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Quite an impressive endeavour to keep Caroline alive when you look back across the list. However, the management have been accused by some of abandoning its ideals of free radio and Loving Awareness by paying the RSL licence fees which may allegedly have then funded Radiocommunications Agency raids on current pirate radio stations. Caroline has not been the only organisation to arrange broadcasting events with an offshore flavour. Here is a list of all the others through the same period of which I am aware:
Such was the demand from listeners, whether it be backlash or nostalgia, and the accompanying enthusiasm of broadcasters and sponsors, that the 1990s, especially the last three years, saw this remarkable revival of offshore pirate broadcasting to the English mainland. Except, that these projects were not pirates as such, broadcasting with Radio Authority licences from within UK territorial waters or even closer to home than that! Radio Caroline is the odd man out (or should that be odd Lady out?!?) here, it being a current, ongoing, and hopefully future project as a cutting-edge commercial music station. The others of course are quite the reverse, being nostalgia-based commemorations. The first such project was Offshore 1584, from the MV Galexy. This ships name was not incorrectly spelt; rather a tribute to its skipper called Alex! Devised and organised by the Caroline Movement and Project Galaxy, a Restricted Service Licence was operated for 28 days from the vessel previously used to transport sightseeing anoraks out to catch a glimpse of the Ross Revenge, and the Lazer 558s MV Communicator. An offshore convention took place in Walton-on-the-Naze within the broadcast dates. (Offshore 1584 photographs by Alan Beech - click on photos to visit Alan's website) |