Radio Mi Amigo - History

1974 started with a new station taking to the air - Radio Mi Amigo from Radio Caroline's ship the MV Mi Amigo.

There had been some test transmissions in September 1973 (using the titles ‘Joepie’ and ‘Radio 385’) and, at the beginning of October, under the name Radio Mi Amigo. However the collapse of the aerial mast on the MV Mi Amigo in October 1973 delayed the official start of the station. Further tests took place at the end of December, before the official launch of Radio Mi Amigo on 1st January 1974.

Radio Mi Amigo was the brainchild of Belgian businessman Sylvain Tack, who had seen the success of Radio Atlantis and had arranged to hire the same air time from Radio Caroline. The station established offices and landbased studios above a record shop in Breda, Holland and used a box number in Hilversum for listeners' requests and letters.

The hour-long gap between the end of Radio Mi Amigo's Flemish/Dutch daytime programming and the start of RadioSeagull's (and later RadioCaroline's) evening service was filled from 10th January by an 'International Service' of Radio Mi Amigo, presented by English DJs with Dutch and Belgian commercials and 'plug' records selected weekly by the Mi Amigo office on land.

Radio Mi Amigo immediately became very popular both with listeners and advertisers. A large number of companies in Belgium, Holland and France booked airtime on the station, which also heavily promoted products in which owner Sylvain Tack had a business interest - Suzy Waffles, Start Records and Joepie music magazine.

With the progress of legislation through the Dutch Parliament during the spring and summer of 1974 to finally outlaw offshore broadcasting Radio Caroline and Radio Mi Amigo announced that they would continue broadcasting after the new law came into effect at midnight on 31st August.

During the afternoon of 29th August 1974 the Mi Amigo sailed across the North Sea to a position off the coast of England, near the Kentish Knock Lightship. Broadcasts of both stations on board the ship - Radio Mi Amigo and Radio Caroline - continued as normal during the voyage.

At the end of normal transmissions on 31st August 1974 (just as all the other Dutch offshore stations were closing) listeners to Radio Mi Amigo were invited to tune in again as usual at 6.00am the following morning. However, when the station did re-open on 1st September 1974, now in contravention of the new Dutch law, old programme tapes were aired along with a number of live shows by English DJs from Radio Caroline because a few days earlier Dutch police had raided the station's offices in Breda and confiscated the supply of programme tapes.

Both stations operating from the Mi Amigo now gave a mailing address in Playa de Aro, Spain and it was announced that in future Radio Mi Amigo programmes would be recorded in that country and the ship serviced and supplied from a Spanish port.

In order to avoid problems with the Dutch authorities Radio Mi Amigo programmes after the beginning of September 1974 were ostensibly targeted towards a Belgian audience, to the exclusion of most Dutch material. However, a number of commercials previously aired on Radio Veronica and RNI's Dutch Service were broadcast during this time, although the companies concerned denied booking airtime on the station.

On 26th September 1974 Dutch police, suspicious that the station was still operating from the Netherlands, raided the premises previously used in Breda, but were unable to find any evidence of programme material being recorded there. Although station owner Sylvain Tack publicly denied that he still had anything to do with the operation of Radio Mi Amigo, programmes were in fact secretly being recorded at one of his Suzy Waffles factories in Buizingem, Belgium. However, after a Dutch television programme broadcast this information during October 1974 recording was hurriedly transferred to studios in an isolated farmhouse near Oprakel, Belgium.

1975

By February 1975 with no legal action taken against the station by either the Belgian or Dutch authorities more Dutch programming was gradually reintroduced. But this apparent lack of action by the authorities ended on 17th February when the farmhouse at Oprakel was raided by police. Three people, including two of the station's DJs were arrested and equipment confiscated and removed.

Station owner Sylvain Tack hurriedly left Belgium for the comparative safety of Spain where he admitted, for the first time since September 1974, that he was still the person behind Radio Mi Amigo. Tack set about arranging new programme recording facilities for his station in Spain, first at his villa in Playa de Aro, later moving operations to premises in the centre of this popular holiday resort.

On March 27, 1964, the offshore station Radio Caroline started its transmissions from the former MV Fredericia. Nowadays, the station still can be heard by way of internet and satellite. The forty year history of Radio Caroline is characterized by countless ups and downs, each worth memorising — as will be done on these pages. Here Hans Knot introduces this series of a full twenty-five articles.

Now forty years ago, the offshore station Radio Caroline came on the air for the very first time. The programs were aired from the MV Fredericia, renamed into the MV Caroline. Nowadays, the programs transmitted in the very first weeks — from Eastern, March 27th 1964, on — may seem as dull as most contemporary programs on the usual land-based British and Dutch radio stations. At the time, however, the avid listeners to the station didn't notice that at all, as Radio Caroline aired a lot of music that was completely new to them. At that time the station was playing mostly Top 50 records, while giving special attention to unknown artists and new record companies. During hours when housewives were a major part of the audience, light music was also played. There also was more chatting and conversation going on than people used to hear on other stations. The deejays enjoyed the freedom to pick their own choice of music. For these reasons, Radio Caroline seemed fresh and new. Only later I did learn that in those early days a considerable part of the program had been taped at an earlier date.

Soon after the first transmissions, the MV Caroline was joined by a second ship — the MV Mi Amigo, a ship that was used before by the Swedish station Radio Nord — to start pop radio, Radio Atlanta. Atlanta hit the airwaves on May 9. However, though the ships were initially rivals, there was much to link them — particularly the fact that they had both been equipped at the port of Greenore in Southern Ireland. Behind the scenes talks were going on to make the links stronger. In fact, a merger took place in July of the same year, and a little while later the MV Caroline steamed off to the Isle of Man, 3.5 miles off Ramsey, to tap an as yet untouched audience as Caroline North. The MV Mi Amigo, now housing Radio Caroline South, stayed at its place at 3.5 miles off Frinton, Essex. Together both stations reached a large audience: for Caroline North it was Ireland and the larger parts of Scotland and Northern England; for Caroline South, next to Southern England it was the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Eastern Germany and even large parts of France, Spain and Portugal.

Led by the charismatic and idealistic Ronan O'Rahilly, Radio Caroline continued for four long years, till the station was forced to close down in March 1968 because of financial problems. Surprising even its most loyal fans, in September 1972 the station returned for a second time, now airing its programs from the Mi Amigo. The format turned towards impressive high energy radio and, just as the LP was becoming the main medium for pop and rock music, good FM-music. The sinking of this ship in March 1980 meant the end of the second period of the station. Radio Caroline, however, came back for yet another period. Between August 9, 1983, and November 24, 1987, the station could be heard by the very strong transmitters of the MV Ross Revenge. When, due to bad weather, the mast collapsed into the North Sea, it seemed the end had finally come. Still, the crew succeeded in repairing the areals and the programs continued till August 19, 1989, when Dutch and British authorities boarded the vessel and stripped it of all equipment. Yet, driven by sweat and enthusiasm, for a short period, till November 6, 1990, the programs continued under names like Caroline 319/963, Caroline 576, Caroline 585, Caroline 558, Caroline 819, Jamming 963, Viewpoint 963/819, Caroline Overdrive and The 819 Overnight Alternative. On November 19, 1991, due to a heavy storm the Ross Revenge grounded on the Goodwin Sands.

During these second and third periods Radio Caroline was helped by a host of fans, organized in the Caroline Organisation. For one thing, the organisation succeeded in recuperating the miraculously salvaged Ross Revenge. After a real odyssey — the ship went from Dover to places like Kent and Essex — the vessel now lies in Rochester. During the 1990s the organisation again helped Peter Moore, station manager since 1987, to run several 28-day transmissions by way of a RSL, a Restricted Service Licence. That is what I've once called Radio Caroline's fourth period. In the meantime we even have entered a fifth episode. Since 1998 the UK organisation is transmitting programs by way of satellite. In the Netherlands, Radio Caroline returned on January 26, 2002, with programs distributed on the cable networks of Essent and Cogas in the Northern parts of the country. The station had to stop its transmissions on February 18, 2003 due to financial problems. However, up till this day the UK branch of the Caroline organization is still airing its programs by way of internet and satellite.

In all those forty years many things happened to the station and its ships. Lots of things have been written down through the years about Radio Caroline and Offshore Radio in general, but many more still wait for the patient hand that will describe them. I'm proud that I've contributed by writing more than 35 books on the subject, featuring a lot of the stations. I was lucky to be allowed to write for a lot of magazines who were willing to publish my articles over the past decades. Therefore I want to give a big thank to all the editors who gave me the chance to publish my pieces all those years. As a result, I now have written thousands of pages and I thought it would be good to return to some of those: memories I did or didn't share up till now about Radio Caroline.

Next to my own documentation, this series comprises the accounts of many former Caroline-people, like the Emperor Rosko, Roger Day, Johnny Lewis, Paul Rusling, Steve Young, Herbert Visser, Leen Vingerling( tendering), Frits Koning, Ad Roberts, Bob Leroi, John Ford, Steve Conway, Phil Mitchell and Stuart Dobson. A paper version of the whole project has been published by the SMC, Amsterdam — information of how to order this book can be found at the web site of Stichting Media Communicatie. The series starts with an article I wrote way back in 1989, when Caroline was 25 years of age, telling about the start of the station's second period. But, before taking you back to September 1972 in the first issue of this Caroline series, I want to say a big "thank you" to Peter Moore. Not only for the long evenings we had together drinking some fine red wine and a few good beers, but also for the work he and his fellow people have done since he came in charge of the Caroline organization.

December 22nd: On this Day

1962, During his first visit to the UK Bob Dylan performed at the Singers Club in London, the singer songwriter's second UK gig.

1962, Acker Bilk's 'Stranger On The Shore' finally dropped off the UK charts after 55 weeks. That record would stand until 1968 when Engelbert Humperdinck's 'Release Me' stayed for 56. The current record is held by Frank Sinatra's 'My Way', which charted for 75 non-consecutive weeks.

1963, The Beatles appeared at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. This appearance was the second concert-only preview of their ‘The Beatles' Christmas Show’, which would open in London in two days.

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Who, Keith West and Tomorrow, Eric Burdon & The Animals, 1984 (featuring future Queen guitarist Brian May) and Soft Machine all appeared at The Olympia, London at an all night festival 'Christmas On Earth Continued'. The DJ was John Peel plus the venue featured a paddling pool, light shows and a movie theatre, tickets £1.

1972, Little Jimmy Osmond was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Long Haired Lover From Liverpool.' At nine years eight months of age it made him the youngest person to have a No.1 record, also the biggest seller of 1972.

1973, Elton John started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', it also had a eight week run at No.1 on the US chart. The album contains the Marilyn Monroe tribute, 'Candle in the Wind', as well as three successful singles: 'Bennie and the Jets', 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', and 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting'.

1979, Rupert Holmes started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Escape, (The Pina Colada Song). His only US No.1 solo hit, a No.23 hit in the UK.

1980, Stiff Records released an album in the UK called ‘The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan.’ The entire disc contained 40 minutes of silence.

1981, At a rock & roll memorabilia auction in London, a stage suit worn by John Lennon sold for £2,300, a letter from Paul McCartney to a fan sold for £2,200 and a Perspex sculpture of John & Yoko was bought by singer Kate Bush for £4,200.

Patrick VanLandeghem , Radio Blankenberge

The former ship-based pirate station, Radio Caroline, has been handed its first full-time AM broadcast licence

It allows the service, which is currently an internet and digital station, to broadcast on medium wave to Suffolk and parts of north Essex.

Manager, Peter Moore, wants to broadcast from its ship MV Ross Revenge on the River Blackwater in Essex.

It comes 50 years after the 1967 Marine Broadcasting Offences Act that was intended to stop pirate broadcasters.

The Staff now announces that the AM frequency will be 648 kHz with a power of 1000 watts. This is ERP or simply the power radiated by the aerial.

Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music 1976