Did Internet Kill the Radio Star?

When did operating a free radio station change to being more about a physical presence on shortwave than stamping individuality into broadcasts that were synonymous with the operator in question? To put an exact date/year to it is as impossible as it is pointless, but the advent of the Internet has undoubtedly negatively overlapped into pirate radio broadcasting.

Back 'in the day', and by that of course I refer to the 1990s, UK-based free radio on shortwave was not just about the music but also those spinning the discs. Many listeners would enjoy the musical tastes of the likes of Weekend Music Radio, Subterranean Sounds, and Live Wire, but it was the operators who complemented their output or even mitigated it, should on occasion that those known for more eclectic playlists stray even further into esoterica. 

Today free radio on shortwave be it from the UK, Eire, or the continent seems to fall into three categories:

1. Legal stations being relayed by those anonymous but who do so via an illegal transmitter.
2. Operators who play continuous music with no identification whatsoever, or intersperse tracks with canned IDs, or when they do speak to the world are of the 'that was..the next record is...
3. Stations who are perennially '"testing, testing..." and flipflopping around the band in permanent beta mode. These are often Dutch stations, in fact one in particular, but also there are those who for some unknown reason change their station names as often as their socks (or perhaps more often).

Of course, there are exceptions, but these are increasingly conspicuous by their comparative absence. 

 

Yes, it is free radio and as such does not follow a formula nor conform to rules or adhere to restrictive playlists. It could even be argued that free radio in the 1990s was if anything more formulaic than today but if that is so, and again it is subjective, it was a formula that worked. Although this teetotaller does not advocate or encourage the taking of strong drink, there was often the added bonus of some operators switching on their rigs after staggering back from a merry night in the pub... 

Where does the Internet come in? As previously touched upon there is now a penchant of several otherwise unknown 'operators' who wish to broadcast but can only get their kicks by relaying online stations. Perhaps that is enough to sate their illegal broadcasting appetites but is surely the antithesis of the true spirit of free, pirate radio. Many Internet-only 'radio' stations rely on a diet of continuous music without interaction with nor involvement from a human presenter, and I would say that this has rubbed off not only on those who act as conduits for legal stations, but also some who do play their own music but either have nothing to say or don't know how to say it, or perhaps simply have no interest in meaningful chat other than to reply to emails that slavishly request e-QSL verification.

Technology has not only changed at a remarkable speed in a short period of time but has also altered the human mindset. Where tech can now do the thinking of its users who are frogmarched through prompts personal choice seems to have been sacrificed on the altar of ease and laziness. The population might have the latest sophisticated technology at their fingertips, but in the chain of use from birth of products to being rolled out it is only the developers who need the serious brainpower and expertise. It is obviously beneficial for technology to be immediately accessible to end users, but we are now at a point where the many have been sleepwalking into a world of not being able to think for themselves; in an age of supposed choice and where diversity is encouraged and lauded it seems that individuality has given way to identikit genericism. 

It is therefore too easy just to relay someone else's output but consider yourself a free radio operator, allow software to produce a track list through an algorithm that interprets musical taste, or play continuous music with the odd token ID thrown in to keep QSL hunters and 'station baggers' happy. 

When we talk of 1990s free radio personalities, and I am sure they would not wish to be considered as such but undoubtedly were, names such as Paul Stuart, Bill Lewis, Jack Russel, Steve Midnight, Mike Wilson/Bogus Jobseeker/Bogusman, the late Paul Johnson, Mr. Armadillo, Alan Hayes, Jock Wilson, Andy Walker, Terry Phillips, The Wizard, Dave Martin, Paul Watt, and several others come to mind. 

There are still a few remaining - Matt Roberts (Xenon Transmitting Company), Dave Norris (Radio Blackbeard/Buzz FM) and Steve St. John (Radio Pandora) - who fit into the 'highly listenable' bracket either for their respective musical predilection, broadcasting style, or both, but for those brought up on a varied and rich diet of 1990s charisma, verbosity, music, real-time interaction, and hardcopy QSL cards accompanying info sheets and station stickers, the past three decades to the present day represent an inexorable feast into famine to the point of now being served a thin gruel. 

Perhaps what the public gets is what the public wants or is at least what it has come to expect. I would though suggest that there has to be more to free radio than simply being 'on the air' for your satisfaction.

UK bank holidays - free radio style

For many parts of the United Kingdom this weekend, specifically Monday, represents the final bank holiday before Christmas. Traditionally a time when inclement weather would chase the majority of people indoors, a country once associated with rain, cool temperatures, and high winds even during the so-called warmer months is now facing up to a new reality of insufficient rain, prolonged drought-like periods, and conditions more akin to the Mediterranean than the climate being driven by its usual Atlantic influences. 

The summer was never the best time to listen to free radio on shortwave with conditions often not conducive to broadcasting, and free radio operators (and listeners) having other, perhaps better things to do. The August bank holiday would though usually be busier; with summer effectively over transmitters and receivers would often be returned to.

I have no idea who if anyone from the UK will broadcast this weekend. Dare I say that I have no interest in knowing who will do so? That is rather harsh but as two months have now elapsed since I last tuned an SDR in anger, the current free radio scene is not only depressing when compared to the halcyon days of the 1990s, but also when viewed in relief.

Too much reminiscing cannot be good for one's wellbeing, especially when the modern era is a leitmotif for the inexorable decline of society, its behaviour, morals, and values. However, whilst comparisons are odious will those who were not listening to free radio in the 1990s actually elicit any enjoyment from today's UK-based free radio offering on shortwave? Perhaps they will, with what is 'out there' in the main representing the decade and generation it is in. For those who remember and were there, the 1990s, whilst not a time so distant in the grand scheme of things, is in reality an unrecognisably different age to the one we currently reside in.

A snapshot of an August bank holiday could include on 6 MHz the likes of Radio Confusion(later Subterranean Sounds), Total Control Radio(who became the Nitrozone), as well as Radio Armadillo, the Xenon Transmitting Company, and Station Sierra Sierra. The evening's entertainment, primarily on 76 Metres, would be handled by Live Wire Radio, Wizard's Magic Spell, perhaps Weekend Music Radio, and some of the aforementioned stations active during the daytime. There were of course others, such as the late Paul Johnson's UK Radio, and Radio Merlin International(formerly Radio Galaxy) whose respective omnipresence made them almost taken for granted in plain sight.

As has been discussed at length in this blog it wasn't purely the quantity of stations, but the quality of output which resonated with listeners. It is undoubtedly true that the 1990s were very different times when it came to technology and the risks that free radio operators had to take, but this 40-something personally preferred the days of maildrops, DJs who spoke to their listeners, a variety of music not heard on legal stations, and live programming to text/email contact, canned announcements, and 'the next record is...' utterances from those with little or nothing else to say. That is not to mention the bewildering habit of some operators restricting their output to the relaying of legal stations, which to them may amount to 'pirate' broadcasting but really is nothing more than a whole heap of pointlessness. 

If Radio Pandora and the Xenon Transmitting Company(XTC) take to the air this weekend, that would be regarded as a 'result'. These two free radio stalwarts of contrasting vintage at least have something to say, and include within their programmes a taste in music that isn't staid, predictable, or samey. 

Within free radio circles there seems to be a large archive of recorded, photographic, and printed material from the 1960s until the mid to late 1980s. The 1990s is not similarly well catered for, with as far as I know only this humble blog dedicated to the decade. I therefore challenge anyone sitting on a cache of interesting UK-related free radio material from the 1990s to this weekend bring it forth, whether that be in the form of recordings, QSL cards, photographs, and/or magazines dedicated to the scene. If nothing else, perhaps impart some of your own memories, whether from a listening or broadcasting perspective?

There must be lofts, sheds, and garages groaning with free radio paraphernalia that has not seen the light of day for 20-30 years. If so, why not make it a bank holiday project to bring to light any of the above, if only to prove that I didn't actually dream a decade worth of free radio actually happened!

Addresses...

A few weeks ago the venerable Matt Roberts of the Xenon Transmitting Company (XTC) mentioned that a listener from the German city of Wuppertal had made contact with the station. The North Rhine Westphalian metropolis was the location of one of the most famous and oft-mentioned 'snail mail' contact addresses for free radio stations broadcasting from Germany, and indeed those from outside its borders seeking a reliable maildrop. Remember: this was in the era before email and text messaging transformed how we interact with each other. 

It got me thinking - what were the addresses used by free radio stations, UK-based and otherwise, that became synonymous with the scene during the 1990s? Without delving into any research material, here are the few I can recall:

P O Box 220342, Wuppertal

South Beechwood, Edinburgh

Victoria Road, Salisbury

P O Box 293, Merlin, Ontario

Green Park, Bath

Stone Row, Coleraine, Northern Ireland

Ostra Porten 29, Ytterby, Sweden

Belvoir Lodge, Whimsey Park, Nottingham (sometimes misaddressed as Beaver Lodge)

P O Box 2702, 6049 ZG Herten, the Netherlands.

There will be more, and plenty of them at that, but most of the above would serve several stations during the 1990s, with one still used to this very day. 

As this blog becomes more tenuous in its adherence to the original reason it came into being, different slants on the 1990s UK free radio shortwave scene have all but been exhausted. It is hoped that fresh research material will come to light and/or that your correspondent will receive further inspiration so to be able to at least periodically 'blog' on the subject. Any comments, suggestions, and constructive feedback are always welcome, as is the retweeting and sharing of posts on Social Media platforms. 

Although I cannot be certain that there will be any further blog posts this is offset by the fact that my deep dive into the 1990s UK-based free radio shortwave scene will (hopefully) be on permanent record in its online home, to be found in the future by those who were around during such great, even halcyon days of hobby pirate broadcasting but as of yet haven't already perused my musings.