KC Full name Kirk Clyatt, he was born in Florence, South Carolina USA, but had worked in Las Vegas and on KDON Monterey before joining Laser Hot Hits on 6th December 1986, two days before his 28th birthday. He only stayed with the station a few weeks, leaving when it was temporarily silenced by technical difficulties. After a period working for Apple, KC returned to broadcasting in 2010 as a reporter and meteorologist. There are some videos of him on US television here. There is more about his life and career on his website. (Photo kindly provided by François Lhote of Offshore Echo's magazine.)

KC on Laser Hot Hits from Sunday lunchtime 14th December 1986. This is an edited version of a recording available from www.azanorak.com. Our thanks to Ray Robinson (duration 4 minutes 25 seconds)

Laser 558 car sticker based on the maritime
flag meaning “I wish to communicate with you.”

Erin Kelly was 23 years old when she joined Laser-558 on 14th February 1985 (birthday 11th September). She had previously worked on a number of American stations, most recently WVNA Tuscumbia, Alabama (near Muscle Shoals). A karate green belt, keen photographer and amateur poet, she was one of the ‘Laserettes’, a term she coined for herself, Chris Carson and Liz West. Erin's last show on Laser was on 31st August 1985 (at the end of nearly fifteen weeks aboard). She then went on holiday but the station closed down before she could return. After travelling Europe, she went back to America in April 1986 and picked up her radio career, initially on WAVA in Washington DC. She tells us: “Radio was a very great adventure - surely did love it. (After Laser) I got hired onto a big pop station in Washington DC ... though I guess I was spoiled by the British music scene. American pop charts do not change over very quickly nor ever have the variety of the British charts and, at that time, pop & rock had become too comfortable in its success and too formulaic - less real emotion. I found I was listening to country music which had become much more innovative so I made the change to country music radio. It really had heart that was lost in pop radio here. That was the early 90s just as the new country music scene was starting. Had so much fun. Opened up the rodeo on horseback, rode an elephant to intro the circus, MC'ed so many TV fundraisers and got to help so many charitable causes ... Also did an interview bit on TV for a while ... and the concerts! Great music and great people in the industry. I spent a lot of time in Nashville for interviews and parties ... and awards! 5 times Country Music Association Major Market Broadcaster of the year award finalist (first solo female ever - first non-morning show - most times selected). The entire process and awards weeks made it just so much fun. Awards from Billboard Mag and other industry awards were nice extras ... plus top ratings in big radio towns.” Erin was working under her married name as Erin Weber on country music station WYCD-FM in Detroit when she got into a dispute with her employer over her allergic reaction to a workmate's perfume. In 2005 she was awarded a massive $10.6 million payment (see here) although a federal judge later reduced the amount to $814,000. Now living outside Cleveland, Ohio, she currently works as a voice-over and photographer. She says: “I was doing a great deal of voice-over work (at the same time as radio) but switched over exclusively just before the arrival of my sweet little boy, Alex. He's now 11 and then darling Kegan, now 8. Still doing a lot of photography - selling stock photography, portraits, fine arts ... for a while I shot artists for Sony Music and, in DC, was hired to take pics of President Bush!” Although Erin isn't doing radio these days, you may still hear her on your travels. She is the voice of Otis lifts. See her website for more about her voice-over work. (Our thanks to Erin for her help. This photo, taken by Dave Chappell, was an official publicity shot issued by the station and has kindly been provided by Offshore Echo's magazine. There is another photo of Erin with the other ‘Laserettes’ in Michael Dean's photo album.)

Erin Kelly on Laser-558 from the morning of 23rd August 1985. This extract is taken from a longer recording shared by The Offshore Radio Archive (duration 3 minutes 26 seconds)

Chris Kennedy Birthday 20th October. An Irish broadcaster, Chris is the brother of fellow Caroline presenter Steve Conway. As a teenager he became fascinated by offshore radio, listening at night to the original Radio Seagull and to RNI. With landbased pirate radio stations launching in his home city of Dublin, it wasn't long before Chris got involved. He learned his craft on various Irish stations, most notably Bray Local Broadcasting. He joined Caroline in September 1987 but, when BLB won a legal local radio franchise and launched as Horizon FM, he went back to Ireland to join them, broadcasting there as Chris Conway. He has since been heard on various Caroline RSL broadcasts and is currently on the new incarnation of Radio Seagull. (The photo shows Chris, left, with his brother Steve Conway on the Ross Revenge. It was taken by John Burch of The Caroline Movement and shared courtesy of Steve Conway's blog. There is another picture of Chris in Paul Graham's photo album and in Caroline Martin's.)

Chris Kennedy on Caroline-558's Breakfast Show on Monday morning 21st March 1988, edited from a recording posted by Vincent on the Internet Radiocafé, now known as the Radiotrefpunt (radio meeting point) forum. Our thanks to him (duration 4 minutes 1 second)

Mike Kerry A chef on the mv Ross Revenge, Mike presented the occasional show on Radio Caroline in the weekend 2-6am slot between January and March 1984. (Photo of Mike in the galley taken from ‘Caroline 319 - Into The 80's’, published by Seagull Press.)

Mike Kerry on his first show on Radio Caroline, in the early hours of New Years Day 1st January 1984, edited from a recording posted by Jan-Fré on the Internet Radiocafé, now known as the Radiotrefpunt (radio meeting point) forum. Our thanks to him (duration 1 minute 52 seconds)

Edwin King From Lytham St.Anne’s in Lancashire, Edwin first got involved in radio while attending the University of Warwick, where he was studying for a degree in Film & Literature. He hosted shows on the campus radio station, W963, and in 1983 produced a documentary, The History of Rap, which won a Radio One-sponsored competition for student broadcasters. He joined Radio Caroline after graduating, in July 1984, but stayed for just one stint (last show: 2nd September 1984). He recalls that times were quite hard: “I remember we were close to running out of drinking water and food, and were extremely grateful to a group of fans who chartered a boat from Holland to bring us supplies. I do have some fond memories of my time on the Ross Revenge, especially the lovely and funny Simon Barrett (Wally), and our fun but infrequent interactions with the Laser-558 crew, who visited us (and vice versa) during the summer of 84. I think I was paid the princely sum of £50 for my stint. Well, I was sent a cheque, which bounced. I should have kept it.” Following his time at sea, Edwin became a music journalist on Black Beat International, a monthly black music magazine from the publisher of The Voice. He later wrote for The Street Scene and Record Mirror, becoming the latter's film editor in 1987. The following year he moved into radio and television production, including a weekly film review slot on Johnnie Walker's show on BFBS. Real name Edwin J Bernard, he now works as a writer, editor and HIV policy consultant “specialising in the intersection between public health and human rights”. (Thank to Edwin for his assistance and for his kind comment: “Congratulations on this amazing project!” Photo taken by Dietmar Flacke courtesy of The Offshore Radio Guide.)

Edwin King on Radio Caroline from the night of Bank Holiday Monday 27th August 1984. His show followed a Top 500 listener-voted countdown of the best tracks of Caroline's life. Apologies for the late night AM interference. This is an edited version of a recording made available by The Offshore Radio Archive (duration 3 minutes 41 seconds)

Jamie King An Australian, Jamie joined Radio Caroline in July 1986. She had previously worked in America and New Zealand, as well as her home country. She stayed with the station for just over a year, leaving in August 1987. Jamie then spent some time with Sunshine Radio in the south of France, was Programme Director of Virgin's overnight sustaining service Radio Radio and ran an Australian-owned radio syndication company in London before returning home. She was a journalist for Radio New Zealand and the ABC in Perth, Western Australia, and is now a communications consultant in Martinborough, New Zealand. (Photo kindly provided by Kevin Turner.)

Jamie King on Caroline-558 from the evening of 14th August 1987. Twenty years after the Marine Offences Act and Caroline is still going strong. This is an edited version of a recording posted on The Offshore Radio Club Forum by Harm Koenders. Our thanks to him (duration 4 minutes 23 seconds)

Keith King From Essex, Keith had been a mobile DJ and broadcaster on the local cable station Radio Basildon before joining Radio Caroline for one stint in November 1984. He was on board when, in January 1985, the Ross Revenge went drifting and the station had to suspend broadcasts for a few days. A friend of Buster Pearson, the editor of the offshore radio magazine ‘Monitor’, Keith was able to make digital copies of Buster's tape collection when he died and kindly provided some audio clips to The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame. An article he wrote for Buster's magazine about his time with Caroline is available on the Monitor website. Keith ran an entertainment agency in south Essex from the late eighties to the mid-nineties. In retirement he planned to write a book about his three decades in the entertainment industry but he wasn't in good health and sadly passed away on the morning of 12th February 2016. (Photo kindly provided by Keith.)

Keith King on Caroline International, as it was then called, from the afternoon of Sunday 25th November 1984. This is an edited version of a recording shared by The Offshore Radio Archive (duration 3 minutes 22 seconds)

Carl Kingston was born in Hull and spent his schooldays at Hornsea, Yorkshire. He started his own mobile disco at the age of 16 and over the years has worked in many countries including Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Israel, Spain, Guernsey, Lanzarote and the U.S.A. His radio career began in 1974 with BBC Radio Humberside and he was also heard on the Voice of Peace. For a time he presented English language pop news bulletins on Radio Mi Amigo. He joined Radio Caroline in September 1983 and was with the station until February of the following year. He has also worked for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Viking Radio, KSMJ Magic 1380 Sacramento California, 99 WSFW FM Seneca Falls New York, Blue Danube Radio in Vienna, Austria, The Super Station satellite service, 96.3 Aire FM, Magic 828, Hereward FM, Minster FM, Stray FM, BFBS, Home 107.9, Garrison Radio, Radio Nova in Moldova, Alpha FM, 99.8 KCFM and in-store radio stations Asda-FM, PC World-FM, Tiles-FM and others. Carl is based in Switzerland and currently freelances for radio stations worldwide as well as being active as a club DJ in Switzerland and throughout Europe. He can currently be heard on LDC Radio. Carl's website is www.carlkingston.co.uk. Some years ago Carl signed The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame guestbook. (Our thanks to Carl for his assistance and the photograph.)

Carl Kingston ending the Radio Caroline Breakfast Show of 25th October 1983. This is an edited version of a recording posted on The Offshore Radio Club Forum by Harm Koenders. Our thanks to him (duration 2 minutes 26 seconds)

Tony Kirk joined Radio Caroline in November 1988. Steve Conway tells us that Tony had sent in a demo tape the previous year. He remembers: “I contacted him on 24th November 1987 and agreed with him that he would come out in a couple of weeks, once he had worked out leave from his job etc.. Just hours later, the 300 foot mast came down, and we were off the air. I contacted him and suggested he put his plans on hold, as I didn't want him leaving paid employment to come out to the ship when we were off the air, and when (as I correctly surmised) pay was likely to become very erratic for DJs. We made contact again a year later, and he came out in 1988.” Tony was on board the ship at the time of the Dutch police raid which took place in August 1989. During 1990 he was heard occasionally again on Caroline via some taped shows. He was heavily involved behind the scenes when the station moved ashore and was the licensee for Caroline's legal 28 day broadcasts from Dover Harbour and the Blackwater estuary. He can currently be heard on Cinque Ports Radio, a community station for the Romney Marsh area. (Thanks to Tony for the photo and to Steve Conway for his assistance.)

Tony Kirk on the Breakfast Show on Caroline-558 from 19th August 1989, just a few hours before the Dutch police raid on the mv Ross Revenge. This is an edited version of a recording available from www.azanorak.com. Our thanks to Ray Robinson (duration 4 minutes 13 seconds)