Radio Six at Sixty
On 6th June 1963, a group of schoolchildren gathered in the attic of a house on the Ardrossan seafront in Ayrshire to launch their very own radio station. Cobbled together with tins, clockwork gramophones, and lots of wire, the opening day’s programmes were line fed to a radio receiver two floors down. But it was a start and, against the odds, the station survived in a variety of forms and today can be heard 24/7 on the internet.
Recent Radio Developments in Europe and Africa
Recent radio news in four different countries, two in Europe and two in Africa, indicate a positive direction for mediumwave and shortwave broadcasting, rather than a negative.
The Saga of Radio Antwerpen
During the 1920s and 1930s, a multitude of small radio broadcasting stations (some formal though most were informal), took to the air throughout Belgium, rather like what was happening in many other countries throughout the world. The stations in Belgium were installed in private homes, business locations, church buildings, and even out in the fields; wherever was convenient.
The Story of the American Forces Network (AFN) – The Big Picture
Enjoy this YouTube video which recently came to our attention thanks to a posting on the World of Radio (WOR) mailing list by Horacio Nigro…
Empneusi FM, Syros
Syros – about four hours ferry ride from Athens – is a tranquil island known as the Cinderella of the Cyclades. Today, the island is home to Empneusi FM, a radio station dedicated to the broadcasting of traditional Greek music and the coverage of local events.
Radio Tirana’s Kiwi Connection
During 2022 several articles appeared in New Zealand media looking at a New Zealand woman who worked as an announcer for Albania’s Radio Tirana English service during the Communist era. We take a look at some of them here in this feature.
Return to the Radio Scene in Bulgaria
We present the story about the huge radio broadcasting station that was erected at Vakarel back in the era before the beginning of World War 2. Vakarel is a small town some 25 miles south east of the national capital Sophia with a population of less than two thousand.
BBC London Celebrates 100 years: Mediumwave station 2LO
On Thursday May 11, 1922, the second radio broadcasting station in England was inaugurated by the Marconi company in London under the official callsign 2LO. Wednesday May 11, 2022 forms the exact one hundredth anniversary of that historic radio event that set a pattern for radio broadcasting in many other countries around the world.
The Early Marconi Years at Chelmsford
Back in the early days of wireless and radio, station callsigns were applied in several different ways; there was no clear, no regular pattern. Official internationally recognized callsigns were in use to identify a specific transmitter, or a specific transmitter frequency, or a particular programming service, or a particular transmitter usage, such as amateur, experimental, communication or broadcasting.
Islands of Curiosity
With its white-sand beaches and tropical foliage, the Scilly Isles have some of the UK’s most beautiful scenery (writes Monica Lillis). Originally launched as Radio Scilly in 2007, Islands FM is a non-profit community radio station informing and entertaining the five-island archipelago’s 2,500 inhabitants.
Radio Comes to Coventry
Media and performing arts students at Coventry University got an up-close look at how one of the biggest radio programs in Britain is produced when “Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James” came to campus for the 2022 Big Weekend Festival.
The World’s First Radio Weddings – Part 2
Two more early Radio Weddings from the 1920s, broadcast over KDKA, Pittsburgh, USA, and 2MT in the UK.
Radio Station 2MT Centenary
Radio historians in England inform us that the very first radio broadcasting station established anywhere in the British Isles was located at Writtle in England, and the auspicious date for their inaugural broadcast was Tuesday February 14, 1922.
Radio in Bulgaria Celebrates 100 Years
It was on September 25, 1921, that the very first radio broadcasting event took place in Bulgaria, and they celebrated the 100th anniversary of this historic event on September 25, 2021, just three months back. Their very first radio broadcast was the live relay of a program from Germany via a Morse Code transmitter that was specially modified for the event.
Radio station elevates voices of Hungary’s Roma minority
ntellectuals, broadcasters and cultural figures from Hungary’s Roma community are using the airwaves to reframe narratives and elevate the voices of the country’s largest minority group.
Sea Change: Coast FM West Cornwall
The sandy beaches and turquoise waters of Mount’s Bay in Cornwall are one of the UK’s most cherished natural spots (writes Annabel Martin). The historic port of Penzance is the county’s westernmost town. Here, we speak with Dave Pascoe, station manager of Coast FM, about the community radio station, the Beach Boys and a shoplifting seagull.
Radio Nova Opens ‘The Vinyl Vault’
Like any computer, a playout system can need rebooting at an awkward time. When that happened for Dublin’s Radio Nova, however, it launched an on-air vinyl resurgence.
BBC World Service Turns 90
90 years on, BBC World Service evolves with time. It began in 1932 as the “BBC Empire Service” – making radio broadcasts via globe-girdling shortwave to the far-flung territories ruled under the British Crown.
Britain’s Secret Falklands Propaganda War
Almost exactly 40 years ago – on April 2, 1982 – one of the most celebrated moments in radio history took place. The station was small and its listeners were mostly sheep farmers and fishermen. That morning, tuning in, they heard their station being invaded by a gang of Spanish speaking men.
Offshore Radio Against The Beatles Phenomenon
In the early 1960s, an event would occur that would change the sound of British radio forever – the growth of ‘pirate’ radio stations from overseas.