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The early days of the radio -

In the 1960s, British listeners were not quite spoilt for choice when it came to radio stations and, most importantly, music.

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The BBC -

One radio station dominated the airwaves, and that was the BBC. As for the music? It was mainly classical and jazz, played by “presenters” rather than DJs.

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Radio Luxembourg -

Though British audiences started to tune in to other European radio stations such as Radio Lyon, Radio Normandy, Radio Athlone, and Radio Mediterranee, their popularity didn’t come close to that of Radio Luxembourg.

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The man who changed radio history -

Irish businessman Ronan O'Rahilly was a man with ambitions. He ran a club in London and managed several artists and actors (including George Lazenby, who played James Bond in one movie).

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Ronan O'Rahilly -

O'Rahilly created his own record label, but he soon found that neither the BBC nor Radio Luxembourg would play his artists.

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Drive for change -

“If after managing my own artists I have to create my own record label because nobody will record them and if I then find that no radio station will play their music, it seems that the only thing now is to have my own radio station,” he told one of the Radio Luxembourg directors. And he delivered on that promise.

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Idea -

Ronan O'Rahilly was at a party when a woman told him about 'Voice of America,' a radio station operating at sea from the USCGC Courier. O'Rahilly investigated further, and soon after he was visiting other similar operations, including the Swedish Radio Nord and the owners of the Dutch offshore radio station Radio Veronica. Could he do the same for the UK?

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Team -

This is when O'Rahilly met Australian businessman Alan Crawford and started developing the idea of an offshore radio station that would not be affected by UK broadcasting laws.

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MV Caroline -

The pair bought an ex ferry called Fredericia, which was then renamed MV Caroline and converted to broadcast.

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Mi Amigo -

Crawford then also brought his radio ship Mi Amigo to be used as part of the operation.

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Location -

In 1964, Radio Caroline was anchored in the Irish sea and broadcasted to the North of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

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Location -

There was also Radio Atlanta, which was operating from Mi Amigo anchored in international waters off the coast of Essex and broadcasting to London and the South East. Later that year, both radios merged in Mi Amigo under the umbrella of Radio Caroline South.

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The name -

Apparently, Radio Caroline was named after JFK’s daughter Caroline Kennedy. Ronan O'Rahilly was inspired by a picture of the girl playing in the Oval Office. The story goes that instead of asking his daughter to stop, JFK took a break from the meeting to play with her. O'Rahilly wanted his radio station to be as playful and disruptive as little Caroline.

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The first song -

The first song played on Radio Caroline was 'Not Fade Away' by The Rolling Stones.

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The pirate radio revolution had begun -

Radio Caroline inspired other pirate radios to appear shortly after, including Radio London, Swinging Radio England, Radio 270, and Radio Scotland, among others.

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A murder changed the image of pirate radio -

As more pirate radios popped up, tensions grew. Offshore entrepreneur Major Oliver Smedley (pictured) hijacked Reg Calvert’s Radio City. At one point, Calvert burst into Smedley's home, who in turn killed Calvert.

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New law -

The jolly image of pirate radio had been stained, and authorities now had something to hold on to. The government then passed the Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967, which made offshore radio stations illegal.

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The dream was over -

On March 3, 1968, tugs approached the Radio Caroline ships, cut the anchor chains, and towed them to the Netherlands due to unpaid bills. Radio Caroline was officially off air.

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Revival -

In 1972, MV Mi Amigo was bought and returned to its former broadcasting condition. Radio Caroline went back on air, though it did hand over some air time to Dutch broadcasters. The days were dedicated to Dutch programs, whereas the nights were for English ones.

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New law -

Then in 1974 the Netherlands passed their own anti-pirate law, so Mi Amigo eventually anchored in the Knock Deep at the mouth of the Thames Estuary, where it stayed for a number of years.

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The first and the last -

On March 20, 1980, Tom Anderson and DJ Stevie Gordon said their last words on air from Mi Amigo's transmitters. The ship was literally sinking, but fortunately they managed to escape by lifeboat.

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Rebirth -

It turns out it was not the end for Radio Caroline though. On August 19, 1983, Radio Caroline was back on air from its new ship, Ross Revenge, which would become the radio’s headquarters until today.

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Anglo-Dutch raid and the end of piracy -

In 1989, authorities raided Radio Caroline and seized broadcasting equipment. The UK law did, however, change in 1990, and under the new Broadcasting Act 1990 offshore radio stations became legal.

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AM -

It was not until 2017 that the UK's communications regulator Ofcom awarded Radio Caroline an AM community license to broadcast to Suffolk and north Essex.

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The DJs -

There have been many famous DJs in Radio Caroline history, many of whom went on to have long, successful careers. Some prominent names included Chris Moore, Simon Dee, Tom Lodge, Johnnie Walker (left), and Robbie Dale (right).

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The DJs -

The pirate radio station employed over 30 DJs. Other names include Tony Blackburn, Roger Gale, Tommy Vance, Bob Stewart, Ray Teret, Dave Lee Travis, Tony Prince, Spangles Muldoon, and Tom Edwards, among others.

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In pop culture -

The story of the “ship that rocked the world” inspired a 2009 movie called ‘The Boat That Rocked’ ('Pirate Radio' in North America).

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Pirate radio -

Radio Caroline inspired many DJs to start land-based pirate radio stations. Pirate radios played (and still play) a massive role in a number of underground music scenes, and although not as popular and relevant as they once were, there are still quite a few out there.

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Pirate radio -

“Pirates can have a stronger, deeper focus on particular niche areas. They can show you the full spectrum of that music,” said producer/DJ Imaginary Forces.

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Pirate radio in the age of the internet -

“There always is and there always has been pirate radio. It never went away–people just lost track of it,” Imaginary Forces added.

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It’s on air -

Radio Caroline, now a legal radio station, is still broadcasting to this day.

Sources: (Radio Caroline) (Radio Fidelity) (RadioKing) (Dazed)

See also: Celebs who have hosted their own radio show

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