Remembering those who have crossed the great divide

As the lifespan of this blog draws to a close, I consider that the overall UK scene during the 1990's has been covered to the best of what my memory and limited hard copy and internet-based research material will allow. Others may disagree, but this blog has never been about simply producing an A-Z companion of what could be heard on shortwave broadcasting from UK shores, but my experiences of what was a major part of life from nascent teenage years until my early twenties. 

I have neither sought to portray myself as an authority on what could be heard, nor suggest that the only stations that existed were the ones I received. If a station broadcasts but no one hears it, does it therefore exist? Absolutely, and I have attempted to depict the scene as a whole, and even given as much detail as I could garner about operators who I knew of through reputation alone, which would have included word of mouth and reference to free radio 'pirate' publications. 

It is inevitable that some blog posts have focused on what might be termed the 'popular' stations, those heard most often and with the biggest signals, but if I had to encapsulate the decade in six stations I believe that dedicating individual posts to Weekend Music Radio(WMR), Live Wire Radio, Subterranean Sounds, Xenon Transmitting Company(XTC), Radio Armadillo, and Radio Orion/Bogus Jobseeker does just that. This senary of stations spanned, and in some cases still does so, the desires of many listeners, although not all, with thought-provoking and at times humorous speech-based programmes where music might serve as an interlude rather than the main feature, technical mastery, personable and charismatic presenters, and a left field choice of music that represented the operator's taste rather than simply to be contrary to what can otherwise be heard elsewhere. None of the aforementioned sextuple of stations achieved all of traits listed, nor would anyone expect them to, but examples of low power being mitigated by alternative programming and audience participation melded with powerhouse signals certainly aided the bracketing of these six as, for me at least, the essence of what made in particular the early to mid-1990's such great years of listening on 48 metres, and latterly 3 MHz.

When listening to radio presenters, legal or otherwise, it is sometimes easy to overlook that they too away from their celebrity(either in their own eyes and/or those of their audience) are human like the rest of us, and vulnerable to the same frailties and day to day realities of life. It is with this in mind that several free radio personalities from the 1990's are inevitably no longer with us, their passing usually being unheralded when compared to the more widely known of their ilk.

Radio 48 was one of the three stations I heard on that October morning in 1990 which kicked off my interest in shortwave free radio. As with the other two operators, Live Wire and Ozone International, Radio 48 would as a consequence have received my rather gauche letter but all three graciously replied, as did those in 1991 who were behind Radio Geronimo, which proved to be Radio 48 under a new guise with 48's Howard Bell now known as Chris Watson. An on-off involvement in free radio continued, as detailed in Shaun Geraghty's tribute until Chris's untimely death in 2017. 

Although the origins of Radio Gemini reached back far beyond the 1990's remit of this blog, operator Colin Dixon was still broadcasting until I would estimate 1994-95. A connection with shortwave free radio would be retained during the early years of the current millennium, where Colin would channel his vast free radio knowledge of yesteryear into Laser Hot Hits' "Anorak Hour" programme. Colin Dixon will though be best remembered for Radio Gemini - primarily by a generation of listeners reared on the early days of 'pirate' radio. His death was reported in early 2008.

Radio East Coast Commercial(RECC) was as stated on the tin, a station that was based in East Anglia. Although I did correspond with station operator Norman Nelson this would have been during 1993-94 and my memories of the station are, I am sad to say, minimal. I do though recall a DX programme which aired on RECC that detailed what other free radio stations could be heard on 48 metres and beyond, with particular attention given to those operators who embodied the desire to produce entertaining transmissions and at times suffered for their art through raids, and the loss of remote broadcast sites. It is sobering for me to recall that Norman Nelson, who himself was lightheartedly spoofed as Norman Nesquik in a Wee Guy Radio April 1st broadcast, died in November 1995, only a few months after I had completed my A-levels. Norman would only have been in his late forties. 

The final word should though be saved for Paul Johnson, the operator of UK Radio International. Although the station's local FM origins harked back to 1977 my memories of Paul were initially from his programmes on Radio Orion, which as previously discussed became the Bogus Jobseeker, then simply the Bogusman. Despite for a time having a range of presenters to call upon Radio Orion was to me all about the inimitable Mike Wilson, to a point when I would almost be disappointed if the man we now know as 'Bogus' wasn't at the controls. This was in no way intended as a slight upon Paul, but more a reflection of Mile Wilson's already nonpareil standing with many in free radio land. 

As the man behind UK Radio on shortwave my memories of Paul Johnson primarily centre on hearing his broadcasts on 6266 kHz, often it seemed at any time of the day, night, or the week. I would describe Paul's style of broadcasting as more traditional and of course less quirky than that of Mike Wilson, but obviously that is stating the obvious and again is not a negative reflection of his on air method. In what proved to be a vain attempt at securing a gig with legal local radio station's many of Paul's programmes would though serve as unofficial auditions, which perhaps shaped his approach to broadcasting - imperceptibly or otherwise. It may have pained him that he was never successful in 'going legit' but an unstinting dedication to his craft highlighted that Paul was first and foremost 'in it' for a love of broadcasting, which his UK Radio vehicle enabled him to indulge, notwithstanding numerous setbacks precipitated by raids and the loss of broadcast sites that ultimately served to redirect many future programmes away from more traditional broadcasting methods onto web streams. 

Incredibly it is nearly twenty years since Paul passed away, at the 'no age' of 42. Immortalized to this day by Bogusman's 'RJW selection' - although I won't elaborate on it RJW refers to the initials of Paul's real name -  Paul will be remembered in the West Midlands and beyond as a dedicated broadcaster who never through his programmes betrayed any personal or station-related problems that may have dogged him at various times during his life. There was no doubt that he was in his element behind a microphone, and came across as a thoroughly decent and humble individual. I am indebted to the Pirate Archive website for their comprehensive retrospective of the UK Radio story.

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that other proponents who made up the UK free radio scene on shortwave during the 1990's are no longer with us. I can though only give due reference and respect to those who I am aware have passed away, but it is important to remember all operators who gave considerable time and some cases took significant risks to entertain sometimes only a handful of listeners, and perhaps emulate the stations that they themselves had grown up listening to.