The Radio Caroline Facts

This comprehensive article is written by Peter Moore in response to my own article describing Radio Caroline as a ‘rock oldies’ station (here), and originally appeared as a comment to my article.  I have republished it to give it more prominence. 

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.

The ‘hour clocks’ telling DJs what to play, back in the day

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.

The tender’s coming when?

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 ?’.

Peter Moore when not quite 64

My personal view (well I am 64) is that Caroline’s 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 some 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.


Author: Peter Moore, Radio Caroline.