Offshore Chunk - Radio Caroline - Wireless Waffle Site

Broadcast from the MV Frederica in international waters off Frinton on Sea Essex

This is the boat that started the British Offshore radio revolution in Easter 1964. A most impressive boat, large and an ex-ferry. I particularly like the mast with the T joint at the front, and it has some great insulators in it.

When broadcasts began the announcers did not put their own records on. Rather ironically it was rather like the BBC at the time, an engineer sat behind a glass window and when the DJ waved his hand the records were played.

Simon Dee and Chris Moore were the only 2 announcers at the start. They were responsible for recording the ship bell effect which remains to this day as a station identification. A novel twist on the gong effect that Radio Luxembourg used in the 50s and 60s.

Who knows what may have happened if the Captain of the ship had allowed the Royal Navy to board in the first few weeks when it demanded to examine its load. There may not have been a boom in offshore broadcasting, eventually leading to commercial radio on land and the eventual abolition of needletime for records.

On February 1964 on a quite Sunday morning I tested my new GEC Luxembourg Transistor, and to my surprise heard Gary Kemp doing his breakfast show. The programmes were rather slow in presentation style but the jingles were all original recorded with Saxophone and good singers. "Caroline the Sound of the Nation, Caroline the Sound of the Land", also "Sounds Fine its Caroline"Incidentally. The Radio London site states "Caroline's Sound of the Nation jingles were recorded in England by Doris Troy. Does her name mean anything to you? She was a somewhat revered soul singer from the US one or two R 'n' B hits but not big time. Personally I thought the Sound of the Nation jingle package sucked for air, but we had to play 'em. Jimmy McGriff closed the station down with 'Round Midnight What a blast! What an organ! What a musician!"

Eventually Radio Atlanta and Caroline merged their interests and the Frederika sailed to the North off the Isle of Man. Tom Lodge, one of my favourite announcers, and soon to return to the South as a programme director, broadcast music programmes as the station sailed. It must hold a record as the longest continuous broadcast from a moving vessel.

I was at a boarding school for the blind in Worcester, west midlands England) at the time Radio Atlanta became Radio Caroline and the voyage round the British coast from Essex to the Isle of Mann was undertaken whilst still broadcasting.

The major interest was how the reception waxed and waned in Worcester, which is towards the west of the Country but pretty far in land.

Don't I also remember Tony Windsor ('hello!) being the chief jock on Atlanta. It was he who introduced us to the Polidor EP of Beatles tracks featuring 'Ain't She Sweet' which no one else ever played. His introduction was: