The Radio Academy Celebration of Sixties Offshore Radio
page two
Following the press call, everyone moved upstairs for the main event. During the afternoon there were a
number of sessions discussing various aspects of sixties offshore radio. With so many former broadcasters in attendance
it was not possible to invite everyone up on stage but a large number took part. The first panel consisted of five people
who had worked on the country's first offshore station, Radio Caroline.
The Caroline panel. Photo courtesy of Martin van der Ven.
Bryan had been the first to join, signing up for Radio Atlanta before its launch. Keith first met him on the Mi Amigo soon
after Atlanta had become Radio Caroline South and the two shared a cabin. Graham was the next to come aboard, initially
as a DJ on the south ship, later taking over responsibility for the news service on both ships. It was Graham who
provided the commentary when DJ Mick Luvzit got married live on air. He also gave Nick
Bailey his job as a newsreader. Nick worked on the south ship first but spent most of his time on the northern one. Roger
was last to join Caroline, just a few weeks before the Marine Offences Act in 1967.
Everyone sent their best wishes to Mick Luvzit who was not able to attend, having suffered a heart attack the previous
weekend. (He has since undergone surgery and The Pirate Radio Hall Of Fame joins in wishing
Mick a full and speedy recovery.)
To download a recording of this session, courtesy of the Radio Academy, right click
here.
Keith Skues and Bryan Vaughan.
Bryan Vaughan, Nick Bailey and Roger Day.
Roger Day and Graham Webb. Photo courtesy of Martin van der Ven.
The forts panel. Photo courtesy of Martin van der Ven.
The second session, ‘The Stations on Sticks’, looked at the offshore broadcasters who
were based on the anti-aircraft forts and towers in the Thames estuary. Left to right: chairman Ralph Bernard CBE,
Chief Executive of GCap Media, David Allan, Brian Cullingford,
Guy Hamilton and Mark West.
David and Brian had been colleagues on Radio 390, Guy and Mark on Radio Essex. During the session Mark showed a fantastic
3D computer-generated animated fly-around of the Radio Essex fort which he has made. He is offering copies for
sale on DVD, along with home movies he shot on the fort back in the sixties and footage of some Radio Essex staff making
a nostalgic trip back 40 years later (as seen here). The DVD can be bought from his web
site www.radioessex1966.
Tom Edwards,
senior disc-jockey on Radio City, had been booked to take part in the panel but sadly was not able to attend. This
meant that there was no one to represent ‘the tower of power’ so the chairman invited
Candy Calvert, the owners' daughter, and DJ Bob LeRoi
to come up from the audience to say a few words about the station.
To download a recording of this session, courtesy of the Radio Academy, right click
here.
Candy Calvert and Bob LeRoi.
Ralph, David, Brian, Guy and Mark.
Brian, Guy and Mark.
David, Brian and Guy. These two photos courtesy of Martin van der Ven.
