A Free Radio Holy Trinity

What makes a shortwave free radio station popular? Everyone will have their own opinions, with no answer correct or otherwise in itself. However, from a personal perspective I have isolated three traits that when melded together give, or at least used to, a superior listening experience.

Of course, as such things are subjective one cannot assume or realistically state that a free radio station that demonstrates the three winning characteristics does so knowingly, as they might not be the cup of tea of all those listening. Nevertheless, some attributes are unfailingly popular through being indisputable; others are simply a matter of taste. 

We start off with presenting style, specifically the personable charisma of the shadowy individual behind the mic. You can call it the gift of the gab, being outgoing, or simply having something interesting to say in a way that interacts with listeners perhaps in real time, maybe through live phone calls or emails. I am not talking about those who reiterate the station name every few seconds and opine "that music was from..." and "the next record is by..." but have something interesting to say about themselves, free radio, music, life, whatever, or be amusing, deliberately or otherwise a la the Bogusman. Free radio operators are probably not born-DJs, with the technical side of the operation being infinitely more interesting and satisfying, but surely they should be almost equally enthused by the level of interaction that their technical labours have enabled?

That neatly brings us to the second trait, a good, stable signal with modulation to match, preferably broadcast from their own transmitting equipment. Now, I know that this is often at the mercy of atmospheric conditions and one should not automatically dismiss low-powered stations as being inferior, but if listeners cannot hear stations clearly then that is an obvious downside. Radio Armadillo was once one of my favourite stations but it was so often difficult to hear. Again, I understand the quality of the listening station at one's disposal should not be underestimated, but stations like Live Wire Radio were able to transcend conditions and the limitations attached to listeners' receivers and antennas with the technical mastery at the disposal of Bill Lewis. In the final analysis, stations cannot be popular alone from 'just' pumping out a strong, stable signal but it certainly helps.

Thirdly, I would say music policy. A diverse, catholic taste in music which one might here on the Xenon Transmitting Company or previously from Radio Orion/Bogusman certainly adds a charisma of its own to the proceedings, reflecting well on the operator. This could be playing album tracks from well known artists or those not so; alternatively, it could be a healthy mixture of older tracks and those contemporary including the less well-known from both eras. In such instances one cannot but feel that the operator isn't trying to be different but is merely reflecting their own disparate taste. 

Predictability has its drawbacks, although I will make the exceptions for the following tracks that were synonymous with certain UK-based free radio stations active during the 1990s:

Sniff 'n' the Tears - Drivers Seat

Acker Bilk - Fancy Pants

Kim Appleby - Don't Worry

Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall (Honourable mention for Eire's Ozone Radio International)

Future Sound of London - Papua New Guinea

Queen - I Want to Break Free (Honourable mention for the mighty Dutch broadcaster Radio Barones)

Those who 'were there' in the 1990s will I am sure be able to link the other tracks to well-known stations that all but one are no longer with us.

There is little in life more subjective than musical taste, but I feel that even a genre or overall taste not necessarily of the listener's choice can in some way be overlooked if the broadcasting style(again, subjective) and signal & modulation quality are on point. Who doesn't love a good, reliable signal!

If you are able to blend this triumvirate of qualities then arguably, from a listener perspective free radio perfection has been achieved. Have any stations past or present taken their audience to this aural nirvana? I have my own thoughts but I will say this: enjoy free radio for what it means to you whilst you can. Time moves fast, and stations' shelf-lives can be fleeting. 

New stations have always emerged and vanished with alacrity, something that to some extent is the nature of the beast but only adds to free radio's mystique. The demise of some stations has even engendered a sadness for the loss of their uniqueness, a trait in itself increasingly rare despite being in an age where everyone is encouraged to be themselves. It is perhaps worth celebrating the evergreen XTC and Weekend Music Radio, who continue to set standards that cover all three characteristics, if albeit WMR now uses the broadcasting services of another. 

UK Bank Holidays: Supermarket Shopping replaces Listening to Free Radio

For me at least there was once a time when a Bank Holiday was synonymous with the exciting possibilities afforded by UK-based free radio on shortwave. Whilst some, if not many, ended up being washouts, there were still many memorable daytime and particularly night-time broadcasts that made the 1990's such an interesting time to listen to 3 and 6 MHz. 

We should never compare anything (but we do), whilst remembering the words of Don Henley who opined to "don't look back you can never look back" but harking back to a different era both digitally and socially as well as musically is an occupational hazard for those of us who think most aspects of life were once better, or less bad, than they are now. 

Did we though consider in real time how good the 1990's were? I suspect not. It is only when measured against pejorative aspects of modern life do we yearn for times past which admittedly had their glaring drawbacks. Nevertheless, the rave scene of 1991-92 that captivated me so was one of those social occurrences whilst much missed, cannot be contemporaneously compared on a like-for-like basis.

I digress. My comparatively carefree days of the 1990's, especially 1991-92, 1994, and 1997 have long since given way to the realities of adult life that transcend eras. I will always have a passing interest in what constitutes today's free radio scene, but the days of almost organising my life around listening to 48 and 76 metres are distantly behind me. Zeal for free radio has been replaced by an at best mild curiosity. 

Bank Holidays weekends for the modern age are now analogous with gardening and weekly food shopping, the latter being far preferably to the former, if only for what are the normally diverse play lists heard in most supermarkets, and even Superdrug and Home Bargains. 

I therefore wended my way to 'big' Morrison's - along with it seems a sizeable minority of the local population. Hot weather brings them out, it seems. Anyway, a prolonged stay in this once 'big 4' supermarket, recently overtaken by German discounter Aldi, is rarely one for the faint-hearted, but nevertheless bore significant aural fruit:

Sade - Smooth Operator

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up

Queen - A Kind of Magic

Wham - Young Guns(Go For It)

Dodgy - Summer Forever

INXS - New Sensation

Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely?

Feeder - Going Back Around

Olivia Rodrigo - Drop Dead

David Bowie - Let's Dance

The Real Thing - You to Me are Everything

Mel & Kim - Respectable 

Declan McKenna - Brazil

Sombr - Homewrecker 

A mediocre bunch at best, albeit littered with some gems and lesser known tracks by Dodgy and Feeder. I think the foot tapper/singalong award is shared between Wham and David Bowie,  not a sentence you will otherwise see written anywhere! The tone was set nicely by INXS, but my controversial dislike of Queen and most of Rick Astley's body of work knocked an overall rating for Morrison's Bank Holiday soundtrack down to a respectable but can-do-better 7 out of 10.

Galaxy International - a galaxy of 90's shortwave favourites

Recordings of Galaxy International, a collective of free radio operators from the 1990's transmitting quite literally out in the field, have been aired over the bank holiday on 6925 KHz. Is this a precursor to the station's re-emergence? We'll have to see.

I am loathed to attempt to encapsulate what true free radio spirit consisted of, but here goes. Broadcasting live from cars from remote countryside locations within Central England, Galaxy presenters would often authenticate the experience for listeners by commenting on strong-smelling manure, and curious hikers marvelling at aerials strung between neighbouring trees. Redolent of Weekend Music Radio's golden years, telephone calls were taken live to air without filter or predictability of what might be said.

Consisting of Radio Blackbeard's Dave Norris, Paul Stuart from the mysterious Station Sierra Sierra and Mark Perry who was better known in FM circles, Galaxy would also number fellow free radio legend Bill Lewis as an occasionally visitor behind the mic. 

Originally on air in the late-90's, Galaxy rarely if ever put out a strong signal but with a limit of perhaps 60 watts, nor would they be expected to. The technical limitations of broadcasting remotely are manifold, with getting on air at all being a feat in itself. It is ironic that this weekend's recordings of live programmes from at least 25 years ago benefited from a far stronger signal, more reminiscent of Live Wire Radio than Station Sierra Sierra.

Being fond of their dance music, the Galaxy trio would often favour tracks from Capella, David Morales, and Pete Heller, who I will always synonymously link to the station. For Station Sierra Sierra, Kim Appleby's Don't Worry was the station's calling card.  

I couldn't say for certain when the only iteration to date of Galaxy International finished broadcasting; my uneducated guess would suggest the early 2000's, although I did step away from listening during 2002 until at least 2015. Could there be a reboot? Archive recordings put out there would suggest to be a precursor to new beginnings, or maybe it is pure mischief making. 

Either way, it certainly adds welcome intrigue to the UK shortwave free radio scene, and takes those of us who 'were there' back in time as if it was merely yesterday. 

For clarity, Galaxy International are unconnected to Radio Galaxy International from the late 1980's and early 1990's, a station operated by Paul Watt that morphed into the well-known Radio Merlin.