Your assessment of Caroline (here) is ‘sort of’ correct. I will not delve in to the LA thing much here. The person who devised it never specified just what it was about. He left the converts to make up their own opinions and agreed with them all, regardless of how much they differed. Thus everyone was happy, thinking that they were right. As an example of how religions operate, it may make for an interesting debate some other time.
As for the rest of your assessment, the various era’s of music policy are about right and the person(s) steering that policy are in a no win situation. Some observers feel that the station should become younger i.e. in terms of the music and the age of those presenting it. Some feel that it should become older, as in all Sixties hits. Some like the Prog era of the seventies. We have (presently) chosen a style and those that like it can be entertained for free and those who do not can listen to other stations that may suit them better.
The problem with the fanatics is that they will not do this. They continue to listen so that they can become angry since the music is all wrong, but more than nobody is reacting to their protests.
As you say, Caroline is ‘just’ an Internet station, but with some satellite and some Apps etc that the very basic Internet stations may not have. On Shoutcast it hovers around 400 in the chart of most listened to stations. It could progress a fair degree up the chart with a modest increase in listening hours. To get near the top would need a very big increase. But it is ahead of the other 14000 stations that Shoutcast host.
Which sort of brings me to my point in that if people are prepared to operate Caroline i.e. present on, administer etc, for no wage or any other benefit, and if others like to listen, then no harm is being done and some enjoyment is being provided.
Of course, the Caroline staff cannot do all this and pay for it as well, though everyone is out of pocket to a greater or lesser degree. So we ‘invite’ listeners to donate if they so wish, to keep the music service going and to maintain/retain our ship. This co-operation between listeners and staff has been in place for a very long time and it works. It is almost pure Communism i.e from each according to and to each according to.
But, you can also listen to Caroline for nothing if you wish, so there is no compulsion at all.
The problem that rears every now and again, as you have correctly identified, is that a person may become interested in Caroline and then start to use the ‘we’ word. It is no different to the football supporter who chooses a team and may, or may not, buy the team T Shirt. Such people, probably with no ability to play football at all, or any intention to do so, will know for sure where the Manager is going wrong, where the Striker should have passed the ball rather than taking the goal shot, where the Ref made a bad decision etc.
If the team win they will say “Hey, ‘we’ stuffed them on Saturday”. In fact it was the guys on the pitch who did the winning while the supporters sat on their bums watching.
But, returning to Caroline, individuals will decide that everything should be done in a different way, using the ‘we’ word, when they should be using the ‘me’ word i.e just them. When they do not get the attention/respect/deference that they think they deserve, then they become infuriated, threatening, by means of retribution, to destroy the very thing that they profess to love.
One chap has been very vociferous of late, such that I have asked him to contact me directly so that I can reassure him. But so far he has not made contact as I think he wants to continue being outraged.
In closing I will give you a quote which entirely encapsulates your views. It comes from a sad man who has sent me so many contentious and insulting letters, that I have begged him to leave me alone. Sometimes, to reinforce this, I have torn his letters in to fragments and returned them. But he will not stop.
The main problem I have is that he will persistently copy a Caroline leaflet/flyer that is completely out of date and inaccurate and will post these things around his district, in shops, on buses etc. It is utterly the wrong impression from that which we want to project, but he continues as he is ‘helping’. I just wrote restating that I have nil desire to communicate with him. He replies as follows :
“My MAIN CONCERN is Radio Caroline which you are FIGUREHEAD. Like all passionate supporters, (regardless of whether we pay money or not) we are ENTITLED to air our views. This is what ‘we ‘ do. It’s all about passion, loyalty and I guess some LA”.
I do not think that the idea of listening to some enjoyable music for free even enters his head.
Peter Moore.
(Guest Author)
England's England 