50 years ago today Radio Caroline began broadcasting from a ship close to the Essex coast, becoming the first pirate – and non BBC radio station in the UK. Immortalised in Richard Curtis film The Boat That Rocked and claiming to be a “prime catalyst of the 60′s social revolution”, Radio Caroline is a hugely important piece of broadcasting history. Though not actually illegal until 1967 Radio Caroline was not licensed by the government and played music that young people previously hadn’t had access to, giving birth to commercial radio as we know it today.
Meanwhile, over on the other side, 5 live is also celebrating a birthday today – it’s been on air for twenty years focussing on news and sport. It’s the only national BBC station to broadcast from the corporation’s media city studios in Salford, and as one of the BBC’s speech only stations, concentrates on breaking news and live sporting events that listeners can’t hear elsewhere.
Both very different stations, but both should be celebrated by the UK’s radio listeners as the anniversaries illustrate just how varied and exciting the medium is in this country. We’re lucky to have the BBC – a public service broadcaster with arguably one of the best news gathering services in the world, and 5 live is a great example of BBC output – it’s engaging and creative speech radio.
Meanwhile, over in commercial radio, there’s something to suit everyone with specialist music stations, stations that target particular age groups, stations that target specific locations and stations that that target specific cultures or sectors. Whether you’re looking for local news, celebrity interviews or tracks from unsigned musicians, it’s available somewhere in the UK.
And it seems that we really do appreciate the diversity and quality of radio output in the UK as the latest figures from Rajar who monitor radio listeners suggest 91% of us tuned in each week in the fourth quarter of 2013 – up by approximately 1.4 million adults on the same quarter the year before. Whether you like speech radio, music only or something in between, the radio industry here can deliver, so make sure you celebrate with Radio Caroline and 5 live today – knowing that they and hundreds of other stations are delivering output that listeners want to hear… In terms of PR that’s great news for anyone planning a radio day or radio campaign to deliver their messaging.
