from these special ships. Grand & glorious are the Pirate DJ's.

[@Muswell]

The British public never really caught on to the "American style" & American DJs.. My Mum used to listen to 390 all the time. But I was a HUGE BigL listener. My eyes could still well-up if Ithink about it now.

[@dougaltysoe]

BIG L was always the best,as you say..SWINGING RADIO ENGLAND always had a strong signal...in the se of england..but as you say the AMERICAN STYLE never caught on at the time...that is until LASER 558 arrived...now that was huge

[@cozener845]

Wedge-Wood Benn with his 1000 yard stare lying through his silver spooned mouth. Transmissions were never a danger to shipping or emergency services.

[@DJAUDIO1]

What a time to be alive back then.

[@meppelnu3682]

It was a great station and in Holland reception was very good...grtz Jan Brandenburg

[@DJAUDIO1]

The production values for these stations were quite high given the time era.

[@kingbee1500]

Don't think the MOR package from PAMS sampled at 4:14 was a "Series 27B"...sounds like one of the series right after #18, "Sono-Sational"...perhaps #23 or #25, whose names escape me now when I need 'em!

[@colinbrown6919]

I liked the way the 45s were put on Pegs-better than Cardboard Boxes.I cannot remember Radio Tower either..

[@SALTOWNPRODUCTIONS2]

'Radio Tower' or 'Tower Radio' never got further than a few test transmissions. They had ambitions to start TV broadcasting too, and some claim to have seen test transmissions for this too. The station was (or would have been) based at Sunk Head Fort, off the Essex coast. the fort was blown up by the Defence Ministry in 1967.

[@altfactor]

Most of the Pirates shut down after a 1967 law in Britain that hampered the pirates' ability to broadcast, even though they were located in international waters. Shortly thereafter, the BBC launched Radio 1, a round-the-clock pop/rock/Top-40 network.

[@allanegleston13]

i wonder if the "thunderbirds episode Ricochet. was inspired by the radio pirate ships

[@Pete7647]

Lets not forget without these stations all you would still have is the BBC and the crap they used to pump out ! not commercial local radio stations we listen to now,when they shut them down the BBC had to change the way they played music because everyone wanted the same format has the Pirate stations gave us i used to listen to Caroline and London.

[@banjonoises]

The Americans who rigged the ship, fitted it out and manned the stationmust have thought it bizarre that music had to be broadcast from a ship when they had enjoyed commercial radio for decades!

[@Muswell]

22.48 ....Mark Roman, Keith Skues, Tony Windsor. And such ridiculous allegations from Tony Benn ... The stations DID pay royalties to the music industry. As for clogging up the air-waves - ha ! - as soon as Labour failed to win the following election (due to millions of now-voters voting against them because of this Bill), the Tories immediately introduced LBC, Capital & other commercial staions which they seemed to find air-waves for !

[@Muswell]

11.13 .... Radio Channel ???? I'm knowledgeable about all this stuff, but that doesn't ring a bell at all.

[@john111257]

nor to me ...

[@SALTOWNPRODUCTIONS2]

The commentary has Radio Channel down as 'about to start shortly'. It never did.

[@SALTOWNPRODUCTIONS2]

Just taken a little look at the 'Offshore Bible', 'Broadcasting from the High Seas' by Paul Harris. Radio Channel was supposed to be anchored off Bexhill. And there are other tantalising mentions of stations which never happened: Radio 365 in the North of England (also hoping to broadcast on FM), Radio Manchester, sister ship to Radio London, Radio 390 North, Radio Freedom and Radio Mayflower.

[@maryrafuse3851]

Funny thing about Americans, they look just like Canadians.