New website for 80s London FM pirate Phoenix Radio

Phoenix Radio, a FM pirate station which ran from 1979-1984 in London has launched a website. The station played indie/alternative music and built up quite a following in London. The website includes a history of the station, some audio recordings, a clip from a 1984 Channel 4 feature. 

EDIT: Updated 4/8/25, the website seems to be offline but I have included the link to their Facebook page should they sort it out or launch a new website.

https://www.facebook.com/phoenixradio90.2londonpirateradio/#

Fresh FM, Time Radio, TKO

Here are three stations heard on FM across London in the late 1980s. All three were part of the new wave of soul/funk/hip hop stations targeting listeners, particularly from the black communities, fed-up with the mainstream offerings from BBC Radio 1 or Capital, setting the scene for the London FM pirate scene seen today.

 

FRESH FM: https://app.box.com/s/5gwkygkucn9y2xdo294h (4.22 mins)

 

TIME RADIO: https://app.box.com/s/ps6oclhjip5tdfilzzmu  (3.28 mins)


TKO: https://app.box.com/s/p3cwukppsxamlki2494r  (2.54 mins)

Hits FM, London

Hits FM was a station operating on FM in London in the mid-80s. In 1993 staff from the station merged with Laser, which had been operating on FM in the London area since 1990, to form Laser Hot Hits. In 1994 LHH began broadcasting on shortwave ... and is still going strong today. You can read more about Laser's history at www.laserhothits.co.uk

Here is a clip from Hits FM, made at Christmas 1987. Apologises for the poor sound quality.

   (2.44 mins)

Radio Mirage

Here is a clip from Radio Mirage from 1986. The station first went on the air in the mid-80s and was around through most of the 90s.

 

(2.17 mins)

Radio Orion, UK

When Radio Orion launched in 1986 it became the first 7-day free radio shortwave station. Among those involved was the late Paul Johnson of UK Radio. Here is a clip of him on Orion in July 1986.



(3.35 mins)

There is much more about Orion and more audio recordings on the Pirate Archive's UK Radio page.

Falcon Radio

Now for a short recording from the UK station called Falcon Radio, made in early 1986.



(0.58 mins)

Radio East Coast Commercial

Another popular UK land-based station from the 1980s was Radio East Coast Commercial, run by Norman Nelson. Here is a clip of the station signing off in March 1986.



(3.54 mins)

Radio Pamela

Radio Pamela was a UK station broadcasting around the mid-80s. Here is a recording made in November 1985. The QSL said they were using 1.5kW.



(1.14 mins)

Solar Radio, London

Solar Radio was another of the dance-orientated stations that sprung up on the FM band in the 1980s, having been formed after some of the DJs left Horizon to set up their own station. Here is a clip from 1985.




(2.14 mins)

Channel Radio

Here is a recording from a UK station called Channel Radio which used the Hunstanton maildrop. The recording was made in 1985.



(2.38 mins)

Radio Jackie raided (1985)

Radio Jackie first went on the air on medium wave in 1969 with the aim of providing a local radio service for the people of south west London. Its popularity grew and in 1984 a petition was signed by 55,000 people calling for the station to be given a licence. But in February 1985 the station was raided by the DTI and closed down. When a license was advertised in 1996 for SW London, Jackie applied but it was given to a rival bidder, Thames FM. But in 2003 Thames FM was in financial trouble and the Jackie team bought the station and Jackie was back on the air as a legal station, and can still be heard on 107.8FM in south west London.

There is more about the station history and photographs on the Radio Jackie website: http://www.radiojackie.com/

There is also a lot more information and recordings from the 1970s and 80s on the Radio Eric website: http://radio.eric.tripod.com/radio_jackie.htm

The Pirate Archive also has more information and audio: http://www.thepiratearchive.net/jackie.html

Here is a short clip I made of Jackie's final moments on medium wave in 1985, although the final closedown was only heard on FM.




(0.50 mins)

The Radio Jackie theme tune played by the Bob Keene Orchestra

Radio 47

Here is a clip from a UK station called Radio 47, made at Christmas 1984. Good signal and audio but no QSL from this station.



(4.13 mins)

Crystal Radio

Crystal Radio (not to be confused with another UK station, Radio Kristel) was a Midlands pirate from the 1980s. Here's a couple of short recordings from 1984.





(1.01 & 0.23 mins)

Radio Valleri & Misty Mountain Radio

Here a couple of short clips from 1984 of two stations from either side of the border in Ireland. Radio Valleri was a long-running station from Dublin while Misty Mountain Radio broadcast from Northern Ireland.



(0.54 mins)

A lot more information and recordings of Valleri at: http://www.dxarchive.com/ireland__sw_radio_valleri.html

(0.46 mins)

There's more about MMR at: http://www.dxarchive.com/shortwave_pirates_misty_mountain_radio.html

London Basin Broadcasting Company

Here is a clip from a London FM station which called itself the London Basin Broadcasting Company (LBBC) from early 1984, featuring Steve Davis, Graham Archer and Chris Miles.



(2.57 mins)

Spectrum World Broadcasting

Spectrum World Broadcasting was another UK free radio station heard in the mid-80s. Here is a recording made in 1984. Gerry Sinclair of SWB was also involved with a south west London FM pirate called Radio Suburbia.



(4.33 mins)

Radio Invicta & Horizon Radio

Two of the pioneering soul stations in London in the early 80s were Invicta and Horizon. Here are some clips from the two stations from 1983.



(1.29 mins)

There's a lot more audio and information about Invicta at these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Invicta_(London_pirate_station)
http://www.radioinvicta.com/audio/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Invicta-924/146169279003?ref=ts
http://radio.eric.tripod.com/radio_invicta.htm
http://www.thepiratearchive.net/invicta.html


Here is a clip from Horizon. The station formed in 1982 but in 1984 a revolt led to 11 DJs setting up a new station, Solar Radio.



(1.05 mins)

I did find clips of Horizon and many other London pirates at this site: http://www.amfm.org.uk/
There's a lot more about Horizon and more audio at the Pirate Archive: http://www.thepiratearchive.net/horizon.html

In 2017 a new Horizon Radio website was launched: http://horizonradiolondon.com

London Weekend Radio

One of the most popular FM stations in London in the 1980s was London Weekend Radio. The station also helped launch the careers of Radio 1 DJs Tim Westwood and Pete Tong.

There is more about LWR at: http://wikibin.org/articles/london-weekend-radio.html
There also a longer, better quality recording at: http://radio.eric.tripod.com/lwr.htm
Also here: http://www.thepiratearchive.net/lwr.html



(1.42 mins)

South East Sound

Another medium wave pirate heard in the London area during the early 80s was South East Sound. It also had a sister station, Radio Kristel International, which broadcast on shortwave. Here's a clip of South East Sound, made in August 1983.




(2.40 mins)


The station also has a Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/SouthEastSound and a website at: http://www.southeastsound.net/

Radio Sovereign

Radio Sovereign was a popular medium wave station broadcasting daily to the London area in the early 80s as Britain's first golden oldies station. There is a lot more information and longer recordings at these websites:
http://www.bobleroi.co.uk/ScrapBook/Sovereign_UK/Sovereign_UK.html
http://radio.eric.tripod.com/radio_sovereign.htm
http://www.thepiratearchive.net/sovereign.html



(1.17 mins)