April Fools' Day and true free radio spirit

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. 

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.