Radio Caroline

Radio Caroline is a European radio station that originally commenced transmissions as an offshore radio station broadcasting from a ship anchored off the coast of South East England in international waters. Unlicensed by any government for the majority of its life, it was labelled as a pirate radio station.

1991-present day

The RSL broadcasts

Following the near shipwrecking of the Ross Revenge and subsequent harbouring off the south east coast of England, the ship has been maintained by an association of enthusiasts called the Caroline Support Group. The radio station itself was off the air for most of the 1990s, with the exception of occasional low-power broadcasts of one month's duration. A number of these licensed 28-day RSL (Restricted Service Licence) broadcasts took place from the Ross Revenge during the 1990s, with the ship anchored off Clacton, in London's Canary Wharf Docklands area and off the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Meanwhile O'Rahilly was said to be canvassing foreign states in an attempt to be granted a licence to broadcast legally again from the Ross Revenge. The most recent and, reportedly, most successful RSL ran from 7th August until 3rd September 2004 from the ship moored at the cruise liner terminal jetty at Tilbury in Essex. On this occasion the medium wave frequency authorised was 235 metres (1278 Khz) and an ISDN link enabled the programmes created on-board to be routed by landline to their Maidstone studio and thus to web streams and the satellite broadcast. The retailer ASDA and English Heritage, guardians of Tilbury Fort, were amongst the backers for this short duration event, intended to mark the 40th anniversary year of Radio Caroline and promote awareness of the continuing legalised digital and satellite programmes.

Related Topics:
1990s - Restricted Service Licence - Canary Wharf Docklands - Isle of Sheppey - Kent - 2004 - Essex

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Satellite Caroline

In the 21st century Radio Caroline now broadcasts primarily by satellite and as in the 1990s, still relies principally on listener donations from the Caroline Support Group. The station now uses onshore studios in the southeast English town of Maidstone in Kent. A website and internet audio stream are also available. Caroline began broadcasting on the Astra satellite, covering the whole of Western Europe, first with an analogue, and then later digital service.

Related Topics:
1990s - Caroline Support Group - Maidstone - Website - Audio stream - Astra satellite

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At weekends, a German-English language service is broadcast in the mornings for a few hours, under the name German Caroline. Evangelical programmes are also broadcast, together with a number of sponsored specialist music shows.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, the Astra satellite used is positioned at an unsuitable angle for reception by satellite dishes in the UK, which tend to be aimed at the, for the UK, more popular Sky satellite service. This put Caroline at a disadvantage for attracting audiences in Britain. Listenership levels in continental Europe were also disappointing and the service was therefore discontinued in early 2003, with the station moving to a channel on the Sky Digital satellite, which allows for easier reception in the UK.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2002 Caroline took a channel with the WorldSpace satellite radio system. This is a subscription-based satellite which carries only radio services and covers a third of the world from South Africa across to the western tip of India and northern Europe. A special dedicated WorldSpace receiver is required in order to receive WorldSpace stations, together with an annual subscription to descramble the broadcasts. It remains to be seen whether this service will enjoy widespread popularity, but it gives those living outside of the Sky Digital broadcast footprint (principally the British Isles), the chance to hear Caroline on a radio set.

Related Topics:
WorldSpace - South Africa - Sky Digital

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dutch Caroline and Caroline South

In January 2002, Sietse Brouwer, a DJ with Caroline in the 1980s launched a Netherlands-based Radio Caroline operating from Harlingen and broadcasting on the Dutch cable network with coverage in the northern Netherlands. This operation is run largely independent of UK Caroline. This was intended to be a prelude to obtaining an AM frequency from the Dutch authorities in 2003, when Dutch medium wave frequencies were reallocated. However, Dutch Caroline failed to obtain a frequency and the cable network service has been discontinued for the interim, due to lack of funds. In the meantime, the Dutch station is broadcasting in the interim solely via internet streaming technology, using the resurrected name of Radio Seagull, presenting a progressive rock format based on that of the original Radio Seagull that broadcast from the m.v Mi Amigo in the early 1970s.

Related Topics:
January 2002 - Sietse Brouwer - Harlingen

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Caroline also now has a broadcasting partner based on the French and Italian mediterranean Rivieras. Presented under the name Caroline South, this operation provides weekend evening programmes for Radio Caroline which are also broadcast on local FM radio stations on the Riviera. Veteran Caroline DJ Tom Anderson is among the presenters.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As of February 2004 the Ross Revenge was moored on the River Medway at Rochester, just downstream from Rochester Bridge.

Related Topics:
February - 2004 - River Medway - Rochester

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~