Radio Caroline to air 50th anniversary tribute to Dutch offshore stations

 

Radio Caroline is to broadcast two special shows this weekend as a tribute to the Dutch pirate stations, marking the 50th anniversary of their closure.

When the Marine Offences Act closed UK offshore pirates in August 1967, apart from Radio Caroline, some listeners turned to Dutch pirate station Radio Veronica, which wasn’t affected by the law.

Radio Veronica was a pioneer, broadcasting responsibly with modest power, and was tolerated by the Dutch authorities for many years. However, the early 1970s saw an influx of new stations, including Radio North Sea together with Radio Caroline, which joined Veronica in broadcasting with high power.

More stations began broadcasting off the Dutch coast causing intense competition and as tensions escalated, an incident occurred where an incendiary device set the RNI ship ablaze.

By 1974, the Dutch government took action and despite Veronica’s efforts to gain public support, they too, along with other stations such as Radio Del Mare and Atlantis were forced to cease operations on 31st August that year. Once again, Radio Caroline defied the odds and continued to broadcast.

To commemorate this moment in broadcasting history, this Saturday at 4pm on Radio Caroline’s album channel, Andre Van Os will be playing classic tracks from Dutch bands of the era, accompanied by original jingles, commercials, and airchecks from Radio Veronica, Atlantis and Radio North Sea.

The show will also feature the final moments of these stations, aired exactly 50 years to the day from when they fell silent.

Then, on Sunday 1st September on Caroline’s Flashback service at 10 am, Ray Clark will play a selection of relevant songs and read excerpts from listener emails, reflecting on the legacy of the Dutch offshore pirates.

(Radio Today)

Radio is Dead Claims Futurist at Radiodays

The talking points from Radiodays Europe includes smart speakers taking over the world, the death of DAB and even the end of radio as we know it.
But away from the sensational headlines, are a number of important points about the direction radio will go in the next decade.

Smart Speakers – namely Alexa – is the fastest growing technology to hit our industry, and was mentioned in most sessions. Alexa is even part of the imaging on Z100 New York. Creative Director Staxx (()) has all his celebrity guests talk to Alexa asking to play Z100. Getting the command in listeners minds first will help them win the smart speaker space.

Additional story at Radio Today: https://radiotoday.co.uk/2018/03/radio-is-dead-claims-futurist-at-radiodays/
(graphic via Urban Buzz)

Bangladesh: Radio Today, VOA broadcast joint new bulletin

The broadcasting of a news bulletin produced jointly by Radio Today in Dhaka on FM 89.6 and the Voice of America (VOA) started on Monday, says a press release. Henceforth the entire English bulletin will be broadcast at 9:45pm (1545 UTC) and only the international part of the news will be broadcast at 11:45pm (1745 UTC) directly from the Washington studio of VOA.
Speaking at a function on Monday night, Danforth Austin, director of VOA, said the broadcasting of news produced jointly by a radio station from one part of the world with another radio station from other part, has created a historic moment. Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury, director of the VOA Bangla Service, said this is an initiative first of its kind in the last 50 years.
Rafiqul Haq, managing director of Radio Today, said this initiative has added a new dimension in the broadcasting history of Bangladesh.
(Source: The Daily Star/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)