Atomtests und ein Radioschiff: Die Spindle Eye

Eine schwimmende Medien- und Nachrichtenzentrale im Atomzeitalter English version  –    Nederlandstalige versie Der Able-Tag (Test Able) war der erste von zwei Kernwaffentests im Rahmen der Operation Crossroads, die am 1. Juli 1946 (Lokalzeit) von den USA auf dem entlegenen Bikini-Atoll durchgeführt wurde. Eine B-29-Bombe (“Gilda”) detonierte in ca. 158 Metern Höhe mit einer Sprengkraft … Read more

Failed Offshore Radio Projects

Radio Rag from the Carmen Taken together, the history of offshore radio amounts to well over one hundred failed projects. On this occasion I would like to mention a few that were written about during the 1960s. One of these projects was said to involve “Leeds University”, although the name “Radio Rag” was also used. … Read more

An Offshore Radio Station Against Adolf Hitler

Jeff:  The “Radio Station of the German Freedom Party” was the first European offshore radio station, and the only one which primarily targeted a German audience.  Remarkably, it served a political purpose – resistance against the Nazi regime.  It was programmed by German journalists living in exile, supported by Dutch, British, and French collaborators in … Read more

C.N.B.C.

Jeff:  Radio Caroline, which started test broadcasts from International Waters on Good Friday in March 1964, is often credited with being the first British offshore radio station.  However, few people realize there was actually another English language station in the North Sea several years before that, in late 1960 and early 1961.  Here’s Ray Robinson … Read more

K-BIG

Jeff:   Today Ray Robinson brings us some interesting historical notes regarding the offshore beginnings and nautical connections of one of Southern California’s best known stations – KBIG, or ‘K-BIG’.  As an AM station in the early 1950’s, it created a distinctive presence by broadcasting from a popular passenger ferry, the S.S. Catalina, while plying the … Read more

Radio Weddings, part 10

Jeff:  Over the past couple of years, we have presented a series of items under the title ‘Radio Weddings’.  The last, part 9, was in April 2023.  Today we present one more item in this series, perhaps the most famous radio wedding of them all – the one that took place on board the offshore … Read more

Radio Caroline – Update

  Jeff:   Many people worldwide are familiar with the name ‘Radio Caroline’ – the offshore ship-based station which first broke the monopoly of BBC radio in the UK in the 1960’s.  They may be less familiar with the fact that the station has continued to operate down through the decades, and is not only still … Read more

The SS Malolo and Captain Dobbsie

How an early offshore radio station ended up in Hawaii in 1931 Jeff:   This week’s feature story was written and researched by Jan van Heeren in The Netherlands, and was forwarded by Dr. Martin van der Ven in Germany to our editor-in-chief, Dr. Adrian Peterson.  We thank each of those for bringing this story to … Read more