I recently wrote an article about Radio Caroline. As I have explained before, this can be a dangerous thing to do, as there are mad people out there who hound those who dare write about Radio Caroline.
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| Wot, no Kleenex tissues in sight? |
Indeed, I got a bit of stick from these odd folk via one of the chat boards. Amongst all the bile and mis-information and snarks (Some were so stupid they didn’t even know what a ‘snark’ was when I complained about them doing it. Heh! Search engines are your friends!), I was taken to task for calling Radio Caroline a ‘rock oldies’ station. I was sneeringly told that I should have researched my article and was out of touch.
So, just to prove my point I listened in on the Sunday after I was accused of not knowing what I was talking about.
I tuned in at about 2:55pm and listened for half-an-hour. That’s 15 minutes longer than the average punter listens to a radio station.
Was I completely out of touch? Well, I’d still maintain I wasn’t and am not and the phrase ‘rock oldies’ completely sums up what I heard. No doubt the mad people from madland will dispute this, but since the station is required to keep a recorded ‘log’ of its output, then this cannot actually be disputed. It is a fact.
What I heard during my 30 minutes of horror (Have I mentioned how much I hate oldies?) was, erm, ‘rock oldies’. There was nothing new or current. The ‘newest’ song being 8 years ago. I heard really old songs from the Who, the Beatles, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Adams, and Prefab Sprout. In fact, all of the songs (apart from the Beatles) were chart singles from back in the olden days. The more modern were singles from Coldplay and Snow Patrol from early in the last decade. I’ve mentioned every song, not cherry-picked and left any out.
In a way they could all be classed as ‘pop oldies’, but I think ‘rock’ is the genre all will fit it when looking round one of the last remaining record shops. In other words, none would be classed as ‘dance’.
The bottom line is that I was right to call Radio Caroline a ‘rock oldies’ station because that’s what it plays, full-stop. However, what is fascinating is how these odd ‘defenders’ of Radio Caroline who refuse to have anything negative said against their chosen goddess, can’t see Radio Caroline for what it is.
What is it that they imagine this internet radio station is playing at them if it’s not ‘rock oldies’?
There is an argument that says it’s extremely sad that the radio station that once brought new and current music to the ears of the teens and early twenty-somethings should now not want to continue its original purpose. The BBC of the early 1960s was accused of disinterest in the youth, yet it is today’s Radio Caroline that positively hates today’s youth, with publicity material openly declaring, “The 25 year old … is of no importance to us“.
Strangely, rolls have reversed, and it is now the BBC with its Radios 1, 1Xtra and 6Music who currently provide an outlet for new and changing music, with Radio Caroline preferring to chase after the 50+ audience that was once coveted by the BBC Light Programme.
Well, that’s the 50+ audience that like hearing rock oldies, of course. There’s a growing number that can’t stand oldies, not just little old me! And those who do like oldies don’t always like it restricted to the single and suicidally depressing genre of ‘rock’ either. This sadly misses out so much of our extended musical heritage.
It seems like something is very wrong with this picture: Britain’s original pirate radio station is now taking the role of a modern day BBC Light Programme. How embarrassing is that?
I wonder if it was ever the intention of the founders of what in 1964 was an exciting part of the new youth revolution, to mutate into a musical voice for a few hundred minority-interest pensioners.
England's England 
Hi Chris,
Has it really come to this that I have to join your site in order to have a sensible debate ?
Now be fair, you know that there are 168 hours in a week and you listened for one half of one hour. So that is 1- 336th part of a weeks output. Had you listened on a Tuesday late afternoon you would have concluded that Caroline played only Elvis Presley. Later on, you would have concluded that we played only vintage rock and roll or later still that we were a sixties pop station.
Had you listened on a Sunday morning you may have decided that we played all Gospel Music.
So, it really was not a representative sample.
My graph of people tuning to Caroline hovers at 10.000 hours a day and rising slowly. I think that the industry assume that people do only tune to radio stations for say 15 minute blocks, which is why in order to ' position 'the station, the same music is rotated so often. We try not to rotate the same few tracks, firstly because we don't want to and secondly, because we know that people listen to us in much longer blocks.
OK, let us deal with the new music matter. My colleague Patrick programmes a selection of new music each week which is offered to each presenter. Some take to it and may use the whole selection in one programme, so in a three hour block you get say 12 brand new tracks. Others, who are running a specialised programme cannot include the new choices. The programme called The Bob Lawrence Album Collection is an example. Bob probably does not have new music in his collection. Nor could new tracks go in to the Elvis Show etc.
Other presenters may not be so well disposed to new music and since we give them fair freedom they may only include a few per show.
As for music policy generally, you must know that this is an unwinnable argument for you and for me also.
If we decided to target the youth of today with the music that they find credible, everyone presently working for Caroline would have to quit since they just would not understand that sort of music.
Further, there would be howls of protest from those who have historically listened to and suppported Caroline. For a station that has been operating for 47 years, all we can do is look at what we think was the most notable era and consider the age and tastes of our listeners.
If we play Freddie And The Dreamers, people who want to hear Yes and Zeppelin will ask what the hell we are doing, while others who listened in the eighties will say ' but didn't they play Kylie Minoque ? '.
My personal view ( well I am 64 ) is that Carolines Golden Era was the seventies. I freely admit it. If I imposed my will there would be no new music, but I would have Patrick search out excellent older music that is overlooked. It is of great regret to me that being locked in to what is basically an administrative/ engineering role, I have no time to indulge my love of music.
Sometimes we do not get it right because Caroline is run by humans and they make mistakes and are all different. Some will conveniently pick a well known track i.e. Rolling Stones ? ' Ah ' Get Off OF My Cloud ' that will do. Some presenters want to weave some musical magic and somne just want to be ' on the radio '.
With the luxury of having lots of money we could of course have an oldies Caroline, an Indie Caroline, Blues Caroline, Reggae Caroline etc etc. I have often thought of it.
But, in the circumstances that exist, we pick our furrow and plough it. Some will like what we do, some will not.
Can't be all things to all men Chris.
You will have noticed that I have quit the discussion forums I used to participate in. It became pointless in the end, making reasoned and clear explanations to people either unable or unwilling to accept plain truths.
Perhaps I will exercise my mind and use up my coffee break time here, unless or until your site is targeted by the same fools who exasperated me before.
Hey Ho !
Peter Moore.
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Thanks for a comprehensive and of course interesting rebuttal, sir.
I will construct a reasoned response when I'm not so busy and also give more prominence to your words by re-publishing them as an article tomorrow.
On a 'housekeeping' matter: The comment facility is left open and instant here, but I have previously made the mistake (here and elsewhere) of being far too liberal with allowing free speech.
It is now my intention to delete and immediately prune away without explanation any comments which are not constructive or appear to have been made to slur or distract from any subject at hand. Unfortunately, this seems to be the only way to deal with what is almost a sport amongst the lone few to spoil discussion or debate.
I will also be going round to their homes and killing their pets. My gun. Their choice.
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Interesting comments, PM. However after having applied to Cliff to become a volunteer late night presenter, I was told “We currently have a policy of recruiting when necessary from the ranks of former presenters”. Of course I realise that might have just been his polite way of saying he thinks I am not up to standard, but surely such a policy is not exactly conducive to bringing in new blood to the Caroline family?
Had you bothered to listen to my little FM pirate station Radio Xanadu when it was online (as Christopher once did and was surprisingly favourable) I am convinced you'd have found it musically enjoyable.
Anyhoo, am now off to buy body armour for my cats. It seems CE has embraced the scouser gun crime ways 😉
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Steve,
That is rather an odd policy. I certainly don't remember Jim Ross or Marc Griffiths on offshore Caroline.
Maybe he was being polite, but I suspect it was probably your very recent ties to unlicenced pirate radio that frightened them off, as Caroline has now gone down the legal licenced path you may still be a little “too hot” to handle. If I'm being honest I would suggest that you try Radio Seagull, having heard Seagull quite a bit I would say that musically Steve West and Radio Seagull would be a good match.
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I can't listen as much as I used to, so I realise that I miss out on a lot of good quality shows.
The two that I make a real effort to tune into, are “Magic Carpet Ride” with Tim Charles, and Marc Griffiths on a wednesday evening…both shows have plenty of new stuff in their mix… as well as more familiar tracks. With so much choice to listen to, it's a worthy testament to the current @Caroline@ that people still CHOOSE to listen..No-one's forced to….just an opinion.
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