In conclusion - was 1990's UK free radio 'all that'?

Urban Dictionary defines something that is 'all that' to be a cut above, superior, even an entity or individual who is at the top of their respective game. How then, can I justifiably saddle the 1990's UK free radio scene on shortwave with such a burdensome epithet when at the time of listening, I didn't have another era/decade to compare it to? We again find ourselves in a world according to subjectivity.

The answer comes from how the memory of free radio from 30+ years ago has stood the test of time, including how those recollections hold their own when confronted with the few recordings available of stations broadcasting during the 1990's. 

It goes without saying that the 1990's, although not really that long ago were comparatively far more innocent times, lacking the technical sophistication of our contemporary era. In an age where we have many ways in which to communicate with each other, the oxymoron in the room is that humans now struggle to verbally communicate in a coherent manner, with technology replacing the need for many to even think for themselves. Furthermore, some source their guiding principals from the often unsubstantiated and frequently scurrilous utterances of those who post whatever pops into their heads onto what seems to be an unregulated free for all known as Social Media.

Therefore, whilst music is a huge part of my everyday life - 1991 remains my favourite year for music, but the 80's is my life's defining soundtrack - and it should never be forgotten that many if not most of the UK-based free radio stations operating on shortwave played tracks which remain with me to this day, it was always the levels of communication which set apart the 1990's 'pirate' scene from those I've dipped into and out of since.

Not only did the likes of Live Wire and Weekend Music Radio(WMR) have powerhouse signals and diverse playlists, they involved listeners with the programmes, including through live interaction and interesting chat, which meant that the audience was never far from an interesting nugget about the presenter's life, chat about conspiracy theories and UFOs - this would be a speciality of Subterranean Sounds - and sometimes the exaggeratedly lugubrious utterances of Mike Wilson/The Bogus Jobseeker  who would use the Guardian newspaper (Grauniad) as a favoured prop. It came in shapes and sizes, but charisma was writ large through all of the listenable UK-based stations. 

I have sometimes pondered that many operators were purely motivated by seeking technical mastery than becoming a DJ/presenter, but several stations managed to be on point with not only their signal and modulation, but also through a style of programming which was essential listening when the presenter was either talking, or wasn't. Imagine that in legit radio, let alone within the meagre fayre dished out by many of today's free radio denizens.

Another question I have posed is would I have got as much enjoyment from listening to 1990's free radio using my now 40-something ears, rather than those belonging to the gauche teenager I was over 30 years ago? This is where I see how the likes of the aforementioned Live Wire, WMR, Subterranean Sounds, and Radio Orion, along with Radio Armadillo, WMS, Xenon Transmitting Company, Station Sierra Sierra, Radio Blackbeard, Britain Radio International and so on have aged particularly well: the few recordings I have heard of the above have never led me to question why I used to base my weekends around listening to what was, after all, illegal radio. They all encapsulated what was good about radio, and communication in general, at a time when most of what we had was just verbal communication, but never felt impoverished because of it. 

Our current day and age appears to be concerned with churning out replicants, seemingly rolling those off a production line who are encouraged to be who they are, but in reality copy what many others are doing. Instead of an explosion of individuality, we are now seeing a world of people who dress the same, look the same, and are desperate to follow celebrities on Social Media, all the while protesting their entitlement to say what the want, and be whomever they desire to be, but have little if anything about them which sets them apart from their generational peers. If Social Media content makes the decisions of many, why should we be surprised that individual, critical thinking is increasingly conspicuous by its absence?

This inevitably leaches into free radio, originally a medium synonymous with removing the restrictive shackles of state and/or advertisement controlled broadcasting, whilst playing the music the operator wants to hear, with the added bonus that the audience are also willing adherents, but now so much of what is out there is continuous music, so much so that canned announcements or 'the next track is...' represent something of a dubious bonus, rather than what should be insult to injury.

Free radio reflected the times in which we lived. Those schooled on 1980's pirates will likely give short shrift to the output from the following decade, whilst those who have only ever known free radio from 2000 onwards may look down on the 1990's and beforehand as old-fashioned and twee, when in reality the scene had cojones, depth, and substance. When one compares such qualities to a contemporary era which includes Dutch stations changing identities with the wind, and a few UK-based stations who have the personal touch of a Cyberdyne Systems-produced cyborg, then there is absolutely no comparison!

Having not listened to shortwave during 2024, nor even checked websites where the latest loggings are uploaded, I feel now to have finally lanced the free radio boil. That isn't to say I won't on occasion search for recordings of those who I enjoyed listening to from a bygone era, but otherwise I really now can say goodbye. I enjoyed it while it lasted and yes, nostalgia really was what it used to be, but in the main living in the past is not a healthy way to blot out the many uncertainties the world currently faces, nor to fight against the dying of the light.

Free Radio Ghosts of Christmases past

For about six or seven years of the 1990s, shortwave free 'pirate' radio was a huge part of my life. Until approximately 1997-98, I was probably one of the most prolific listeners to 48 and 76 metres, mining the aural bounty that would invariably be heard most weekends, and occasionally during the school/working/unemployed week when the likes of UK Radio, Radio Atlantis(West Midlands) and Radio Armadillo could sometimes be heard.

It is now too long ago to explain why my interest waned, although I would estimate with a high degree of certainty that other, more tangible aspects of life attractive to someone in their early twenties gained greater prominence. I do vaguely recall that listening conditions deteriorated, and that the stations I favoured were become more conspicuous by their absence, or had closed down altogether. 

As ever, life did not stand still, and that was also true for free radio on shortwave. Stations ceased to operate, others appeared that were often ersatz replacements of those lost to the scene, insomuch that my listening tastes were no longer being catered for. The world was perhaps moving into an era I wasn't too keen on following, with free radio being a microcosm of that.

If I was asked to recall my most fond memories of listening to UK stations on shortwave - this is, after all, a blog dedicated to the UK element of what could be heard on 6 MHz, and beyond - I would say that Christmas time was the most essential listening of the whole year. The recent re-emergence of Weekend Music Radio(WMR) has rekindled memories of Jack's epic programming during the festive season, often running several frequencies in parallel, with output, usually live, containing a variety of presenters and live phone calls, all before the days of email and logging websites. Any absence of WMR during the Christmas period would be extremely obvious, although a heavy session in the pub would usually account for such non-appearance. 

It was understandable when Christmas Day on shortwave during daylight hours wasn't always as busy as one would hope, as despite popular misconceptions and rumours to the contrary, free radio operators are human too, and, like the rest of us, had family festivities to attend. It would though be in the evening, increasingly so on 3 MHz (76 metres), when the real, serious listening would take place. The likes of Live Wire Radio, always with great programming and a signal plus modulation to match, Subterranean Sounds, Radio Armadillo, WMS, and often WMR on a recorded loop would make night-time listening a rewarding, if somewhat exhausting experience. An honourable mention must also go to Radio Grensjager (Borderhunter) from somewhere on the Dutch/Belgian frontier, who also delivered charismatic, entertaining programmes during this time. Even Radio Barones, the 1.6 MHz stalwart, would occasionally pop up on 76 metres. 

I eventually drifted away from free radio in 2002. It was only around 2014-15, with the aid of the now firmly established and incredibly helpful Internet that I began to think about past times, and who, if anyone, was still 'out there'. With the help of Software Defined Radio(SDR), predominantly those based in the North West of Ireland and Weston-Super-Mare, I began listening, albeit intermittently, a few years after that, which eventually spawned this blog.

My written account of listening to free radio in the 1990s was motivated by a lack of other, similar, chronicles of a scene that whilst great at the time to me, was in terminal decline after the heady days of offshore radio from the 1960s, and its land-based offshoots thereon in. I was though also compelled to put on record my appreciation of a scene that, in my humble, subjective opinion, was far better than what was being heard when I returned to the fray, up to the present day. Maybe nostalgia isn't what it used to be; hearing output from 30+ years ago through my now middle-aged, adult ears might not have the same appeal, but I won't attempt to rewrite history or diminish a hobby that gave me great pleasure at the time. Perhaps what I heard was of its time, but to this day and quite likely beyond, my best Christmases were synonymous with hearing great free radio programming.

Those remaining true to the medium include the aforementioned Weekend Music Radio(albeit via an odd relay), the Xenon Transmitting Company's Matt Roberts, and Steve Most of Radio Pamela. I am not sure if Radio Pandora's Steve St. John is still broadcasting, although Radio Blackbeard can again be heard on 1512 kHz. 

Much of free radio on shortwave now consists of a raft of Dutch stations, including many who do not bother to check who is on or near their intended frequency, stations that change their names on a whim but are logged as separate entities - there are Dutch and UK-based stations doing this - and frankly bizarre but often high-powered relays of seemingly random legit internet or DAB-based station, for reasons unknown. 

Of course, UK free radio has always been made up of an eclectic mix of individuals, which as a fringe operation, a niche within a niche within a niche, is only to be expected, but the motivation for getting on the air does seem to vary significantly operator to operator. Not many appear to be driven by interaction with listeners; I suspect for most achieving technical mastery whereby a signal and modulation worthy of the names was always the priority over 'being a DJ'. If so, fair enough, but canned jingles or no identifications whatsoever seems to render the effort made to get on the air somewhat pointless, but that opinion is very much from a listening, not a broadcasting perspective.

I won't be partaking this Christmas but for those that do, I hope your listening tastes will be sated. I will though be raising a Peroni Zero and Tesco mince pie to those 1990s entertainers who gave my own yuletide festivities that added kick, including the added thrill of anticipation when my receiver's signal meter suddenly became enlivened by a strong dead carrier. Sadly, these are more ghosts of Christmases past than those present, or yet to come.

UK Free Radio Awards

The results are in; the numbers have been crunched... Not really, as I have never conducted a poll to gauge listeners' favourite UK-based free radio stations on shortwave during the 1990s. 

Therefore, in keeping with the other posts on my lesser-read blog - notwithstanding the vital reading it has become for Singaporean bots - the following is purely my opinion, and inevitably subjective. No correspondence has been entered into, nor have I been swayed by lobbying from or the blandishments of those 'who were there'.

The awards for:

Best (or most varied) musical taste: For very different reasons, Radio Orion and Live Wire Radio.

Best for speech-based content: Radio Orion; Subterranean Sounds, and although technically broadcasting from the Republic of Ireland, Radio Fax. 

Standout music track which to this day is synonymous (to me at least) with the 1990s free radio scene: Sniff 'n' the Tears - Driver's Seat (Wizards Magic Spell); Kim Appleby - Don't Worry (Station Sierra Sierra), and Acker Bilk's Fancy Pants (Weekend Music Radio). There are many others. 

Most consistent good signal (and modulation): Live Wire Radio

Favourite station (charisma of operator; listenable signal; entertaining/interactive programmes): Live Wire Radio

Conspicuous by being there but never heard by yours truly: Total Control Radio (later The Nitrozone)

Best (quickest) responder: Live Wire Radio

Favourite QSL cards: Radio Galaxy International (forerunner to Radio Merlin), and the Xenon Transmitting Company. These, and more, can be seen at Tom Read's excellent website

Most prolific broadcasters: UK Radio International, West and North Kent Radio, and Radio Orion.

Most enigmatic broadcaster: Alan Hayes (Radio Gloria International).

Most alternative broadcasters: Steve Midnight (Radio Confusion/Subterranean Sounds) for programme topics that included UFOs. Mike Wilson/Bogus Jobseeker/Bogusman - no further explanation required!

Infrequent broadcaster I always wanted to hear more from: Radio Armadillo

Most random mailing address: Anaheim, California (Radio Pamela); Merlin, Ontario (Radio Merlin etcetera); Belvoir Lodge, Whimsey Park (Station Sierra Sierra). The latter was often misaddressed as Beaver Lodge..

Mailing address synonymous with the 1990s shortwave free radio scene: 32 Victoria Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire. Honourable mentions to P O Box 220342, 42373 Wuppertal, Germany and 14 Stone Row, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.  

Long service awards: Matt Roberts (formerly Tommy Teabags of Radio Mutiny International) of the Xenon Transmitting Company(XTC); Steve Most of Radio Pamela, and Radio Pandora's Steve St. Jhon(spelling?).

As ever, comments are more than welcome. My best wishes to all the operators (and listeners) who made the 1990s UK-based free radio scene on shortwave so compelling. It is much missed.