The Isle of Man longwave radio station has suffered a setback, because planning permission for the transmission site has been refused. However, all is not lost, as this press release from Isle of Man International Broadcasting details.
Chris and I were delighted to receive the following
message from Dickie Harrell:
Just wanted to wish you and the staff a happy New Year. Very nice web site!
I used to play music a few years back and was in England this past October, where I had a great time. Tell everybody I said "hello"!
Keep rockin',
Dickie Harrell, drummer with Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps. Remember 'Be-Bop-A-Lula'?
I replied:
How very nice to hear from you, and best wishes for 2001
to you too! We don't have any staff - it's just the two of us and a website
that's taken on a life of its own!
Even though Chris wasn't born till 1948 and I didn't arrive till '49, we both
enjoy Fifties rock and doo-wop very much, so naturally know about Gene and the
Blue caps. I don't think ANYONE who loves rock 'n' roll will ever forget Be-Bop-A-Lula!
If you have reminiscences of your time with the band that you'd like us to put
on the site, we'd love to hear them.
**********
Dickie has answered that he would, indeed, like to share some reminiscences, so watch out for another fascinating future feature.
Mentioned recently on Radio Two's Sounds of the Sixties, the My
Generation website www.users.zetnet.co.uk/searchers/
contains pages dedicated to several Sixties groups belonging to the Knees
Club – the Troggs, Merseys and Swinging Blue Jeans. You can even knee-mail
our esteemed Club President, Ray
Ennis! Other features of the site are info on current Sixties tours and
a link to the UK Collectors' Record Centre database - which could come in handy
to Anorak vinyl addicts.
The Arbitron Fall Ratings reveal that news/talk station KOGO is once again top dog in San Diego, California. This is surely connected to the fact that KOGO's weekend early-morning news anchor is one Howard Castle aka Caroline's Bud Ballou and a star of Big L 2000. He can be heard via the Net, 13.00 - 18.00 GMT at www.kogo.com
Looks like it's RNI Week on Radio London! More RNI News...
Hans Knot and Ger Tillekens
have expanded the Soundscapes site. Hans writes:
We've opened a new series of articles, called RNI memories. This series will
be regularly updated and brings personal memories of Radio Northsea International.
In the first episode I look back at my very first visit to the Mebo II in February
1971 and the second episode I will look back at the chartlists of the international
as well as the Dutch service. Also the RNI's Smashplay and Treiterschijven have
a complete rundown on the site.
Have a look and give your opinion what you think about it and what you want
to hear more about RNI.
We were sorry to learn that Tony Allan (Radio Scotland, RNI, Radio Caroline) is very unwell and is awaiting an operation. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Tony.
Big L 2000 star guest, Peter Young, played an unusual request on his Jazz FM soul, blues, jazz and r 'n' b programme recently. Nick Ware, listening via the Net in Canberra, Australia, wrote that he had been a DJ on station H7O in Hobart, Tasmania, back in the Sixties. Nick enjoyed hearing the ancient jingles that PY always incorporates into his show, because he used to play them in his days on H7O. Nick's request? A jingle, of course! "Take a lively companion wherever you go, take a portable radio!" One of our favourites too!
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Hi Chris & Mary, Ben, what can we say, except that we do work hard at the site, and letters like this make it all worthwhile and exciting! An extremely interesting thought about Blood, Sweat & Tears. What do you think, Keith? Picture: Ben in his Radio Scotland days. Read his fascinating story of life aboard the Comet here. (Thanks to Raoul Verolleman for the pic.) |
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France Radio Club/Offshore Echoes Magazine has been swift to offer its own response:
THE 21st CENTURY OFFSHORE RADIO POLL:
LA*, the only way. (*Living At sea)
Ten years ago, when Radio Caroline went silent, France Radio Club/Offshore Echo
Magazine contacted a great number of people and organisations connected with
the EU.
We asked (as did others from different European countries) two different questions:
The UK has passed a very controversial piece of legislation condemned by international shipping organisations and respected marine lawyers. What is the official EU position?
Radio Caroline is part of European cultural heritage and must be saved as a free radio station at sea. What can the EU do about this?
This campaign was very hard and very long. After four years with hundreds
of letters, faxes, meetings with Mister Delors, in charge of the European Commission
at that time, finally asked us to stop our mails and had nothing to say on the
two subject apart from that he had no power to change UK legislation, and that
Radio Caroline was a pirate station, so had no rights.
Nevertheless we received support from individual Euro MPs from many countries
and parties. But support is one thing, reality and efficient result is another:
The reality is that the EU had no power to offer a broadcasting licence.
The reality is that EU paid public money to finance an unlicensed offshore station
(Radio Brod) and never asked or offered a licence to Radio Brod.
The reality is EU claimed Radio Caroline to be a "pirate" station on one hand,
while the other hand of the EU supported and financed their own "pirate" station!
An "historic offshore station with high contribution to the development of European
broadcasting": Radio Caroline of course! Everybody in Europe is agreed about
Radio Caroline's contribution to freedom of speech and as a charismatic symbol
for several generations.
Every country in Europe has it own cultural heritage. But there must be a European
cultural heritage and Radio Caroline is part of it. But nothing can be done
by EU.
So, Radio Caroline must do the job by herself with help from supporters all
around Europe and beyond. She must go back at sea firstly. By returning to the
air from international waters as an independent broadcaster, she'll prove to
the EU her existence and reality as a live legend.
After that, official support from the EU can be asked for.
What's the only way?
LA*, the only way.
*Living At sea.
France RADIO CLUB/OFFSHORE ECHOES MAGAZINE 09/01/2001
france.radio.club@wanadoo.fr
A bad joke brings Radio London back for a huge fan!
We received the following message:
Hi,
I was sent a bad joke and I could not help but notice that your e-mail address was on the list of senders, and anything to do with Big L interests me! Is this just a name you use or is there a Big L out there, if so please tell me more. As you can see, I use the 266 (metres in the medium wave) as part of my e-mail address.
I hope you will reply.Yours (remembering the GOOD old days of radio) Steve or GLO, as I have been called since the 60s
Of course, I replied to GLO and explained about the site and its contents and the fact that Lil has never died and lives on through RSLs. GLO replied:
I do not have a computer, I use the TV E-Mail Service of SKY, but I will go to my mate's and look at the site there.
The day after SHE closed down I got a copy of every newspaper reporting the event, these are sitting in a cupboard still. I have loads of memories as I used to listen to BIG L all the time while living in Hertfordshire.
I once went to Frinton so I could see her, but the fog came down and I sat on the beach looking into the fog and listened to the sounds.
I look forward to visiting your web site. All the best and thank you once again for the reply, yours GLO.
If you're in Florida, look out for this car!
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Good friends of Radio London, (they have twice sponsored the Keith Skues Show) Hugo and Di, have purchased a little weekend place in Florida. Instead of buying a gas-guzzler of an American car, they've exported their superb Morris Minor... er... truck. Look carefully, and you'll see that the rear-end is less than standard! Naturally, it takes them two hours to do the shopping, as people just can't walk past it without hearing the Pink Lady's life story – and they're constantly getting offers from people wanting to buy her! Head-turners of the highway used to be those enormous gleaming trucks. Not any more! |