| home introduction early days photo gallery 1974 rni top 50 today's stations radio museum catalogue catalogue - latest golden radio int links / webrings contact us |
The Museum |
|
| home introduction early days photo gallery 1974 rni top 50 today's stations radio museum catalogue catalogue - latest golden radio int links / webrings contact us |
The Museum |
|
INTRODUCTION Share in the excitement of the offshore "pirate" stations of the 60s and 70s. Read all about the stations and see the pictures. Follow the progression of offshore radio into the 80s and 90s. Hear the superb professional sounds of a totally illegal and unauthorised commercial broadcasting industry which developed in Ireland in the 80s taking advantage of a loophole in the Irish law. Sample world-wide commercial radio. Listen to in-depth documentaries taking you behind the scenes with the people involved in the stations. Witness the birth of brand new stations from the test transmissions to the opening ceremonies and first programmes. Sadly, many station closures are also featured.. Satellite-delivered stations,
hospital radio stations, community radio, special
productions, hilarious bloopers and magnificent jingles -
it's all there in The Museum of Commercial Radio, and
comes to you every month on our own station "Golden
Radio International". |
WHY OFFSHORE RADIO? If the government of your country had an iron grip on the airwaves and independent commercial radio was illegal, how would you start a station? The only way in the UK in the sixties was to broadcast from another country, or from a ship or offshore structure outside the country's territorial limit and jurisdiction. Although affectionately called "pirates", the offshore stations were largely legal as they escaped the laws of the country they were broadcasting to, until . . . . . the affected European countries introduced Marine Offences Broadcasting Laws which made it impossible to operate the stations profitably by making it illegal to work for them, supply them, advertise on them, and, unbelievably, as in the British Marine Etc. Broadcasting Offences Bill, LISTEN TO THEM!
Formed in the Spring of 1988 from recordings of offshore stations made by myself, the museum has gone from strength to strength and is still growing thanks to the material continually being received from contributors and by our own recordings which mark any unusual or specific broadcast which has occurred.
The museum is now a collection of almost 900 archive radio recordings. It is a personal collection and NONE of the items are for sale. We adhere strictly to this rule, although we are sometimes prepared to swap certain items in exchange for recordings we would like. It is an attempt to record a unique period in the broadcasting history of the British Isles, and a cross-section of commercial broadcasting throughout the world for future reference by interested parties.
This website exists both as a service to the members of The Museum of Commercial Radio and as a tribute to the pioneers of commercial radio in Europe, and we welcome any e-mail from individuals/organisations either interested in or connected with commercial radio in the past, present or future.
THE MUSEUM OF COMMERCIAL RADIO - - - - - offshore & worldwide commercial radio
- - - - - visit our radio museum - - - - -
- - - - - tune in to our internet radio station Golden Radio International for the best in free radio entertainment
