Where do you go when you’ve watched everything on Netflix, baked all of the banana bread you can muster and reached that crucial 40 minute cut off on zoom? Many people are turning to the waves.
Along the Blackwater estuary sits the Ross Revenge, a hidden gem of the Essex coast. This is a ship with a history like no other. From afar it may seem like your average trawler, but inside you’ll find the only remaining pirate radio ship in the world.
This is the home of Radio Caroline, a name that pricks up ears and for good reason. Broadcasting since 1964, this pirate radio station holds a legacy of infamy, collecting a dedicated fan base across the decades it has been on air. Although technical difficulties have harboured the stations stints on air, the station is far from closed.
Over the past decade the Radio Caroline story has unfurled further than ever before. In 2009, it served as the inspiration for the film “The boat that rocked”, with the crew of Ross Revenge helping on set to make the pirate radio experience as authentic as possible. Caroline has also celebrated its 50th anniversary and opened its channels to medium wave, allowing broadcast to Essex and Suffolk. This has further developed to Radio Caroline North and the digital Radio Caroline flashback, allowing listeners to tune in via the internet across the globe.
The most recent chapter of Radio Caroline’s local history was opened in October 2020, when Caroline community radio was launched. This independent station shares namesake, presenters and Caroline flashback programmes with Radio Caroline, broadcasting from their studio in Burnham-on-Crouch across Maldon district. All during a time when Entertainment and community have been more important than ever before.
In the midst of a third national lockdown, it is no secret that restrictions are hitting harder than ever before. So how have Radio Caroline and their listeners dealt with such strange and exceptional circumstances?
For listener Jon Fulcher, his life-long hobby has become the perfect escape.
Jon has been a listener of Radio Caroline since its debut in the 1960’s, becoming part of the team who kept the station alive via Radio Caroline shortwave when the stations boat, Mi Amigo, sank in 1980. A tribute to the importance of the dedicated fan base in the stations survival.
Jon tells me that Radio Caroline “doesn’t concentrate in what’s going on in the pandemic, it just carries on!”. The resilience of the station has evidently stood the test of time, as Jon continues to tell me that “it’s never been fazed by anything that is going on nationally, it just produces excellent programmes”.
This sense of nostalgic escapism seems to be fundamental to Caroline’s appeal. A sense of ‘if you remember the 60’s you weren’t really there’ could linger about its presence, however Radio Caroline is nothing if not authentic.
Equally, Caroline’s blitz spirit attitude during the pandemic has given listeners such as Adrian Copping other forms of comfort. Like Jon, Adrian has been a keen listener since 1964 and 2020 has been no exception. He tells me that Radio Caroline has presented him with “a bit of normality” and that many, although not underestimating the severity of Covid-19, “want some relief from wall to wall bad news”.
Due to Caroline’s cult 60’s status, there is fear that if Coronavirus posed no threat to the station, its failure to adapt and attract a wider audience might. Although a lifelong listener of Radio Caroline, Adrian’s views on music are far from old fashioned. He is a firm believer that “there is good music in any genre” and hopes that the blending of genre seen in much modern music, such as Afrobeats, will guide the future of both Radio Caroline and radio as a whole.
One person driving Radio Caroline’s legacy into the 21st century is 25 year old Holly Hallam, Caroline Community Radio presenter. Holly holds the 8-10pm slot on a Monday evening, showcasing local talent. Holly is one of three female presenters at the station, using her perspective to widen Caroline Community Radio’s horizons. Holly tells me how the new station’s survival and success can be attributed “a wide variety of ages” running the station leading to “a wider variety of shows”. She tells me that “Everybody show is unique to them every presenter brings a little something that's different”.
Another technique Caroline Community radio have employed to ensure their shows stay varied is a rota of eras, switching between decades from 60’s-00’s and Motown, ensuring that there is always something for everyone on air.
Yet another obstacle the community station has faced is the managing of the pandemic. As a volunteer organisation, the station is allowed to continue to broadcast with presenters fully trained, allowing them to operate the station without any need for physical contact. All necessary PPE and sanitising is used, with some presenters pre-recording shows- allowing all the voices of the station to be heard.
This set of unique stations has faced a set of unique problems and somehow always overcome. With an expanding listenership and community, Caroline’s future seems bright. The importance of community has never been more apparent than over the past year, with the musical community of Radio Caroline continuing to be what it has been for Holly – “A life saver”.
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