Hans Knot's International Radio Report - Christmas 2008
Welcome everybody to
this issue of the Hans Knot International Radio Report. I’ve decided,
after the bumper edition from December, to bring an extra one this year,
released just before Christmas. A time of the year in which is for many
readers to be with family and/or friends, to celebrate all the
festivities. But I know, from several e mails I got through the year,
that among the readership there are also a lot of people who are very
lonely and radio and the memories are almost the only things to have joy
with. So I thought to bring this extra issue to give the days around
Christmas an extra shine for those readers. I hope you will all enjoy in
this way a bit of the Christmas idea. Also thanks for all responding and
the many Christmas wishes and cards Jana and I got again this year.
Let’s start with the first e mail coming in after last report was send
away. It came in from John Ashton:
‘Hi Hans. It’s always a pleasure to read your monthly news letter. Top
Pop Spin retailed at 5 shillings in old money (That’s just 25 pence in
new money!), not a lot nowadays, however 5 shillings would have
purchased a fair number of Pints (of beer) down the pub. I have a copy
or the original commercial. It runs for 20 seconds and give me a few
days and I will e-mail you a copy.
‘Want to lead the latest trend, course you do. What trend the trend that
has all the dj's jumping. ‘Radio
Caroline Top Pop Spin, the game of the century’. Let your
personal copy of this groovy game put you at the top of the pop poles in
your crowd. Send 5 shillings now to Radio Caroline
6 Chesterfield Gardens, London, West One. Be the first in your crowd to
own Radio Caroline Top Pop Spin for only 5 Shillings.’ And the voice
over for this promo spot was by Carl Conway. ‘
Well thanks to John Ashton. Well hopefully he finds the commercial,
would be lovely to receive. He has a question to the readers too: ‘Do
you know anyone who has a Gates Studioette Mixer For Sale?’ If so,
please respond to HKnot@home.nl
The ‘Radio Caroline Top Pop Spin’ opened last issue of the report, and
this one too. More people reflected on this issue: for instant Mary
Payne: ‘Regarding Hans's December newsletter, I don't have any
information about the 'Top Pop Spin' game, but there's one in the Manx
Caroline North exhibition. Our photo of it is here:
http://www.radiolondon.net/~rlserver/caroline/irishsea/Pages/24.html
Thanks Mary and wonderful pictures with many memories. Later on there is
more from Mary Payne.
‘Hello Hans. Here is some news regarding the
Radio Caroline North exhibition.
It has now been extended to run until April 2009, in The House of
Mananin in Peel. Just to wish you A Merry Christmas, and a Happy 2009.
Kenny Tosh’
‘Visitors to the Caroline North Exhibition on the Isle of Man can see an
example of the Caroline Board Game until April 2009. Best Regards, Andy
Wint’ And with almost the same content an e mail came from the Isle of
Man from Matthew Richardson: ‘I hope you are well. I can tell you that
we also have an example of the Radio Caroline top Pop Spin game in the
radio Caroline exhibition here in the Isle of Man. It was loaned to us
by someone from Lancashire, England. It still has all the original
counters.
An
internet radio tip brings us to Australia. Music is played from the
sixties and seventies and could bring some of the readers think they’re
back in the time of Radio Mi Amigo days:
http://www.4kq.com.au
He missed is sadly to be the first to sent in an email this time, he
thought he would be quick enough but here’s our monthly e mail from
California:
‘Hi Hans, another great report, I do have to prepare for them being a
delicate fellow with special needs, I get faint if I don’t eat. The Hans
Knot Radio Report has reached such epic proportions that I pack a lunch
when I start to inhale it! I must eat as I go! Question of the month:
how many photos do you have in your collection? EMP.
Well Rosko I don’t know
exactly but I must have around 12.000 photos in my archive made by
various people and myself. I hope your watery radio lunch was a good
appetite. One thing I know for sure: You’ve written more e mails to me
during the period you read the report than I wrote to you while you were
on the watery radio.
This time I’ve chosen for a sixties picture:
Rosko playing around (Photo: Martin Stevens)
More about the Emperor comes from
Don Stevens in London who
went to the special party where Rosko was honoured for his long radio
career: ‘The Emperor Rosko went down well in the UK, but his speech,
went on for ever, and ever, most of the audience complaining about him,
until told by the first generation of broadcasters to 'show respect' to
the Emperor. Many approached me and asked me about him, I had to tell
them he had vinyl radio shows. What is happening to the youths of today,
are they unable to do research. Rosko went on to Belgium to present his
roadshow live, all tickets sold out, and weeks before. Peace and Long
Life, Don’.
In
the last issue I promised info about a new book. But it was already
mentioned earlier in the same report. Nevertheless I can add more as I
got a recent photo from Steve
Conway. And keep the Hans Knot Report in mind the coming months
for more on the book. Here’s what Steve wrote to me
Hello Hans, probably for as long as you have known me, I've been telling
people "I'm writing a book" and indeed have occasionally published
excerpts in various places online. It never seemed to be quite finished,
and I always said I'd get it published "someday". Well, someday is here
soon, and I'm pleased to be able to announce that the story of my time
with Radio Caroline during her final years at sea will be published by
Liberties Press in March 2009, priced£12.99 in the UK (€14.99 in
Ireland). The title currently subject to change, but I'll update on this
and an exact date over the next few weeks. The book will be illustrated
with my own pictures, and also shots from the extensive collection of
John Burch. I'll keep in touch and let you know about an exact
publication date and other details over the next while.
Hope you are all keeping well, Steve Conway
http://steveconway.wordpress.com
A recent picture of Steve Conway
on the radio in Ireland (Photo collection: Steve Conway)
Now also on DVD: ‘The
Legendary Tony Allan’. On this DVD are interviews with his friends and
colleagues talking about Tony as a dear friend. I’ve never heard Peter
Chicago talking for such a long period about the Tony Allan area within
offsh
ore
radio. But there are also interviews with Dick Palmer, Graham Gill,
Johnny Jason and more. All talking about the good and bad times on RNI
and Radio Caroline. And of course their adoration to Tony Allan. Not
forgetting that on the DVD also the late Chris Carey can be heard. Next
to the interviews also radio action whereby some unique recordings from
Tony Allan aboard the MV Ross Revenge in Southend with Easter 2004. This
DVD is a must for every collector within the Offshore Radio World. The
price for ordering in the Netherlands is 6 Euro, outside the Netherlands
8 Euro, which is including package and postage.
Ordering by e mail can be done at:
vcornelia@hotmail.com
Payment can be done to the Tony Allan Memorial Fund Royal Bank of
Scotland Accountnumber 10099786 sort code 16-15-20
The IBAN code is GB93RBOS116152010099786
All money gained due to the selling of the DVD’s, excluding p&p will be
divided over Cancer Research, Marie Curie Hospices, the Ross Revenge
Caroline ship and Project Redsand. These were all close to Tony’s heart.
Now time for the update from some of the befriended sites:
First The Pirate Hall of Fame:
You may be interested to know that the December update is now on-line.
It includes:
• an update to the pages on the towing away of the Caroline ships in
March 1968 and some photos of the Fredericia entering IJmuiden harbour
at the end of her final journey, courtesy of Hans Knot;
• photos of the recent Radio Essex reunion;
• the seventh page of the ‘Seventies Supplement’, covering DJs from that
decade whose names begin with the letter J;
• news of a forthcoming BBC documentary about Radio Caroline North;
• the final dates in Johnnie Walker's tour of UK theatres;
• news of a DVD tribute to the late Tony Allan;
• and the traditional Christmas page has been updated with the addition
of a photo from 1966 taken on Caroline North by Mike Wright.
It seems a bit early to wish you a Merry Christmas but, just in case we
are not in touch again before the festive season really kicks off, may I
take this opportunity to wish you and yours all the best and thank you
for your support during 2008. With kind regards, Jon at The Pirate Radio
Hall of Fame
www.offshoreradio.co.uk
From Jon in London to Bob Le-Roi
near Whitstable is just a second: Welcome to the December 2008 Update.
Well it’s two years since we’ve visited Shivering Sands Fort, a long
absence and a timely return given David St John’s recent superb coverage
on Reg Calvert, links throughout our site. Onboard this time we’ve more
rare pictures, documents, audio and facts plus a nice picture of the
Calvert family. ‘One Subject One Link’ turns to TV again, dumbfounded by
the quality of one recent regional report. The auction for the rare &
collectable Caravan album has stalled so remains open. Meanwhile
‘sold-out’ one set of 60’s CD’s so we launch the next, all 10 in a
series from EMI Records. With Christmas a blink away we’re into the
alternative gift suggestion of a Seasonal Sailing Voucher for the 2009
season. Thank you for your interest, contributions and support in this
our 8th year. Have a very good Christmas, & a very Happy New Year as
always Enjoy Your Visits:
www.bobleroi.co.uk
It was good to see Peter
Messingfeld at this year Radio Day. He visits several radio
events and stations and always makes a very nice report about his
travels:
www.travelseries.de/trav2008/trav08_2.htm
Hi Hans, Ken Baird here from Scotland. I had a great time in Amsterdam
at the Radio Day. Never had much time to speak to everyone much. But I
made the best of a short stay. Anyway, you like anything to do with
offshore radio
This article appeared in my local paper recently.
http://www.ayrshirehistory.eu/tadx/kilmarnock_standard_aticle.html
Ever heard of this guy?’
Remember we had in our last issue two former Voice of Peace deejays
joining us for the first time? Well some of their former colleagues do
remember them: ‘Hi Hans, I'd be grateful if you could pass my email
address on to Paul Fraser. I enjoyed working with him on the Peace Ship
and would like the opportunity to catch up by email. Thanks as ever for
the report! Many thanks, Tim
Shepherd.’
Later on we will have more response on the VOP deejays but first more
from reflections from Tim. Remember we had in our last issue a topic on
the negative response Robert on Guernsey had lately with his internet
site about the Monitor Magazine?
I wrote about it and lucky enough together with many warm responses,
Robert is feeling far much better now. Let’s read some: ‘Hi Robert,
Sorry to read on Hans Knot's Report about some negative feedback you've
had. As a past subscriber to Monitor during Buster's time, I'm very glad
that you've taken the time to put so much up online. Even more so, since
all my original copies are now lost, following moves and relocations. I
started out on LBPs, and became an avid reader of Monitor - so much so
that it motivated me to go out and work on the Voice of Peace, and
briefly on Caroline. The former actually led in a very roundabout way to
a complete change of life for me. Buster did an amazing job documenting
the offshore era. I think it's important that this unique time in
broadcasting history be preserved for posterity on the Internet. You
have my great respect for taking this on. With best wishes for improved
health for you, LA, Tim Shepherd.’
‘Dear Robert, I saw comments on Hans Knot's newsletter. I hope things
improve and wish you well. I used to get the Monitor Magazines, and they
were unique. Unfortunately, I moved in 1985 and let them go, I needed
some space, and I always thought there would be more coming. I regretted
getting rid of them, so a while back I was delighted to see some of them
again on the web. Best Regards, Michael’
‘Hello there. I have just read Hans Knot's comments about the Monitor
Website and some e-Mails suggesting that it is somehow a waste of time.
I thought that I would write and let you know that I have been aware of
the website for a number of years and been fascinated to read the old
editions of monitor. I was an avid listener to Caroline during the
Seventies as a teenager and it has filled in a lot of information that I
certainly did not know at the time about a period that is definitely
fading from memory without your site. Please don't be put off. Thanks a
lot for all the hard work.
Andrew Tett (Shoreham-by-Sea).’
‘Hi Robert, I’m sorry you haven't had any support for the Monitor web
site. I feel it is a great effort and certainly one that should be
supported by radio enthusiasts, of whom I am one. I was an avid Monitor
reader all its life and enjoyed Buster's hospitality on more than a few
occasions. He and I had a minor disagreement in 1985 over Laser (caused
by a third party misrepresenting it later turns out!), but had been good
pals for 12 years before and I helped coax him into taking the Radio
Amateur exam, an activity I know he got a lot of enjoyment from. As did
Jean, as well. Indeed, I also took him out to sea to see the Mi Amigo on
one famous day - Chicago and I manhandling the wheelchair up and down
gangplanks, and arrived back at Avondale Road in the early hours of the
morning, well-shattered! So we were pretty close. The photo on your site
with Charlotte Ribbelink was taken by Buster his Mum in late 1973, I
think, or maybe early 1974. That ties in with Ronan's hairstyle and
Charlotte being there as she was running the Caroline office in The
Hague, after Chris Cary's 'departure' in late Summer 1973 until about
Spring 1974. Andy Archer would be able to confirm that even better. I’m
sorry to hear that you are not enjoying great times at the moment but am
sure that's only temporary and that things will improve soon. If there's
anything I can ever do to help you please don't hesitate to ask. Kind
regards, and thanks for some great memories,
Paul Rusling.’
Thanks to Tim and Paul, both also ‘in love with radio’, but we have some
more positive people: ‘Dear mister Clancy, I've read your story in the
International Report of Hans Knot. First of all I hope you're going
better/well and I wish you the very best concerning your health. Then
I'm would tell you, being a rather young anorak (53 years), your website
was some years ago the same as discovering a treasure and yes a real
treasure box went open for me. I'm living all my life in Flanders
(Belgium) and it was until the existence of the internet that I became
aware of what the name "Buster" really mend to the incrowd in off-shore
radio. Everytime for example Tony Allan said "and this song Buster is
especially for you", I thought to myself but who is Buster. I must say I
really I'm happy you gave me the possibility to read everything and more
about the monitoring of Mr Pearson and his housefriends and all the
efforts that was put together in Benfleet. Also your interview with
Buster and the story about the Ross Revenge was really superb stuff.
When off-shore radio was at it highest moment in the beginning of 1970
being only 15 years, I had no knowledge of any English and only knew
Radio Veronica. In the late seventies when pop music was also booming on
the continent with Radio Caroline and his albumstation format I wasn't
always able to buy everything what was available from the off-shore
stations so for me and I think many anoraks aka offshore radio lovers I
think the effort you put together of getting "Monitor" and his legacy on
the internet was more than worthwhile. Thanks for everything, Philip
Taghon, Jabbeke, Belgium.’
‘Dear Robert, I was sorry to hear that you had received such unpleasant
negative feedback about your site. Unfortunately, all webmasters are
subject to this type of abuse. In my experience, the people who write
these sort of comments would never consider spending time and money
working on a website, themselves, but are only to happy to criticize
those who do. I'm pleased to say that the nice comments we receive far
outweigh the negative ones and we have made many wonderful friends
thanks to the internet, many of whom were our offshore heroes on the
Sixties. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you will be able to
continue with running your website. All good wishes, Mary Payne at
www.radiolondon.co.uk
I think Robert at Guernsey will be very happy with the response and see
he wrote with happiness an e mail himself: ‘Just received a very nice
email from Mary Payne of Radio London Ltd., with all this good will
coming in from various good people from the Offshore World it's making
something stir in my brain cells (ROFL). I have written to Paul Rustling
thanking him for his kind email to me, I'm hoping that he will become
one of my future contacts! I'm hoping to restart work after being ill
some time in February 2009 so the money will start flowing back into my
bank account, that's if I can find a job after all this time being ill.
Regards, Robert at ‘The Guernsey Channel Islands Branch of
www.Monitor.org.uk ‘
But he also had another question: ‘I know there has been a question I
have been meaning to ask but kept forgetting to ask you as you seem to
have a lot of contacts, what are the transmitter engineers of Radio
Atlantis, Radio Caroline and RNI doing now a days?. The ones I know of
are: - Peter Chicago, Bob Noakes, Andy Anderson, Robin Adcroft (Banks)
and Dick Palmer (I know he was an engineer but was he a transmitter
engineer?). I wonder what happened to the other engineers who worked on
the other stations and what they are doing now?. I know Andy Archer was
also looking for a transmitter engineer from Radio Caroline South days
called Richardson who had a wife who ran the Singel 160 office in
Amsterdam and who came from here in Guernsey. I knew their little boy
Keith when we went to school at St. Martins back in 1963-68. At the time
I didn't know anything about offshore radio apart from my brother Peter
used to listen to Big Lil (Radio London). I was only about 5 in 1963 and
10 in 1968. All I can remember is Keith's mum's name was Nan (Nanette)
Richardson and that his father was away most of the time from 1966 to
1969 (on board M.V. Mi Amigo?). I remember Keith's mum Nan (Nanette)
being away from mid September 1967 and Keith being looked after by a
brother or sister of Nan's or her husband's. It didn't click until Andy
Archer asked if I could help find them a few years ago, when he said the
names of the family and where they had lived I was taken by utter
surprise, the station I had listened to over the years and loved had a
Guernsey connection and I had gone to a Primary School with a Radio
Caroline South transmitter engineer's son! What clinched it was that
Keith's father had an electronic job over here at a big American
Tektronix firm or so Keith was told but he was sent to Rotterdam for
long periods in 1967 to 1968 as was his mother from August-September
1967. I'm still rooting around trying to see if I can find them for Andy
but so far the little leads I had have gone stone cold!. One other thing
that might interest you is that when I first stayed at "Buster's" in
March 1980 he showed me the Transmitter log books of Radio Caroline
South/International from the M.V. Mi Amigo which from memory Peter
Chicago gave him for safe keeping after spiriting them away with vital
parts before the ship was auctioned off, I will have to ask Don if
"Buster" was given the Radio Caroline North ones as well. Funny how
things seem to come back into the memory after 25 years, oh well better
sign off now Hans. With grateful thanks, Robert.’
Well Robert a lot of questions. Peter Chicago is reader of the Report so
maybe he can answer himself if Don still has this logging or was given
back to Peter. Or maybe Don in Wales can answer this question as he is a
reader too. The question about the Richardson family maybe could have a
simple solution. If they’ve lived on Guernsey you could go to the local
town office to see where they’ve gone too. The asked information must be
in the archive there. Well and then the question about what has happened
to all the technicians. I know one is reading the report in South Asia,
where he is living the well earned ‘after working years’. Andy Anderson
went first to Beacon Radio as a journalist but has already for many
years his own company selling transmitters and equipment. I think Peter
Chicago also worked for him. Robin also reads the report, is living in
Kent and still doing free lance technical work and is also connected to
the Red Sands Project. Dick Palmer lives also in that area and joins his
live too. But who knows of more technicians from the offshore past? Just
mention it, or maybe yourself have been a technician on a radio ship,
please all reflections and memories to
HKnot@home.nl
From the USA there are new uploads from
AFRTS archive material,
including a perfect Christmas program from decades ago, so well
presented by Charlie Tuna, With thanks to Thomas Whetston
http://afrts.cjb.net
Of course there is a change that an avid offshore radio follower has
never heard of him. Charlie Tuna is a radio personality now based in Los
Angeles and currently working at KRTH-FM.
He was born as Art Ferguson in Kearney, Nebraska, he was given his
pseudonym while working at KOMA in Oklahoma City, taking over the
moniker from Chuck Riley who had used it for one show the week prior to
Charlie's arrival. Ferguson was a high school athlete and sports editor
of the local newspaper and at age 16 worked at the town's radio station,
KGFW. From Kearney, He went on to work at KLEO in Wichita, Kansas for a
year with the air name "Billy O'Day", then worked for KOMA Radio in
Oklahoma City in 1966, and on to WMEX in Boston for the first 9 months
of 1967.
In late 1967, KHJ in Los Angeles offered Charlie the 9 to 12 slot where
he debuted on Thanksgiving Day 1967, and Charlie has worked in the L.A.
area ever since. In 1972, he became one of the original DJs at KROQ-AM,
a new top-40 station (formerly Country KBBQ). Among the other stations
he worked at were KKDJ, KIIS-AM&FM (where he was Program Director and
Morning Personality), KTNQ, KHTZ (later KBZT), KRLA, KODJ (later
KCBS-FM), KMPC, KIKF, and KLAC.
He most recently worked at KBIG 104.3 where he hosted a show called
"Charlie Tuna in the Morning," which aired from 5 to 9 am. His last show
aired on September 17, 2007, when the station flipped to a
non-rhythmic-based adult contemporary format, as "104.3 My FM". He
returned to radio February 9, 2008 when he became the weekend
personality and vacation fill-in jock on Los Angeles classic rock
station "K-Earth 101".
In addition to his radio work, Charlie has hosted Cinema, Cinema, Cinema
for the past 27 years, an internationally syndicated TV show, featuring
the top movies in America each week with clips from the films. Tuna was
also the announcer for the last two years of television's syndicated
"Mike Douglas Show" and Alan Thicke's late night TV show Thicke of the
Night. He was also featured in the 1970s in the Universal film
Rollercoaster and an independent film Racquet'.
Tuna served as announcer for Casey Kasem on his 1980s television program
America's Top 10. Two decades later, on the weekends of October 8/9,
2005 and August 12/13, 2006 Tuna stepped into Kasem's shoes and filled
in for him on his radio programs, American Top 20 and American Top 10
for the weekend. In addition to filling in for Kasem, he was also heard
on Your Good Time Oldies Magazine from 1992 to 1995, and Back to the
70s. Only 52 episodes of Back to the 70s were produced, but the reruns
are still airing, and Tuna is no longer involved with the program.
Tuna received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame January 10, 1990, was
inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame, August
19, 1999, and on Jul 18, 2008, was voted into The National Radio Hall o
Fame (NRHOF) In 1997, Los Angeles Radio People readers voted Charlie one
of the Top 10 L.A. Radio Personalities of All Time, and this past year
of 2007, Charlie was
once
again elected by his LARadio.com broadcast peers as one of the 2007 Top
10 Los Angeles Radio Personalities. Tuna is also well-known for his
25-year run (1971–1996) of approximately 6000 radio shows on the
American Forces Network. Charlie has also raised nearly 2 and half
million dollars for Children’s Hospital in L.A. with his annual
“Tunathon” the past 4 years (2004 - 2007), hosted the red carpet and
emceed the Revlon Run/Walk the past 5 years (2003 - 2007), and emcees
the annual 4th of July Warner Park in Woodland Hills celebration which
attracts annual crowds of over 50,000 spectators. (With thanks to
Wikepedia).
And it’s with AFN/AFRTS that I learned many years ago that Charlie was
one of the best non offshore deejays of his time. Whenever an old radio
recording, featuring Charlie Tuna, turns up, it’s a little party here,
the speakers are getting louder so we can hear is warm voice and the
many stories he has to tell.
Charlie Tuna in the mid eighties,
left. Photo: Thomas Whetston
Don Stevens brings the
news that many Voice of Peace
friends in Israel are very happy: ‘Thank you Hans, for your promotion of
the 'VOP Audio History' and I am indebted to Martin van der Ven for
uploading the production, I am seriously in your debt, both of you. My
computer would not 'talk to' the software on my new studio, and I was in
danger of breaking my word to the VOP fans, to whom I had promised a
free copy of this historical document. I was failing everywhere Hans,
the system would not respond, but, I knew I would be in Amsterdam within
a couple of weeks. I must confess, I was overwhelmed by Martin's
response to my request that I would appreciate it if he would upload
'Master Two' to the web, he aid yes, you w
ere
so laconic Hans, 'sure Don, we will do that for you', as if you do this
every day (maybe you do) but. you helped me keep a promise, for this, I
am grateful. Anyway, the people for whom the upload was meant are very
pleased with the 'gift' which you 'Musketeers' made possible, and I have
made it known the role you guys played in this. The VOP Forum is
delighted (so I'm told) with the document, it records many productions
not heard in Israel for 30 years, thank goodness I saved one of the
Masters.
The Audio History you have is actually 'Master Two; with the Kas Collins
updates and the drink water promos, I produced this in 1978/79, using
all the elements of 'Master One' which was an hour long, into the tape
you now have the copyright for. I used my Sharp 555 Porta-Studio (which
I still have) to make the edits, it’s a cassette based system (can send
a picture if you wish) which I later used in Ireland to make the adverts
and jingles for Atlantic Sound and WLS Music Radio. It can multi-track,
with effort, but is a very simple, but effective piece of kit. The
History was made to be self explanatory, it told its own story, and so,
I just connected the elements, thematically, so they followed a basic
timeline. I used only items that had been broadcast, it would make no
sense to have a document with 'in jokes' and 'in productions', so, the
document Hans, made itself. I included items that were not popular with
listeners like the 'Give Peace a Chance' loop, but, to be an honest
record, document, these items must be included.
The highlights for me in the document, well, the Kas Collins aircheck, I
was finishing off the production and heard Kas, you know I love
Nederlander broadcasters, so, I held the completion back, and added Kas.
The
Austin Allegro commercial, they never advertised on radio in Britain,
but they did in Israel. The Radio Veronica jingles and themes, I loved
that, the rare Ken Dickin clips, priceless, how I got his 'Desperate
Donnie Stevens' link was the work of The Great Maker. The voice-overs on
the chart programmes are with CSJ and Tony Allan.
I was using Peter van Dam's electronic editing technique. He taught me
well on the old Mi Amigo, you can't hear the edit, there is none. It is
a shame that my 'Master Three' was 'liberated' during my South Coast
Radio or Atlantic Sound days in Ireland, I keep a weather eye, and ear,
out for it, but it was a duzee. The response from the fans in Israel has
been superb, but knowing Israeli's, they probably copied the download
once, and I now making their own copies at home. Israeli’s got to love
them amigo. Best Wishes to You Hans, and Jana, Happy Holidays and Best
Wishes, Don.
PS. I'm performing as Santa Claus again this year, all over London,
using my own beard for a change, and saving my ears, the children pull
my whiskers and they ar
e
convinced, ha, ha! I love this time of year, Ho!Ho!Ho!
Merry Christmas!’
Thanks Don, I think with your long response and explanation how you
produced the documentary a lot of my readers is now also very interested
to see where they can download the documentary:
http://www.offshore-radio.de/downloads.htm
For those interested in the Radio Nord history Martin van der Ven
mentioned me that there is a very interesting site with a lot of
downloads, including videos:
http://radiohistoria.jvnf.org/indexnord.htm
By the way don’t forget to visit Martin’s site on a regular basis:
www.offshore-radio.de
Roel Jager sent in the next one, with thanks of course! For all those
Caroline supporters from nowadays:
http://www.geocities.com/woodleyuk/index3.htm
Again from Scotland a very good advice for those who are interested in
really antique radio: ‘Private collector Brian Reynolds now has a
website devoted to the days of the old BBC Radio orchestras from the
1930s – 1960s. Maybe you can mention it in the next International Radio
Report:
www.mastersofmelody.co.uk
Cheers! Graeme Stevenson
The classic Pacific Asian Log of mediumwave radio stations on air across
the entire region has now been updated at
www.radioheritage.net
Produced by Bruce Portzer in Seattle WA, this extensive radio guide
covers literally thousands of AM radio stations and is hosted by the
Radio Heritage Foundation. It draws on monitoring by many volunteers
across the region, as well as information directly from broadcasters so
it's accurate and up to date. You can search the database or download a
pdf version for your own non-commercial use by visiting
www.radioheritage.net/PAL_search.asp
Amongst the stations you'll find on 1602 AM are 2CP Cooma [Australia],
All India Radio, Ziro [India], JOKC Kofu [Japan], HLQE Sabuk [South
Korea], Radio Reading Service, Levin [New Zealand], and DZUP Quezon City
[Philippines]. The most powerful station listed in the region is 50kW
Radio Khost, located in Afghanistan. You'll find the Pacific Asian Log
Radio Guide useful for business and vacation travel [just print out the
stations from the countries you're visiting], radio monitoring,
advertising and PR campaign media planning and much more...it's up to
date and it's free. The Pacific Asian Log traces its origins back to
radio station call lists first published in New Zealand during the
1930's, and is volunteer supported and produced as a free service for
everyone.
From New Zealand we go to Wales and read what
Mike Kerslake, aka
Coconut has to say: ‘Hi Hans. As always it was a pleasure to read the
International Radio Report. This latest issue sparked off a few memories
for me. Firstly it was nice to see Paul Fraser's contribution. I worked
with Paul on the VOP in 1987. I remember Paul as very young, but very
knowledgeable in all sorts of things. He spoke much better French than
me, and could pronounce correctly the names of composers and conductors
on the Classical Programme! I think Paul won't mind me saying he found
his first time on-board the Peace Ship rather different to anything he
had ever experienced before. There were a lot of strong, and some would
say, slightly wayward, characters on-board, and wind-ups and pranks were
the order of the day and Paul did get his fair share of these!
However I promise Paul I had nothing to do with the blue dye from the
new bed sheets though, that really was just an accident! Paul sussed out
my way of using the almost free form playlist to create tempo and
chronological waves of music. I never wrote the method down and it was
all in my head, but Paul after a while had worked out what I was doing
purely by his own musical knowledge and intense listening. I remember
Paul's observations on people being unnervingly accurate though, and he
wasn't afraid to say so which did produce the occasional bout of
laughter in the production studio when we all huddled in there after
teatime to chat and listen to the dreaded aircheck tape!
Onto my old shipmate Steve Conway now, and I for one will very
interested in reading his forthcoming book, which, as he admits, has
been coming for years! I spent some time on-board with Steve in
1987/1988 and again in 1989 and it will be good to see Steve's
recollections of these times when quite a lot of out-of-the-ordinary
events did take place.
Arie Swets in Utrecht Mike
Kerslake and son with train (Photos: collection Mike Kerslake)
Finally, it was great to read the article about Tom Mulder and his love
of trains and trams as well as radio. I am one of those that have always
had a fascination with railways, both full size and model types. I know
some of my old radio colleagues also have an interest in railways.
Walter Simons and I used to spend hours talking about model railways
when we visited each other in the years after our offshore radio
adventures. I think Walter may still have a N gauge model railway layout
in his home. Nick Jackson is another old friend who shares an interest
in railways and our conversations these days tend to be more about
railways than radio or music! On my last visit to the Netherlands I
spent a very enjoyable day with Arie Swets at the railway museum in
Utrecht. Arie didn't have much of an interest before this day, but he
still found it fascinating as I did. I enclose a photo of Arie at the
museum and one of me driving a miniature train at a country park near
Bristol. I also heard that a very famous Caroline engineer has a huge OO
scale model railway in his house. Well, that's about it now from deepest
Wales, I am currently building a model railway, and before too long I
will be running my Lima HO model of a Dutch NS 'Koploper' on it! Best
regards
Mike Kerslake Pembrokeshire, Wales.’
Well
it was an interesting read with three different items in your e mail.
Nice to see the photos too and hope more people in our readership will
tell about their love for radio compared with trains, trams and ships.
They can send memories to HKnot@home.nl
Just before going back to radio I want to show you a 1963 photograph
which Tom Mulder just got
from a very old friend after last report was published, which included
his long story about radio, trams, trains, ships…. Tom wrote: ‘Together
with some railroad friends we were at the Amsterdam Rietlanden, where
the photo was taken. It features at the top ‘Rob van Ee’ (he still takes
a lot of photographs for several train magazines). Beneath is Gerard
Ooms, who now works as a busdriver in Amsterdam. In the middle it’s Tom
Mulder himself. It seems just a few years ago, while we talk about a
photo taken 45 years ago!’
Photo: Archive Rob van Ee/Tom
Mulder
It’s more than three years ago that Alan Freeman past away. How many
Aussies fled also to Europe in the sixties and seventies after he was a
su
ccessful
deejay? And why you searched for the European market. I know we have a
lot of Aussies in our readership so maybe you can give you personal
answer on: HKnot@home.nl
In the meantime some sites with Alan Freeman information, which I found
on internet:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPSFxbKHFA8
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/nov/28/guardianobituaries.radio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEnUASg1W1k
www.transdiffusion.org/.../all_systems_fre.php
Freeman promo
Then a real VOP Anorak from Tel Aviv, who is regularly responding to the
Hans Knot International Radio Report: ‘Thank you very much for the
report, I recognize the Dj Paul Fraser and I am sure l have at home in
my recordings a cassette chrome 90 Minute’s from Voice of Peace with one
of his shows. Can tell him to join as in the forum Voice of Peace in
100FM in the link:
http://www.100fm.co.il/index.asp
Hi Hans, whenever I check my mails I have to go to an internet shop
because I am away from my computer. This does not give me the chance to
read all of the info........but soon I will have a good long read. Hans,
thank you for all your hard work and input. The Radio Report is so, so
welcome.
Love, Light and Peace, Ian from Southport by the Sea, England.’
Thank you both for responding. We stay in England and go to Kent:
‘Hi Hans and thanks as always for yet another fascinating Report. In
particular, well done to Chris Vermeulen for sending his photos of the
Radio Caroline North ship, being towed into IJmuiden Harbour. I have
never seen any photos of the sad towage voyages; indeed when the ships
went off the air in early March 1968. It took me many weeks to learn
why. Strangely, I didn't come across any reports in the papers, nor on
TV/radio. Every good wish: John Allen, Beckenham, Kent.
Another e mail and this one comes from New Zealand: ‘Hi! Interested you
mentioned sale of copy of the Shoestring Pirates book. Here in NZ on
trade. There is a blue covered copy at a buy now for NZ$15 plus two
brown covered copies that were reprinted by Radio Pacific in the 90's.
Through the Radio Heritage foundation here in NZ I'm selling copies of
the soft covered blued covered copy of Shoestring Pirates and have about
eight left in stock. Once these are sold that is it. But I still have
plenty of copies of my CD "A
fresh pacific wind - Radio Hauraki 1966 - 1970". Till I hear from
you. Regards David Miller.’
And for those who are interested in buying a copy from the book or/and
the cd’s, here’s David his address:
dm.mmnz@xtra.co.nz
Then people from a new internet radio station want to present the
station:
‘What is 2NG? We're an
Internet only radio station that plays the greatest oldies that were
hits on the radio stations, both here in America and also over the pond
in Great Britain. We play the finest memorable songs from the past and
bring back more memories per hour than any other radio station. Not only
do we play the ones that everyone else does! But we also delve deep into
the charts and play those numbers 38's and one-hit wonders!
Those great British Invasion hits as well as the British hits that just
didn't get heard here in the U.S. (usually for a variety of reasons!)
and those American hits that failed in the British or European charts.
What do we consider oldies? Generally, we play any song that hit the
charts from the late Fifties to the mid Eighties. Naturally we won’t
play seriously heavy metal or other extremes. Any hour is an eclectic
hour! Ask any Brit around the world and you will discover that "teatime"
will always bring on fond memories. It still is a national tradition
that should never be lost. Join
Bill Rollins for two hours of great music from the great decades,
interesting chat and requests. Chances are you will hear songs that you
have not heard for years, I always do when I hear this show. Whether you
are listening at teatime in Europe or during the day here in the U.S.,
sit back and relax and enjoy the finest of British traditions. You can
join Bill with "The Teatime Special" at the following times.
• Sunday 12pm - 2pm EST (1700-1900 GMT)
• Tuesday 12pm - 2pm EST (1700-1900 GMT)
Bill started in radio in 1965 on the short lived English offshore pirate
station – Tower Radio that broadcast from the Sunk Head Tower off the
Essex coast. He worked with East Anglia Productions and was responsible
for editing and production of the famous 6 LP box set “The Radio
Caroline Story” and the “Laser 558 Story” He was also at this time the
‘Voice’ that introduced the religious Viewpoint programmes on Caroline.
He progressed from recording some commercials for an English station,
Mellow 1557 to The Breakfast Show – when the station was sold he then
went to Afternoon Drive. Mellow 1557 (on AM) became Dream 100 (on FM).
Bill continues to freelance for them and can often be heard on weekend
breakfast. Bill has presented shows for RSL station Red Sands Radio and
can currently be heard on 2NG where he presents The Tea Time Special on
Sunday and Tuesday afternoons.’
With the Christmas period coming up you maybe have some time to have a
few hours of pleasure with visiting just one internet site:
http://www.sixtiescity.com
I always love to find more songs in which the word ‘radio’ is used. Here
a brand new one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPBHO2gU1ng&feature=related
I’m
coming back to the Radio Day which was held in Amsterdam early November.
There were also some former Voice of Peace deejays who also worked
together on an Irish station. One of them opened a photo link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/clive0199/RadioDay2008
Thanks to Clive Derek and
all the others, we see each other next time again, I hope.
Remember Herman from Belgium asking for an old German DX Magazine? Well
also this question was answered very successful with thanks to Jan
Sundermann in Germany: ‘Hallo Hans, I have a poor photo-copy of an
article from QRV magazine from 1976, most probably the article Hermann
was remembering. In that article, a French radio amateur described his
various antenna trials, with a design close to a cage type like the one
used on the MV King David.
What he found out is, that such design is tune-able down to mediumwave
and has a large bandwidth. That is in relation to the big radiating
surface and might be good for am -music modulation; even he did not
mention such trials. So it might be an interesting design for the next
Red-Sands operation? In that QRV article the author worked out an
antenna type I call a basket or cage antenna, in German we say
‘Reusenantenne’. This type you find for example also on light ships etc,
working then mostly as aerial for undirectional beacon as navigational
aid. In other literature, the capital antenna system is not described as
a cage type, but as a horizontal loop / or even a magnetic loop type.
One has to check the photographs available very properly, as I expect
such a loop aerial to have then insulators at the holding wires and
stays. Then the author of the QRV article was misled. The cage antenna
is fed into its top from the central mast, so the foot of the central
mast must be insulated against the ships deck. That is difficult and
risky for a ships mast, to stay on ceramic insulators. Best wood be a
wooden mast with a wire feeder going up to feeding point.
Best regards, Jan Sundermann.’
In the meantime our reader in Belgium got the article: ‘Thanks a lot to
you and of course to Jan for the article. I think it is really the
article I once was shown by my late neighbour. Whenever you want a copy
of this 3 page article please feel free to ask me by e mail:
HKnot@home.nl
We
now go to Gerry Zieler who worked on Radio Essex as well as Radio 270 in
the sixties: ‘Hi Hans. Thanks as always for the latest newsletter. I
thought you might like to see evidence of a few old mates from Radio
Essex helping to celebrate his big 6-0 with
Greg Bance (Roger Scott
really). Lunch was hosted by the Dog & Duck pub at an infamous village
called Pluck's Gutter in Kent, run by Sue Fagg, who as teenager Sue Cash
wrote to us every day on Radio Essex. (So we did have at least one
listener!). Regards from Gerry Zierler (Guy
Hamilton).
Roger Scott and Lorraine Hayes;
Sue Fagg née Cash; Guy Hamilton; Mark Wesley; Mike Brereton; Michael
Cane
Thanks a lot and most appreciated Gerry. Now for more we go to Tel Aviv
with an e mail from Mike Brand: ‘An article about former owner of Radio
270, Wilf Proudfoot, is
in the British "Northern Echo". Go down to where it says Proudfoot's
privaters, and it is all about Radio 270.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/3922588.Trance_formations
This site is also interesting as you can find former magazine covers,
stories, newspaper articles downloads from landbased pirates and
offshore
radio:
http://193.63.162.100/press_and_magazine_index.html
Then news from a former Radio Luxembourg technician, Alan Bailey: ‘These
are the Part 1 and Part 2 links to Utube containing video of The Great
Radio Luxembourg Reunion Scott and I shot on the 2nd of August ' 2008
(2-08) in Luxembourg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTDz_Qq55VA&feature=related_Part_1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isaMxQ0tTsE&feature=related
Some issues of the
Hans Knot International Radio Report I showed you a small t shirt with
the text ‘fight for free radio’. This shirt was first issued in 1970
when the big demonstration took place against the jamming by the British
Authorities of the RNI
transmissions on several frequencies. Going to the files I found another
photo with the same shirt on it. You’ll see a guy showing his shirt on
board the MV Dolfijn.
This is one of the many ships which were hired several times by the late
Hans Verbaan from the FRC Holland and later on by Rob Olthof from the
Foundation for Media Communication. This, with the aim, to bring as much
as possible free radio fans to the then existing radio stations in
international waters. Do you see anyone familiar on this photo, which
originate from 1971? Don’t hesitate to mention it to me.
Photo: Rob Olthof
This month it’s 31 years ago that a deejay was jailed for failing to Pay
500 British Pounds in court costs. He then was planning to appeal to the
International Court of Human Rights in Strassbourg. The person was John
Edwards Jackson Hunter, who displayed a sticker promoting Radio Caroline
on his car windscreen. He wanted to appeal against the Marine Offences
Act of 1967, which banned publicity for offshore radio stations. Jackson
Hunter was given a three month jail sentence, suspended for two years,
during a court case held in Liverpool. Just before Christmas 1977 his
friends issued a statement to the press in his name. It stated that the
sentence was a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It said that the prosecution was a ‘blatant disregard’ of the
declaration. One of Jackson Hunter’s friends, Gerry Cornelius from
Liverpool, told the newspapers that Jackson was determined to appeal.
The latter one was a deejay on a Caroline Road Show and was accused of
displaying a sticker with the words: ‘Sound of the nation, Radio
Caroline, tune in to 259 meters.’
Unbelievable this could happen in those days. I can’t see the Dutch
authorities come into my house and arrest me as I’ve the big archive
with thousands of photographs, newspaper cuts, recordings, videos and
more, all about offshore radio. Now 31 years later, I would like to know
if anyone remembers this case and maybe could get me in touch with
either John Edwards Jackson Hunter (if he still believes in our fight
for free radio) and/ or Gery Cornelius from Liverpool. As always my
email address is: HKnot@home.nl
Next
is Tom Edwards. We didn’t
hear from him for a long, long time but he has very good news for us:
‘Hi Hans. I hope all is good and well with you. Your monthly newsletters
are so welcome. Happy Christmas to you, and yours and all the best for
2009. I’m alive and well at 63. I am grateful to be still around,
especially after the cancer scare back in 2005. My last 3 monthly
checkup was given the all clear by my ENTconsultant. I was so chuffed
that I hugged him and his three nurses in attendance. The voice is good
as ever, I thank God for that every day. It’s strange when you go
through a nightmare time like that, as indeed Johnnie Walker did, you
*change* as person. I *observe* things that have been around for years
but never seen them, if you follow my drift, also last August saw me
into my 15th year of sobriety. Proud never complacent ever. Hans can you
help? I suddenly thought of
Jerry King who became a good mate on Caroline South and then he
moved to the North ship. Do you have a contact for him? Love to get in
touch with the man again. I wish you well Hans. Tom Edwards.’
Well Tom what a beautiful news to hear just before Christmas. You must
be a very happy man now and of course congratulations, also to the
effort of sobriety. I hope you make many more years in life. And who
knows that our ways pass each other again on one of the meetings in
England. Jerry King’s info on the Pirate Hall of Fame mentions: ‘Jerry
King, a Canadian, Jerry was born in Welland, Ontario, on 2nd May 1941. 6
foot 2 inches tall, he initially trained to be a Physical Education
teacher but decided on a change of career and made his broadcasting
debut on Welland Radio. He worked for CKLB-AM and CKQS-FM in Ontario and
for ZBM radio and television in Bermuda before heading for the UK. He
started with Caroline South in March 1967, soon transferring to the
North ship. Jerry stayed until the introduction of the anti-pirate
legislation in August 1967, when he turned to journalism with United
Press International. He worked for UPI in London and New York before
joining the American television network ABC in September 1971 as an
overseas correspondent. He has appeared on World News Tonight With Peter
Jennings, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America and other network news
programmes. Jerry has reported from all over the world and interviewed a
number of important international figures including Yasir Arafat, King
Hussein of Jordan, Lech Walesa, the Shah of Iran and Ayatollah
Khomeini.’
I must s
ay
sorry that I don’t have his e mail or other contact addresses. So if
anyone knows more, please reflect on
HKnot@home.nl so Tom Edwards would love to get in contact with him.
Tom Edwards, in the eighties of
last century. Photo: Freewave Archive
Time for a message from Peter Verbruggen: ‘Dear
FRS Friends, for the
final time we pay your attention to the fact you are invited to
participate in the upcoming December 28th broadcast. Basically we offer
the possibility to spread your very own personal New Year Greetings by
way of the ionosphere. We will read them out in our 5 hour broadcast on
the final 2008 Sunday. You can dedicate your greetings to anybody or
anything. It's up to you! Greetings can be written or taped (cassette,
CD, MD or mp3 file) and send to our P.O. Box 2702, 6049 ZG Herten in the
Netherlands. Of course the easy & quick way is by sending an e-mail:
frs.holland@hccnet.nl or
frs@frsholland.nl. Remember: you
can add something special to our December 28th broadcast by
participating. Make sure your contribution reaches us in a few days. We
are looking forward hearing from you! Up till now a number of listeners
have contributed....we are trying to have your involvement too. Looking
at the very enthusiastic response on our last broadcast, we would expect
quite a number of listener's contributions.
Let's do it together. December 28th, it will only take a few minutes to
add a little bit extra/ special to that broadcast. 73s, Peter V. (On
behalf of the FRS staff).
Good luck to you all at the FRS studio’s. Next a nice memory to Manx
Radio, which I found on You tube. A video showing:
Paul Burnett.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOiE-upNmb4
A few times already I informed you about a forthcoming movie about
offshore radio. Now the trailer for the movie ‘The
boat that rocked’ can be viewed on you tube:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XnQc3lO4JDs&fmt=18
News of January Horizon Magazine
posted on Caroline web shop and at http://www.horizonmagazine.co.uk/
Main features are The Radio Day in Amsterdam and the recent outside
broadcast by Radio Caroline at Earls Court London . It now seems a
studio move was under way during this outside broadcast to a new
facility in the Medway area. All Caroline's Maidstone TV studio
equipment has made its way over there I'm told instead of the recent
rented set up. Copy, photos memories always welcome from any of your
many readers on any aspect of Free Radio, not just Caroline or the Ross
Revenge. A sample issue of Horizon is viewable on the Horizon web site.
All profits go to help Caroline Radio Ship Ross Revenge. Best wishes for
the festive season, Bill Barnes for Horizon Magazine
contactbill@horizonmagazine.co.uk
Webmaster Radio Caroline Society web shop at
www.radiocaroline.co.uk
Robin Richardson has put a special Christmas Song from the late
Tony Allan on internet.
You can hear it now on You Tube:
Caroline Song Xmas
1974_0002.wmv
I want to close this special Christmas edition with an e mail from Ian
Godfrey. With most respect I’ve thanked him for writing down his
memories. If you read on you will know why I did this.
Dear Hans. Firstly
thanks very much for the Christmas card/message and I hope you have a
great one yourself. Thanks also for the December newsletter which I
found almost by chance, when I d
ecided
to check your web site - as I do on a regular basis. I thought I'd
already read the December edition and was quite excited to discover that
I hadn't! I was saddened to read about the present situation at
'Monitor;' the opinion that no-one seems to be interested in the past
and radio heritage is, I'm sure, almost totally inaccurate; undoubtedly
there is a fair percentage who have dissociated themselves from their
past (this is a facet of human nature generally) but, since I started
using a computer about three months ago and have accessed sites like the
'Pirate Hall of Fame,' I realised that interest in offshore radio is
much stronger than I realised. I also went to the Monitor site and read
through issue no. 2, which I never managed to get hold of the first time
round. It would be unfortunate if the site disappears, largely because
'Buster' Pearson was, to me, a major figure in the 70s offshore scene
and must have been the greatest logger of all time. I would sit for
hours logging test transmissions from Caroline and Atlantis and it was
quite exciting to discover that there was someone else of the same ilk
but who did it a lot more comprehensively than I did!
Ronald C. ‘Buster’ Pearson 1977:
OEM Archive.
Stations using names such as Radio Nova is another prickly subject when
you consider that Nova it's not that surprising that another station
uses the name but it's a form of plagiarism; it reminds me of a similar
situation at Big L, with their use of the strap line 'it's all about the
music;' when Capital and Classic Gold merged and adopted the highly
innovative name(!) Gold I was disturbed to discover that they were using
the same phrase. Mike Read launched an appeal against them although he
couldn't have had much success as they're still using it. I've tuned
into Nova Classic Rock recently and found that it's also being used
there, plus obviously the use of Nova!
If anyone was to ask me for my key experiences for this year I would
probably put gaining access to Internet radio at the top of the list.
I'm listening to an archive Lex Harding Top 40 show on Veronica 192. At
a guess I'd say it was early '71. I've just heard Freedom/Jimi Hendrix
(36) and I'm On My own Again/Bintangs (35). I always make sure I'm at
home by 18.00 GMT on Mondays, for Adje Bauman's Top 10 (as I did first
time round;) one interesting point is that the 'Pop Journaal' indicates
the date of the show. I used to think that he was, concerning technical
adeptness, the Dutch answer to Kenny Everett; maybe that's a fair
comparison!
I fou
nd
your feature on trains, trams ships and radio very interesting (when I
got to the beginning of that section I decided to pause it and cook a
meal knowing I'd probably enjoy the meal more having something of
particular interest to go back to.)
I fall very much into this category. I've always been a railway
enthusiast (mainly steam) and buses, and to a lesser extent, trams,
trolleybuses and ships, for different sections of my life. It’s
difficult to say when my interest in radio started. I have no
recollection of the start of Caroline and Atlanta, probably because it
wasn't that easy to pick up any of the stations at boarding school in
Coventry. I didn't know anyone else who was interested either there or
at home. One afternoon during the summer 1965 holiday my mother switched
on her transistor radio and it was clear to me almost immediately that
it was Big L. My grandfather called a few minutes later and asked her
enthusiastically what she was listening to? She replied: "this is the
new Radio London." It didn't register very strongly with me at that
time, probably as I was preoccupied with railways but a few months later
I was ill for a couple of days and my mother lent me her radio! I was
fascinated by the number of stations I could pick up, loudly and
clearly, and the fact that I heard ‘That's Nice’ from Neil Christian
three times in about fifteen minutes!
Not having a radio of my own I didn't really get 'hooked' until about
Easter, 1967 and, at 3 PM on 14/8/67 I remember tears rolling down my
cheeks. In the 1950's I had preferences for certain types of buses but
the 'triggering' factor was, in October 1980, noticing by chance that
Routemasters had replaced rear-engined buses on a local route in London,
which was the opposite of the developing trend. My interest in ships is
limited mainly to radio-ships. One result of this observing other ships
and imagining them as radio-ships with 60m masts!
It's difficult to assess the links between the three interests; I'm sure
a major factor is the desire to patronise or defend something that's
soon to be outmoded; to me, steam engines, half cab, open-platform buses
and radio-ships are much more aesthetically pleasing than anything
that's replaced them. I was fascinated by all the Dutch DJs with this
combination of interests. I remember going to one of the early Caroline
Movement meetings and all six of us also had the transport interests but
there are probably more radio enthusiasts with other interests, such as
football.
I'd like to e mail the people you mentioned in the Newsletter,
particularly Tom Mulder. Unfortunately I have a muscle condition which
is deteriorating with age so I have to cut back on rail tours and bus
rallies, etc. although the computer is a great substitute! The muscle
condition also affects my hands, to a lesser extent, which makes writing
and typing difficult so apologies if any errors linger! I'll try to
eradicate them all; the spell-checker is a great asset! All the very
best. Ian Godfrey.
And with this I will end this years editions of the Hans Knot
International Radio Report. Thanks for all reflecting on the report and
sending in memories, news and other material. More to come in 2009. And
for those who I did not send a Christmas card, here is the one you
missed.
Offshore Radio Programme Names - Programmanamen Zeezenders 1958-1990
Read Hans Knot's former report