C792 Media Guide for Radio, Television & Modern Life

Short History

Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. Unlicensed by any government for most of its early life, it was a pirate radio station which only became formally illegal in 1967.The Radio Caroline name was used to broadcast from five different ships owned by three different owners from 1964 -1989. Radio Caroline currently broadcasts 24 hours a day via the Eutelsat 28Asatellite at 28.5°E, via the Internet and by occasional Restricted Service Licence. Radio Caroline broadcasts music from the 1960s to contemporary, with an emphasis on album-oriented rock(AOR). The company also licenses other stations around the world to use the Radio Caroline name. Without serious competition, Radio Caroline quickly gained a daytime audience of several million listeners. In 1967, the UK Government enacted the Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967, outlawing advertising on or supplying an unlicensed offshore radio station from the UK. In an earlier House of Commons debate (in June 1966), the government had claimed that the pirate ships were a danger because of radio frequency interference to emergency shipping channels, and to overseas radio stations and the pirates were paying no royalties to artists, composers or record companies. Furthermore it was stated that the pirates' use of wavelengths also broke international agreements. When Marine &c. Broadcasting Offences Act become law on 14 August 1967, Radio Caroline was renamed Radio Caroline International. Six weeks later, the BBC introduced its new national pop station Radio 1, modelled largely on the successful offshore station, Radio London, and employed many of the ex-pirate DJs. Radio Caroline was off the air for most of the 1990s, except for occasional low-power broadcasts of one month's duration.

 

Key Facts

-O'Rahilly named the station after Caroline Kennedy, daughter of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. In an extant photo, Caroline Kennedy and her brother, John F. Kennedy Jr., are apparently dancing in the oval office as their father looks on, an activity which O'Rahilly reportedly interpreted as a playful disruption of government.

-It began test transmissions on Friday, 27 March 1964. On Saturday, 28 March, it began regular programming at noon with the official opening being conducted by Simon Dee.

-News stories appeared in the European press announcing the start of Caroline Television from two Super Constellation aircraft using Stratovision technology. One aeroplane would circle over the North Sea in international air space near the coastline of the United Kingdom, while the other would remain on standby to take over duties. Presentations were made to US advertising agencies. These stories continued for some time and included details of co-operation by a former member of the Beatles and a sign-on date given as 1 July; however, the station failed to appear. It was later proven to be nothing more than a publicity stunt.