OMG! The all new old Radio Caroline calling itself Last Pirate FM has been busted by the feds.Heh! Only in Liverpool, eh? When the radio
Category: Anoraking
Radio Caroline returns as Last Pirate
Radio anoraks, especially Radio Caroline anoraks, as we all know, are near death. Yes, ok, a heck of a lot of them actually are dead,
Scrap the BBC licence fee
Here’s the thing. A long time ago – indeed starting well before I was born, probably – Sunday afternoon/evenings were where the Top 40 Chart (initially
Radio Caroline on Twitter
Having been a tad busy with a sudden and unexpected General Election, I totally forgot all about the Radio Caroline sagas. The Radio Caroline in
Heh, listen to this…
From time to time we all have to suffer listening to ‘audition tapes’ when looking for fresh on-air radio talent. Listening to ‘showreels’ is a
Radio Caroline anorak urinates in public
Disgusting. This photo passed to me shows the state of Radio Caroline anoraks today. How embarrassing for Radio Caroline that one of their fans was
Cyber Hot Hits from Outer Space
I recently got myself all excited about a new radio station called ‘Cyber Hot Hits’. ‘Cyber Hot Hits’ is broadcasting from a spaceship up in
The Greatest Hits Network just died
Across a lot of the north of England and the south and east of Scotland the ‘oldies’ stations are mainly owned by Bauer Media and
Fake Radio Carolines
Now then. This whole thing about Radio Caroline. I think I’m suffering from deja vu. Haven’t we had this confusion before? It wasn’t that long
Somebody start a Radio Caroline for me!
I’ve been following the events unfolding at radiocaroline.com (here) and on Twitter @radiocaroline (here). As far as I can tell, a fully loaded Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline DA Box up for auction?
I reported previously about the interrupted Morse code mayday message alerting the world to the compromise of the secret place protecting the DA Box, once used
Radio Caroline’s DA Box stolen!
The DA Box has been stolen. Yes, the DA Box has been stolen. The DA Box, historically, is the special filter that was used by
How the segue is killing music radio
Why is Tony Blackburn the only music radio presenter actually ‘jocking’ the songs being played? Why is there nobody else doing this style of radio?
Nobody on Facebork talks about radio
If Facebork is a leveller, then it is to Facebork that I must look for exciting discussions about the world of radio. But, why can’t
Forgotten and snubbed by the New Year’s Honours list
Gongs. I don’t mean the chimes of Big Ben. Not bongs, but gongs. Look, it’s the time of year. It is today that recipients of
Will I listen to Radio Caroline in 2017?
Yes, I’ve expressed excitement about Radio Caroline returning in 2017 before. It is exciting! I mean, the whole thing of offshore radio was exciting. At
Stop punishing new music lovers each Christmas
So, there I was sitting in the bath, occasionally letting bubbles come up to the surface, and my radio, on the other side of the
Radio Caroline getting ready for Easter
Erm. It’s good to see more details about the return of Radio Caroline. I think. My site watching crawler thingie just pinged up with news
Too many radio stations
Many decades ago I spoke at length with Ronan O’Rahilly, the founder of Radio Caroline, about where ‘music radio’ was going. This was in the
Union Jack Radio for Brexiters
It had to happen didn’t it. We now have an openly xenophobic nationalistic radio station. Would you believe it? It must come as a reaction
Ye olde radio anoraks kill the memories
Why do old radio anoraks steal and defile the names of old extinct radio stations? There have been some great radio station, especially the offshore
August 14th 1967
Today, August 14th, is a day that statistically is less likely to fall on a Monday or Saturday and more statistically likely to fall on
Radio’s awful ‘song listers’
I’d love to start a campaign of ‘calling out’ people on the radio. Well, on music radio. You can help! (Except you won’t) We need
Yay, Radio Caroline’s coming back!
Radio Caroline, eh? Who remembers Radio Caroline? Ding Ding. It’s a radio station that has a legend that far exceeds its reality. A bit like
Sandgrounder Radio, same old shit, different area
You are probably familiar with a ‘Scouser’ being the odd nickname for somebody from Liverpool, but what’s somebody from Southport called? Well, they are a
The last ever radio DJ
There are no more radio disc-jockeys in the United Kingdom. Except one. The final ever radio DJ on the air in the country is the
Local radio gets presenters but keeps the segue
It was good news to hear that 3 stations belonging to the Wireless Group are getting local programming again. Years ago, back in the days
Pete Price gets chopped back
Bauer Media have done the sensible thing. They’ve cut back by 25%, they’ve trimmed an hour from the Pete Price show on Radio City 2
Living Legend Tony Blackburn faces twat
How embarrassing. This is the short interview that continuity announcer Lucy Jones made with National Hero Tony Blackburn after he had presented an award at
Radio Caroline has lost its mojo
In an article (here) I spoke of how the top of the hour ‘ding ding’ of the Radio Caroline bell had been removed from the internet
Time to shut down BBC local radio
Somebody suggested that the BBC could save a fortune by joining together Radio 5 Live and BBC local radio. YES! This is a damn good
Speaking of Tony Blackburn…
I’m not a Facebook enthusiast in any way shape or form, but I’m impressed that over 5,000 fans (and growing each day) have collected together
My Tony Blackburn
We live our lives in the blink of an eye. Without doing it consciously, we get old and our ageing is soundtracked by people or
Does the BBC punish the old and ill?
The Tony Blackburn story continues to confuse and alarm. So, where are we now. Well, Tony’s in St Lucia on a family holiday. After the
The fall of Tony Blackburn
Whilst all around me were haters, I continued to love Tony Blackburn. I first listened to him broadcasting on the pirate station Big L, then
Anorak Nation, R.I.P
Sadly, it’s goodbye to the website Anorak Nation. Anorak Nation was an independent and privately run part email, and part web discussion base. It was
Hey, all you haters, hate this
So, I write stuff. Sometimes I write stuff because I am expressing my opinion on a subject. Sometimes I write stuff because I’m on a
Radio Caroline’s DA Box
This article was originally written in the 1990s. I republish it here to bring you up to speed with the truth behind Radio Caroline. The
Caroline bell liberated from false idol?
News finally reaches me that I found almost impossible to comprehend. It was so shocking and horrific that I was stopped in my tracks when
Radio London is back!
Yes! Radio London is back! Exciting times! Radio anoraks are probably going to have exploding heads! Yes, Radio London is back. I remember Radio London
Old people swarm onto the back of BBC Radio 1
Once again bunches of old people seem to be circling on the youth radio of the day, BBC Radio 1. Just as bunches of old
OMG, it’s mental radio anorak day … again!
Jeeez. Spare me. It’s August the 14th. Noooooooooo. Back in 1967 this was the day that all the pop pirate radioships fell silent (except those
The dazzling dazzle ships of Liverpool
Liverpool’s little chugging and insignificant ferry ‘Snowdrop‘ underwent a makeover and became a ‘dazzle’ ship. Well, ferry. It caused a mixture of shock, horror and
The rise and rise of Duncan Barkes
I recently lamented the ‘disappearing’ of Duncan Barkes from LBC (here). There he was as the host of the 10pm to 1am slot Sunday to
Radio anoraks and their clickbait
One of the most hateful things about Facebork is ‘clickbait‘. Clickbait is a pejorative term describing web content that is aimed at generating online advertising
WTF Friday?
Over the years I have done things. Things with other people. Things that to us seemed really good at the time. And, of course, I’m
BBC Radio 1 to close down
This terrible news. BBC Radio 1 is closing down in June. OMG! The end, the end, the end! The evil commercial radio empire has finally
No more analogue radio listening
Brilliant to see that the North West of England (and also London) has more people listening to digital radio than analogue radio. Now we need
Pirate Radio drama from fort on River Humber
Members of a local drama group will be ‘all at sea‘ for their next production – well out on the River Humber at any rate,
Radio Caroline anoraks turn even more mental
I had a few moments spare in my life, so I had a quick trot around various old time radio fora recently. Sadly, I seem
Not so Smooth Radio
Dear all-that-is-holy. Just been trapped for two hours on a coach with Smooth Radio playing through the entire vehicle. There is a reason why Smooth
Radio Caroline sinking
It was some sort of day around this date-ish, back in 1980 that Radio Caroline sunk. It waited until lots of people were asleep, but
Radio Caroline or Radio Europa to make election broadcasts
Radio Caroline is set to return to the air with a party political broadcast telling you how to vote in May! Rumours are that the
To offend or to be offended, that is the question
I, probably like many others, have a number of discarded attempts at writing up my sad, depressing, witty and clever response to the whole Charlie
I’m still listening to Steve and Sue, I am
It was on 26th January 2013, which, I’ll have you know is now exactly 2 Earth years ago, that I first publicly anoraked about Steve
Youth broadcasting under attack again
What’s on BBC4 TV you might ask. Pretty much what’s on BBC2. There’s not a big difference really, with the selection maybe being a tad
Why do old radio anoraks see nothing wrong with rape?
A guy called Ray Teret just got convicted on seven counts of rape and eleven counts of indecent assault. His victims were predominantly under the
Community radio stations are not Super Stations
It passed me by, but probably the worst example of ‘community’ radio went bust and closed down a few weeks ago. The Superstation was supposedly a
Santa starts to climb Radio City 1’s Tower
He’s a month early, but it does look like Father Christmas has taken the opportunity to start the ascent to the top of the tower
The Friends of Ronan O’Rahilly Appeal
Little known to the world outside of radio anoraksia (enthusiasm) is the millionaire’s son and wealthy playboy and hustler of the 1960s, Irishman Ronan O’Rahilly.
Why’s Global’s Newsroom’s mention’s?
And cue: “From Global’s Newsroom, this is Christopher England with LBC News / Capital News / Heart News …” What? The normal, non-anorak listening public
There will be no new Kenny Everett
I recently sighed and lamented the lack of ‘inclusive’ music radio (here). That’ll be music radio I can listen to and feel a part of,
The search for inclusive music radio
Was radio ever presented by human beings? Was it ever experimental? Did it ever take chances or dare to be different? Here`s my problem: I
Quasar, the oldies radio station
Many years ago there was an offshore radio station called Radio Caroline. It stopped being an offshore radio station and became an internet radio station.
A taste of early radio anoraksia netiquette
Time, as we all know, is a funny one. As is the internet. As is communication via the internet. As is radio. As is radio
103 different Keys broadcasting in Manchester?
There’s changes afoot for radio station names in areas where Bauer Media currently operates. Here in Liverpool, what was operating on AM, a relay of
Oi mate, yer owl’s dead
I spent 2 hours watching this owl. It never moved. If it was a dead owl it would be sitting there rotting. It is not
OMG, it’s mental radio anorak day!
Jeeez. Spare me. It’s August the 14th. Noooooooooo. Back in 1967 this was the day that all the pop pirate radioships fell silent (except those
Radio Anorak month begins
OMG. It’s August. August is a very bad month. It’s a month full of anniversaries of … (gulp) … radio stations births, deaths and marriages.
The sound of the pirate radio underground
As music comes and goes, so do the pirate radio stations. Mainstream commercial music radio refuses to play new forms of music. It has to
The forgotten Radio Caroline North
We have less than 2 months until it will be Radio Caroline North‘s birthday. Sadly, I fear this occasion will pass without murmur, when really
Shocking studio sex orgy at Radio Caroline North
We can reveal that there is more to the pop-up Radio Caroline North than meets the eye. Indeed, it’s not just the radio station itself
When Radio Caroline anoraks lose the plot
Jewish religion anoraks are to blame for confusing today’s radio anoraks. Easter moves about from year to year owing to their fetish for celebrating their
BOAT! Radio Caroline North BOAT!
There’s a radio futurologist out there who hates me. Well, ‘hate’ is probably a strong word. Or maybe it isn’t. Well, whatever his emotions are,
Radio the way it should be?
So, as I mentioned, proper programming started on Thursday (3rd April) at 9am from pop-up Radio Caroline North. It started with John Dwyer, the main
Radio Caroline North Report #4
Here we go with a summary of the fourth day of me sitting as an armchair critic of Radio Caroline North. This is all that
Radio Caroline North Report #3
Another summary of my observations and public pronouncements about Radio Caroline North. These are from Wednesday, 2nd April: 09:15: Well, here we are at day 3
Radio Caroline North Report #2
So, this is from Tuesday, April Fool’s Day, and is a summary of what I witnessed and reported on day two of Radio Caroline North:
Radio Caroline North Report #1
Here’s the first of the daily reports from Liverpool about the progress of Radio Caroline North, a ‘pop-up’ 28 day radio service broadcasting from Birkenhead
Radio Caroline Hits 50
I’ve no idea who Rob Hadgraft is. (Apologies for that Mr Hadgraft!) However, Rob has produced a most interesting blog version of the events of
Hating BBC Radio 1
Has daytime BBC Radio 1 managed to get rid of all the old people who were listening? I think it has. It must have been
Radio Caroline North returns
Driving past one of the best radio stations in Liverpool and looking in through the cool inviting window that gives direct vision of the main
One radio station for your life
Every decade or so, both BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 upset their cling-on audiences. Both stations have a remit as to whom they
Mark Dean is a Radio Caroline North hero
For whatever reason, last night on BBC Radio Lancashire, which is simultaneously broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester, the Monday to Thursday Late Show (10pm to
How odd is Radio England UK?
So, a radio station using the name ‘England‘ has got to be cool, right? ‘England‘ is such a good name. No? Erm, well I’ve been
Commercial radio is disappearing
Commercial radio, licensed commercial radio, has just celebrated its 40th birthday. There have been many, notably only those who work, once worked, or wish they’d
Is there too much samey internet radio?
Being a sad old radio anorak, most of my only ‘Friends’ on Facebork are also sad old radio anoraks. And, I’ve noticed something that’s happening
Happy Birthday to the happy happy sound of Radio 1
On this date back in 1967, BBC Radio 1 was born. Happy Birthday, Radio 1. 46 years old, and still sounding like a modern teenager.
Ronan O’Rahilly
I recently wrote a tongue in cheek article about Radio Caroline. However this, in contrast, is a very sombre few words on a very related
Radio Caroline Extra Extra, read all about it
It is compulsory for me to mention Radio Caroline at least once every few months, so as I listen to Carmen Allgood‘s excellent Indie Music
Don’t Be Beastly About AM Radio
(A guest article written by Peter Moore) This is for you, England; Don’t Be Beastly About AM radio. Well Christopher, AM radio was used in
Time to switch off all AM radio transmitters
I hear that another major German broadcaster is shutting down all its AM transmitters, and France is about to clear the AM broadcast band. Why
Old Guard Radio
Is one of the problems with radio in this country, the simple fact that those in charge of it are too old to be in
OMG! It’s August the 14th … all over again!
I’m an anorak’s wet dream, I am. Jeeez. Spare me. It’s August the 14th. Noooooooooo. Back in 1967 this was the day that all the
Do children operate Liverpool’s CityTalk?
London has the very impressive talking radio station LBC, owned by Global, and able to broadcast debate and discussion 24 hours a day, using quite
Jingles jangle Radio 2
Years ago, I was very very stupid. As a symptom of my stupidity I used to collect jingles. Radio identification jingles. Yes. I know. Whilst
More radio redundancies on the way
I’m not stuck in my ways. I’m not old. But I am very sad. Jack FM has announced that it is going to expand its
Radio Caroline’s promise of performance
(A guest article written by Peter Moore) (Responding to my award-winning commentary about Radio Caroline fans here.) Hold On Christopher, you are on a bit
Radio Caroline obssessives still haven’t faffed off
What is wrong with these people? Some while ago I delicately described the Radio Caroline obsessives – for ease of identification let’s call them ‘mad
The saddest Radio Caroline legacy = the anorak
One of the saddest legacies of the offshore pop pirates of 50 years ago is the radio enthusiast known as an ‘anorak’. Whilst the modern
England's England 