The first of April could often be relied upon to provide some alternative listening on the shortwave bands favoured by free radio stations, who of course were already bracketed as 'alternative' as in not the mainstream or if in the UK, the BBC World Service. All the better if the beginning of the month happened to be on a Sunday.
I cannot fully remember all that occurred that was free radio-related on 01/04 but perhaps the most famous miscreant was Weekend Music Radio, who aided and abetted the mysterious(!) Wee Guy Radio and Radio West Coast Commercial, the latter being a spoof of the late Norman Nelson's Radio East Coast Commercial, to provide some April Fools' merriment. To cut a long story short - the longer version can be found on WMR's excellent website - Wee Guy appeared on the erstwhile Radio Fax's frequencies that operated in parallel on 3, 6, and 12 MHz. Radio Fax wasn't your ordinary free radio station, often broadcasting a technology-related programme called 'Sparks' and being an almost all week ever-present on its triumvirate of channels. Although it transmitted from the Republic of Ireland, it was without success that owner Trevor Brook attempted to secure a UK broadcasting license. Despite having significantly curtailed its operations, to this day the BBC continues to enjoy a hegemonic dominance of legal UK-based broadcasting.
Radio Stella International, a station regarded as Scottish due to its inimitable operator Jock Wilson, actually broadcast from the same Eire-based site as Radio Fax. It was therefore possible for accidents to occur, such as Fax suddenly being heard on frequencies favoured by Stella, and guerrilla broadcasting by the likes of Wee Guy temporarily taking over 3910, 6205, and 12255 KHz! I suspect it was great amusement for those engaged in such tomfoolery, but perhaps not so for those on the receiving end!
It is perhaps now too long ago for me to differentiate between those who just popped up on the first of April, and the stations that broadcast at other times but who did so with silliness as their respective reasons for being. I recall a hilarious take off of many operators of the day, including Norman Nelson who became Norman Nesquik, and merciless ribbing of those behind West and North Kent Radio. Also, stations such as Radio Ridiculous, the Groovy Granny, and the presumably Welsh-based Voice of the Leek added to an alternative radio scene a frisson of not taking themselves too seriously. I have no doubt there were others, both those I have forgotten and indeed never knew of, but the pranks associated with WMR/Wee Guy/Radio Fax are the most indelible in my fading memory. There must of course be an honourable mention of The Ghoul, a spin off broadcaster from Radio Orion and Bogus Jobseeker transmissions.
With the passing of the early 1990s the UK-based free radio scene on shortwave mirrored how the stellar music scene of the same era deteriorated almost overnight. I would suggest that 1990-92 was a golden period for free radio and music, with a very noticeable decline setting in before something of a temporary revival of both between 1994-96. From thereon in free radio and UK-based musical output went into overall terminal decline, with inevitably a few exceptions. Be it hobby pirates, music, literature, moral standards, and political parties, much in life remains subjective so therefore the aforementioned isn't a list of universal facts, but rather my own truisms as I see them.
It cannot though be brought into question that the personalities that made free radio so interesting are not attendant with whatever scene remains. Canned, off the shelf jingles and computer-generated voices robotically espousing email addresses are though unfortunately the perfect accompaniment to operators who say little other than 'that was so and so...the next track is...' which seems more of an attempt to entertain themselves than anyone listening.
It is therefore to those pioneers of mirth from the late 1980s and early 1990s whom I salute, operators who added a dash of personality and imagination to proceedings. It was the risk takers out in the field and those that switched on their rigs after a heavy session in the pub who embodied true free radio spirit, the like of which are now just another relic of yesteryear.
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