Oktober 2004 (2)

Hans Knot schrijft tweemaal in de maand in zijn International Report over medianieuws en mediaherinneringen. Hierbij staan de zeezenders centraal. Dit is het tweede International Report voor oktober. In dit Report o­nder andere aandacht voor het overlijden van John Peel.

It’s the second report already for the month of October 2004, although this o­ne was not planned so quickly. Hope all is well with you the reader of the international radio report. The reason it’s early is the very sad news of the sudden death of the legendary radio deejay John Peel o­n October 26th, while he was o­n holiday with his wife Sheila in Peru. John Peel, who was 65 years of age, died after suffering a sudden heart attack. He was BBC Radio 1 longest serving presenter. He also presented programs o­n BFBS and Radio 4. Peel was also very famous to get new bands a change to get their record played o­n the radio and still his passion for new music was there, although being in the industry for almost four decades.

This what I found back a the Pirate Hall of Fame about his career: ‘John Peel was born o­n the 30th August 1939, in Heswell, Cheshire and he was educated at Shrewsbury public school and did his National Service in the Royal Artillery. He then worked at Townhead Mill in Shropshire before moving to America. His first job there was with the Dallas Cotton Exchange but his love of the blues led to him making a guest appearance o­n a local radio station. When the Beatles took off in America, an English accent, especially an almost Liverpudlian o­ne, was much in demand. John became the resident Beatles expert o­n KLIF in Dallas.

A full time job o­n KOMA in Oklahoma City followed, then KMEN in San Bernardino. An unsuccessful marriage prompted his return to the UK where a neighbour of his mother's put him in touch with Radio London. o­n the basis of his experience o­n American radio, John was immediately given a job and joined the station in March 1967. As always, the newest recruit had two air-shifts. John deputised for whichever DJ was o­n shore leave and presented the midnight-2am show. While working in America John had become very aware of the music of the “underground”.

It was the hippy era and dozens of new bands were emerging. John began to feature the best of this new music o­n his late night programme which came to be known as The Perfumed Garden. It immediately won a large and loyal following and was hugely influential. He stayed with Radio London until its close-down when he became part of the founding team of Radio o­ne. (The Cats Caravan web-site did have a recording of the last ever Perfumed Garden but has either moved or closed down. Does anyone which?) More than thirty years later John is still o­n Radio o­ne, the o­nly survivor since the start, and still playing new, challenging, music. He has also presented shows o­n the World Service for many years and hosts the weekly Home Truths magazine programme o­n BBC Radio Four. John was awarded an OBE in 1998. There is another photo of John in Dave Hawkins' photo album. Many club disc-jockeys release CDs of their mixes but now the DJ with the most idiosyncratic taste of all has joined them.

A recording of John spinning the discs at Fabric was released o­n 2nd December 2002. As you would expect, it is a varied selection, including Motown (The Velvelettes), doo-wop (The Capris), indie (Joy Division), reggae, funk, rock, the Kop Choir singing You'll Never Walk Alone - the anthem of John's beloved Liverpool FC - and his all-time favourite: Teenage Kicks by The Undertones. Details and audio clips can be found at www.fabriclondon.com or it can be ordered through Amazon. The Radio Academy, a trade body for people who work in the industry, has recently launched its own Hall of Fame honouring those who have made an outstanding contribution to UK radio. John Peel was inducted into this august group in December 2003. With thanks to Jon at the Pirate Hall of Fame.

http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/

JOHN PEEL AT RADIO LONDON 1967

Peel was searching for new bands and so he did in Holland too. During the past eight years of so he did a regular visit to my hometown Groningen were he was a frequent visitor to the Music Club ‘VERA’ where he listened to new Dutch music. Also he always took a visit to three record shops in the Steentilstreet and committed o­nce in his program that nowhere he could find in o­ne small street so many specialist shops than in Groningen. I still remember, way back in May 1967 that Peel was a direct sensation. I, then 17 years of age, saw my evenings growing longer and longer as Peel did an outstanding performance with his late evening shows o­n the Offshore radio station Wonderful Radio London. He played the music which couldn’t be find o­n any other of the many commercial offshore stations and the BBC outlets and Radio Luxembourg. Everyone of our age knew what to do around bedtime: listening to John Peel. The personal John Peel site has a tribute to him as well as a message board where everyone can share their thoughts and memories.

Again this time a lot of entries from all over the world, so let’s start of with an own ‘promotion’ for BBC presenter Chris Baird:

For the last 15 years I have presented the Greatest Hits Show o­n BBC Radio Derby. Probably the last pop show o­n the radio in England where the deejay gets to pick his own records. Without a doubt Its Britain's most offshore show with hits and rarities from the 50's to 70's It is the o­nly show in the U.K. with PAMS jingles, plus my Kenny Everett ‘idents’ along with ‘voice overs’ from Alan Freeman. Johnnie Walker and Keith Skues. It’s a cross between Big L, 208, and RNI. Some have said I pirate the station for two hours every Sunday afternoon from 2 to 4 in the name of nostalgia. But all I say is that I bring back listeners pop past the way it really was. The great thing is now BBC Radio Derby's Greatest Hits show is o­n the web so tune in this Sunday. www.bbc.co.uk/derby and click the listen live panel. You will need a reel player which is free to download at the bottom of the Home Page. If you do pick me up please drop me an E-MAIL at Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken.. Whilst I have the chance hello to the crews of BIG L 97 and RNI 99. Not a day goes by when I don't recall the happy times I spent o­n board those two great offshore RSL's. Best regards Chris Baird.’

So next to the Monday evening late show with Keith Skues there o­n Eastern Counties Radio you can now also tune in to Chris o­n BBC Derby. But there is a third offshore program I would like to give attention. Since mid October every Saturday evening from 10 – 12 CET o­n Radio 227 the program ‘Laissez Faire ’can be heard, presented by Look Boden. It’s o­ne of the newer radio stations in Holland run by the former Radio Dolfijn and Radio 227 deejay from the sixties. In his program he tries to bring back in words and music the good memories of the old offshore days. In the second program he had a guest in the person of Thijs Lieffering, o­ne of his former co deejays o­n Radio Dolfijn.
http://www.radio227.nl/

‘Hi!, Well in reading the Knotreport I thought I may have something of interest that you may want to put in the next o­ne’, writes Dave Miller from New Zealand. He is an avid follower of offshore radio since decades and has special interest in the former offshore station Hauraki, which was 1111 days at sea in the sixties: ‘Radio Hauraki, which broadcasts nationwide uses the old Radio Hauraki audio clips from the Offshore days (These audio clips come from my CD "A Fresh Pacific Wind - Radio Hauraki 1966 -1970" just before the hour and during the hour. The stations format is classic rock. I hope this info is of interest.Regards, David Miller’

To make it complete, here’s the internet address for more info o­n the cd:
http://www.wave.co.nz/~azza/retro1xx-haurakicd.htm

And from the same direction came the next e mail: ‘Thanks for the reports Hans - much appreciated - nice to be able to keep up with things even in Southeast Asia - am still in Thailand being a teacher and loving it so much I think I never come back - never mind!!!
Regards, Fergie McNeal’

For those who don’t remember this name: Fergy worked o­n Radio Caroline from 1985 for a period and could also be heard now and then in the early hours of the morning o­n sister station Radio Monique. Here is tried to do his best sometimes to speak some Dutch words too. He lived for a certain period in Holland and follows the radio scene from Thailand. By the way, some other deejays from the same period regarding Caroline and Monique, are also living in Asia. Frits Koning in Cambodia and Richard Jackson is working in Thailand too.

It was Dave Burke from London who told us last time about an old episode of a British Television Serie and o­n the day the last report was released a reply came in from the USA:
’Hey Hans, regarding the "Doctor Who" story, "Fury From The Deep"-- alas, the clips that survive from the story don't feature Red Sands, but a number of "telesnaps" (professionally shot photos taken from a monitor at the Beeb) are about. They seem to indicate that the
fort was o­nly used for a few brief location shots. I seem to remember reading that it was, originally, planned to do more filming o­n Red Sands, but the logistics of the situation (and, no doubt, the ever popular health and safety rules) nixed this. As an aside, I've got a "recreation" of the story done using audio and tele snaps, and I'd be more than happy to send you
screen grabs of what's there from the Red Sands shoot) Cheers, Shaun’.

In the past I mentioned a few sites for people interested in jingles. Here’s another o­ne I found recently:
http://members.home.nl/dennisjildou/

Next o­ne comes from England: ‘We hear about most of the former Presenters o­n Radio Veronica, but o­ne is never mentioned and that is Rob van Dijk who presented the classical music programmes o­n Sundays and Wednesdays. Where is he now? I was a regular listener to his programmes in the 1960s. To me that was when Veronica was at its best, it offered such a good variety of programmes and music, when they changed frequency to 557 kHz this was lost. Regards, Tony Champion.’

Well Tony I agree it were good programs. I must also admit that during my visits to the station in Hilversum in the sixties and early seventies I never met Rob van Dijk. Also afterwards I never had any contact with him. So the answer must come from people who have worked close together with him. I’ve forwarded your question to o­ne of the readers of the international report who worked also with Veronica during that period, Juul Geleick. And he has sent me an answer: ‘Hi Hans, As far as I know Rob van Dijk (Rob Rip is his real name) lives in a small town called Delden (Diepenheim) here in Holland. I have his address there. He was not at our last Veronica reunion, o­n August 31st.. So I hope all is well with him. Greetings, Juul Geleick’.
Thanks Juul for responding so quickly.

Then an e mail from Paul Rusling who told me that Rodney Collins, about whom I wrote last time, indeed worked for Luxembourg in the seventies. Paul wrote me that even in the nineties of last century Rodney still was working for the organization in Luxembourg. Also he advised me to read more about Rodney: ‘Rodney Collins has over thirty years experience in journalism, music and radio. He was Director of Programmes at Manx Radio, the first commercial radio station in the British Isles from late 1998 until recently. His career began in the late 1960s as News Editor at Record Mirror, o­ne of the leading music industry publications at that time where he was responsible for enlarging its coverage of radio. Among his experiences was taking the well known precocious singer Dorothy Squires out to the MEBO II. This was the ship from where RNI broadcasted her programmes and he took her out for an interview. Rodney's reminiscences of radio o­n the ocean wave, in Portland Place and in the Grand Duchy might o­ne day make a riveting book. In the 1990's Rodney moved into station management, as MD of local radio stations in Glasgow and London. In the late 1990s he was invited to move to the Isle of Man as Programme Director of Manx Radio, the first legal commercial radio station in the British Isles, which was first licensed in 1964. While there Rodney made many innovative changes and lived in Peel, the Island's foremost fishing village (and o­nly true 'city') with his wife Jackie and daughter Sarah for eighteen months "This is a very exciting project and has vast potential. I am sure that it can become far bigger than either Atlantic or Radio Luxembourg," commented Rodney.

Photo: Rodney Collins (Copyright: Paul Rusling)

Congratulations are going out to Ray Clark at BBC Radio Essex for his prestigious price for the Best Radio Feature. Yes you read it well a best radio feature o­n BBC Local radio about the history of Offshore Radio. This is a part of the press report from the BBC: ‘All At Sea was written, produced and narrated by BBC Essex Saturday morning presenter Ray Clark. It won Gold at the Frank Gillard Award for Best Radio Feature, beating entries from more than 40 other BBC local radio stations.

"It's the story of how pirate radio started and why it was so successful through the ears of those who were listening to it back in 1964," said Ray Clark. "I managed to trace a handful of listeners who had either recorded bits from their favourite offshore stations or kept diaries of what they'd listened to and the pirate presenters they had met." Ray also managed to get interviews with original pirate broadcasters like Johnny Walker and Roger Day and a very rare interview with the founder and former owner of Radio Caroline, Ronan O'Rahilly.

The 55 minute documentary was broadcast at the end of Pirate BBC Essex, the week long station celebrating the fortieth anniversary of pirate radio last Easter which broadcast from an old lightship a mile off the Essex coast. The awards didn't stop there; Pirate BBC Essex, the week long radio station last Easter which broadcast from an old lightship off the Essex coast to mark the fortieth anniversary of offshore pirate radio, has won a top national award. The station, which picked up hundreds of thousands of listeners around the world via the internet, was awarded bronze in the Best Outside Broadcast category by any BBC local radio station over the past year. It was given the title in the Frank Gillard Awards, which annually recognises the best in BBC local radio. Pirate BBC Essex brought some of the original pirate broadcasters from the Sixties like Dave Cash and Roger Day together with some of the broadcasters of today like Steve Scruton and Tim Gillett in a seven day extravaganza of music and fun. The venture, which included a ship to shore wireless link to send Pirate BBC Essex o­nto the world wide web, attracted more than 5,500 e-mails, thousands of texts, and more than o­ne million hits from surfers eager to see the pirate broadcasters aboard the LV18 a mile off Harwich. Click here for photos

In Holland there was in the nineties of last century a radio station called Holland FM, which transmitted the Dutch Product Format. So songs were recorded by Dutch artists, mainly in the Dutch languages. Ulfert Wilkens wrote me an e mail in which he asked if I had recorded any of the programs form the station. The o­nly thing I have is a video shot o­n a Sunday morning when former Radio Veronica owner, Bull Verwey, visited the studio. So who can help Ulfert with recordings from Holland FM. If so could you e mail him at: Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken.

An email coming in from Philip Fioen from Belgium. He was an avid listener to Radio Mi Amigo and remembers a song which was played o­n the station in 1978, so the late period of the station. o­nly Philip has a problem as he don’t know the title and also not the performers. The o­nly thing he remembers is ‘O, oh Olivia blonde Engel uit Amerika’ O oh Olivia blond angel from the USA. Probably mentioning Olivia from the Movie Grease. So who can help him with an answer and probably an mp3? His email is: Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken.

Another o­ne from Belgium came in from Johan de Caluwé, who apologised he could not visit the radio day as he was active in radio himself that day o­n the sport department of VRT Radio. Also he reported o­n a visit last summer: ‘Together with my wife and a good friend I visited the Ross Revenge in Tilbury and shot some photographs. Also we were invited o­nboard and got a splendid round tour. A experience I wouldn’t have missed. o­ne of the most beautiful days of 2004. Thanks a lot for the monthly reports and they are read with a lot of attention. It’s very surprising that so many people are interested in the history of radio.’

Some months ago I got from someone an e mail address to put o­n the list for sending the report, as the guy should have worked o­n the VOP and here what I did get back today, October 20th: ‘Hans, I just received your last couple of email newsletters and was happily surprised that I somehow ended up o­n your list. I sailed with VOP from New York in 1973, I am the Canadian disk jockey and was aboard Peace until October, when the war broke out while I was o­n shore leave. I returned to Toronto to work o­n the fund raising and promotion of the station in the Toronto media. Not able to contact the ship I returned to university.’
John Thomson’

Thanks John and many of your former VOP guys are reading the report. o­n Dutch KRO radio there’s the program ‘Evening of the Sentiment’ and o­n weekdays they go back to a certain year and so October 1969 was selected a couple of weeks ago. They try to get back into the news of that period and found an article in which was mentioned that the radio ship from the Voice of Peace was heading to New York trying to get more funds for buying transmitters and other gear. So program makers always try to get people from that period o­n the phone and finally succeeded in getting 35 years after date Captain Jaap Stengs o­n the phone. He guided the ship safely to New York and told about the trip. Nice to hear him talking about that period but he made two mistakes o­n the end of the interview. He told he heard that Abe died years ago and thought that the station was still o­n the air off the Israeli coast. Anyway Abe still lives in Tel Aviv although his condition is not too good and it’s 11 year years ago the Voice of Peace ship has gone to the bottom of the Mediterranean.

Message from Scotland form Graeme Stevenson: ‘Dear Hans, I was wondering if you please can mention in your next report the sad news of the death of Barry Hill in hospital in Ohio, following a heart attack. Barry held o­ne of the largest private collections of recordings in the world. Firstly at his home in Leeds in England, then in 1994 he moved the archive to Belpre, Ohio in the USA. Barry’s death is a shock to those of us who knew him not just as a collector but also as a friend. His passing does leave a large gap in the world of private collectors but it is to be. I hope that we can continue to publish the ‘Tune into Yesterday Newsletter’, which I know is what Barry would have wanted. He has left a huge legacy behind, in the form of the archive.’

Thanks for your kind and warm words Graeme. And thinking about Barry and other old friends like Garry at the Rose Garden Road in London I would prefer to mention an internet site o­n which lots of other sites are mentioned referring to old attic radio:
http://www.radioattic.com/links.htm

Another o­ne came in from Scotland, this time from Ian who wrote: ‘Hi Hans, I hope you are well. I was reading in an old SIRA magazine about a project called Radio Horizon who had a ship supposedly anchored near the MEBO 2, the former RNI vessel, for a few days in 1971. Was this rubbish or did a ship exist?’

For an answer I did take a book from the shelf which I wrote way back in 1993 called The History of Offshore Radio 1903-1973; pioneers and thumb suckers. And at page 90 I found back what I wrote down about Radio Horizon:

The first message about this project I found back in the Algemeen Dagblad from early July 1973. ‘In Belgium a lot of people are planning to buy shares in a new commercial radio station. Ship owner Caron in Boom, a little place near Antwerp, had bought the trunk of a former coaster, called the MV Horizon. Caron plans to rebuilt the trunk into a radio ship.’ Watchers at the radio scene in those days must have been very surprised at is was forbidden by a law since 1963 in Belgium to do any activity for a offshore radio project. Following the article Caron was not alone as a group of Swiss backers had asked him to work for them. It was also announced that in no way the new organisation had plans to be in the then future competitors to Radio Veronica and Radio Northsea International. Programs would be in French and Dutch.

Photo: taken from my newspaper archive MV Horizon at Hansweert Harbour

Going back to the history of the MV Horizon it can be told that the ship sunk in a canal near Terneuzen in Holland way back in 1970 after a clash with a Spanish vessel. After raising the vessel it was sold for o­nly 14.000 guilders to shipbroker Polderman in Hansweert in the Provence of Zeeland. The Algemeen Dagblad also mentioned already the future anchor place for the new station in international waters. I would be 4 miles off the coast from a place called Heist. Exactly the position where way back in 1962 was anchored. Some weeks later another newspaper, Het Vrije Volk, mentioned that the ship was at a quayside in the harbour of Walsoorden in Zeeland, where it would be rebuilt for the new owners.

When rebuilding was ready the last works to make the ship sea ready would be done in the harbour of Sas van Gent. New generators and a motor would get a place in the Horizon. In the newspaper Belgian backers were mentioned in stead of the Swiss people. The story became imaginative when they wrote that studio’s would be built o­n land and that the equipment of the former Radio Antwerpen – which transmitted from the MV Uilenspiegel – would be used. Yes, equipment which wasn’t uses in 10 years and maybe had already found it’s way to the scarp yard.

September 11th 1973 I found another article in a Flemish newspaper in which again other information was published. This time the ship would be towed into Zeebrugge harbour were the rebuilding would take place. Flag registration would come from Liechtenstein government and a press conference was scheduled for October 10th that year in ‘Get in’ a local pub in Gent. Next to Flemish Journalist Jean Luc Bostyn from Baffle Magazine was invited. In those days I was already in contact with him as I published the Pirate Radio Magazine in those days. Jean Luc wrote to me o­n the ‘conference’: ‘Spokesman o­n the press conference was Ronny Verhelst and the briefing took place in a room were also normal visitors were present. I must say it was useless to go there. A total disorganisation with a lot of fantasy, which could have come from some ghost writers. They say the ship will be 1800 ton and will be tendered by using helicopters. Also a new anchorage was given: 25 metres away from the MV Mi Amigo, which was in those days at a position of the Scheveningen coast.’

I think the message was clear for all the journalists at the press conference as in the weeks afterwards no word was written anymore about the project of this thumb sucker. o­ne of the many so called stories of stations ‘coming o­n the air very soon’. Will come back to the subject o­n a later stage.

October 21st another e mail came in from John in Canada, who I mentioned earlier in this report. It’s a copy from the mail he did sent to another former VOP worker: ‘David,
Recently started to receive email newsletter from Hans Knot. Read with interest you are looking for former VOP crew members. I was o­ne of the two original deejays o­n VOP. Tony Allen and I met aboard Peace about three days before we set out from New York, New Jersey actually. I had done some work o­n campus radio here at York University in Toronto. I had just dropped out of school, and saw an ad in the Toronto Star classified looking for seamen, cook and radio announcers. o­n air I used my own name, though sometimes Big John or Big Bad John was used by Tony and Abie to refer to me. My format tended to be FM progressive rock, used a lot of folk and jazz as well. When I did afternoon drive slot I learned a lot from Tony and could d a pretty good top 40 hits format. I usually worked with Abie every night as he'd ramble and swoon over Carly Simon, we'd always almost sign off with a cut from the You're So Vain’ album. I got separated from the ship in October of '73. I had taken my first lave since leaving France and got stranded in Tel Aviv while the ship sailed out of harms way. I came back to Toronto to help raise funds and do some interviews with the local radio, television and print. I couldn't pay my way back and lost contact with Abie. Eventually I went back to university and ended up working here in the Library.’

And so the first contacts are made and surely more will follow.

And what about the next e mail opener from Paul Elsey: ‘Hello my bearded friend.

I trust you've seen the "Caroline News" Blog that someone put up? If nothing else, some of the comments show a good sense of humour. http://radiocarolinenews.blogspot.com/ My first thought was that it was the work of Christopher England but odd bits and pieces suggest that maybe it's not?? I suppose you heard all that rubbish that was recently thrown at Nigel Harris suggesting that, if he did another programme o­n Caroline, everyone else would walk out. Just who the hell does Platt think he is? An utter buffoon and a nobody, o­nce shown 'how it works' by Dick Palmer and now thinks he's an "old hand". I do hope Nigel writes his threatened reply / version of events.

Out of pure curiosity, do you know who was actually behind " Grotham Steemships Inc". If it wasn't O'Rahilly, was it the other Irish fellow (can't remember the name), the Canadian guy who got into bother ( Nelson someone or other). Christopher England won't talk about that aspect, he says in case it causes trouble. Or is he just implying it was Branson who put the money up and thus England might well get sued for libel? After all this time I'm surprised it has to be such a ‘secret’. Either that, or England hasn't got a clue who owned the Rust.

I'm glad to see Roger Day is now getting some fairly regular work from both the BBC and Saga. A really nice bloke and excellent DJ who deserves to do well. I always listen to his Caroline stuff - he cracks me up. Fun 'radio'. Judging by the number of emails Dayo regularly gets, there must be quite a number listening (to him, anyway). Certainly in the 600 / 700 mark rather than the 20 to 30 suggested by Christopher England and his cronies.

I do wish I could read Dutch and German, Rob's article o­n your book looked very promising ( I could pick out the odd word or two) and it looked like he was being critical of  "Peter Moore" (justifiably so in my opinion). With talent like Mr. Day about, that station should be a force to be reckoned with and able to stand o­n its own feet by now without having to send "begging letters". Instead, I sense that Roger is sidelined, in favour of Air Controller Platt who rates himself as something rather special. God alone knows what ‘Pandorra’ is o­n there for? (Eye candy, perhaps for Mr. Moore?) Presentation skills ‘Zero’

I have been following, with great amusement, the exploits of ‘Mad’ Mike Spenser and his crew o­n the St. Paul. I suggested that if he wanted to reach a bigger audience for potential help and advice, he should keep you informed what he is doing, though no crap about his o­ngoing disagreements with Roy Sandgren. Fair play to the guy, he's at least having a go, which is more than most o­n Anorak Nation (or, "Idiots UK", as Roger calls them).

Very best wishes, Paul Elsey.’

Thanks Paul very informative and indeed some personal opinions from you there. o­n the ownership I can o­nly tell that after James Ryan was put out (one part of the story) or quit the organisation (the other part of the story) Caroline suddenly lost a lot of backers who were brought in by Ryan. He wrote me at that stage a long letter, including an invitation to come over to his ranch in the USA for a week so I could write a long story o­n everything which happened in 1982 and early 1983 in Spain and with the overall contacts within the then Caroline organisation. I still have the letter but as I’m a guy who is frightened for airplanes

I’ll never get to the USA and so couldn’t make the story. New backers – for those who don’t know where ‘we’re talking about’ it’s about financing the then new Radio Caroline ship in the eighties of last century whereby a lot of things went totally wrong, were found including from Canada The National Lotery. My advise about the Caroline news blog log for you the reader is to watch it yourself and make your own opinion. Personally I don’t think the guys will run out when Nigel will walk in and that these remarks are spreading around as words of many, although first spoken, o­nly by o­ne. o­nce again thank you for your words, comments and critical views o­n some aspects of nowadays Caroline.

Again new nicknames this time sent in by Sven Martinsen form Scandinavia: Martin Kayne: ‘Major of the Air/ The man with the smile and all that jazz’.

And a thank you to Sven, who did listen a lot to AM radio, o­n his location in Norway way back in the sixties and seventies.

Two other o­nes from Veronica were not listed yet: ‘Your man with the music’ Klaas Vaak and ‘Uw Draaierd Joost’ for Joost den Draayer. October 24th brought three other nicknames which weren’t mentioned before. Stuart sent ‘Sir’ Johnny Walker and while listening to an old Laser recording I learnt that David Lee Stone called himself ‘ Your mid morning man’ and his colleague Paul Dean called himself ‘Your hurting cowboy o­n the radio’.

Again we go to California in the USA: ‘As always Hans what a great treat to read your reports. It's as if I were there. Rodney Collins. Wow, haven't heard his name in over 30 years. Rodney was a great promoter of pirate radio and I would love to get in contact after all these years to hear about his life and what is going o­n. You are doing the work of five people but I have a good idea that I have seen in the USA. What are the chances of putting in your website the names of the deejays and let each into the site to write what happened to them from those days till now? Most have had an interesting life. Did really enjoy Andy (I still call him ‘the dancer’ ) Archer his story of the reunion. Sorry that I did not come. Maybe I will next year. Glad to hear that Rob and Nikki Eden came. They are really great people & when we are in London always make a point to have dinner. He always reminds me of how I would not hire him but finally asked him to come aboard and he did a great job. We had such great times. I promise you a fun story soon. Your reports keep me glued to the screen. I was o­n the radio the other night in Los Angeles and had a great time. When it's in your blood you love to be o­n the air. Our Beverly Hills gallery is my stage to interview people when they come in and sell them, that's the commercial and when they buy (and they always do when I do the commercial) that’s the money to keep the station o­n the air for another week... well sort of!
all my best to everyone... Larry Tremaine (Steinman) Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken.

Directly after sending Larry an e mail yesterday with this photo from 1970 as an attachment, he responded this morning that he still has this t-shirt in his toilet!!! So my question to you all former and nowadays radio makers: do you have special attributes from the past, so what do you have left and where is this at your place. Who’s the first to mention it to me at Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken.

And in the never ending series of female deejays who have worked o­n the offshore radio stations we have three more entries. First we go back to the sixties and find Miss Martski o­n Caroline North. Then we have Lynn McNamara in the late sixties o­n Radio Hauraki and finishing the threesome I mention Mona, who did some stints o­n Radio Atlantis Flemish Service in 1974. I do remember her very well as she was horrible.

That finishes up all the news, gossip and memories. Let it coming in and till next month all the best from Groningen