Thameside Radio
Thameside Radio was a pirate radio station launched in the Winter of 1977 [1] which offered[2] "very slick pop rock with competitions", according to Time Out magazine. According to the Richmond and Twickenham Times, they broadcast from "a certain Notting Hill tower block" [3] - a reference to Trellick Tower [4]
The station received "30-40 letters each week"[5] and the Richmond & Twickenham Times estimated listenership at "some 20,000 listeners".[3] It pioneered new music and is noted by the New Musical Express for giving airplay to "Win a Night Out with a Well-Known Paranoiac" by Barry Andrews which was subsequently picked up by BBC Radio 1.[6]
Increasing numbers of raids resulted in the station "losing 5 transmitters in 6 months" [7] and Thameside "ceased live transmissions, taping its shows shortly before broadcast".[7]
Recordings of a number of Thameside Radio shows are held by the British Library.[8] A number of shows are available for download from fmthen.com
In late 1984, Thameside set up the first London pirate TV station for a one-off event, which received coverage in the national press [9]
References
- ↑ "The Thameside Radio Story: Early Days".
- ↑ Time Out (449). March 23, 1979.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Frances Welch (November 28, 1981). "Secret superbeam - Pirate radio defies Post Office". Richmond & Twickenham Times.
- ↑ "The Thameside Radio Story: Technology".
- ↑ "Sounds", "Touch That Dial" January 15th 1983
- ↑ "NME: Barry Andrews".
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Time Out (606). April 2, 1982.
- ↑ "Thameside Radio", Sound and Moving Image Catalogue (British Library), retrieved 17 July 2012
- ↑ Clive Edwards (October 9, 1984). "TV Pirates Ahoy!". Daily Mail. p. 3.
See also
- Thameside Radio Revisited which podcasts weekly from an archive of recordings of Thameside Radio shows.
- The Thameside Radio Story for more information about the station.
- The Intrepid Birdman's archives which include a section on Thameside Radio 90.2.
- Surrey-sounds for more info on Thameside and a clip from New year 79/80
- Sample of the station's output.
] Coordinates: 51°31′25″N 0°12′19″W / 51.5237°N 0.2054°W