THE LASER STORY - PART TWO
Reproduced with kind permission of "Offshore Echo's Magazine."
When Radio Caroline, the most famous of all the offshore radio stations, lost her ship during storms in March 1980, many people thought this was the end of offshore radio.
However plans were soon afoot to relaunch with a new ship. There were many delays and difficulties, mostly legal and financial. By the time Caroline eventually relaunched - over three years later - in August 1983, the original group had split. One part set up Caroline, the other went on to set up another offshore radio station.
The other station was to become Laser 558. Only a short while after Laser's official start in May 1984, the station had become cult listening. Cult soon became general - and before long it seemed as if every shop, house and car radio was tuned to Laser.
After only a few months, Laser was claiming an audience of 10 million people in Europe. The stations success was also to prove it's downfall.
In the first part of the Laser story, we looked at how it all started. We continue with the official launch of Laser 558......
LASER LAUNCHES
Laser 558 officially launched on 558khz with 5kw power, at 0500 on 24th May 1984 with programmes presented by Rick Harris. He was followed at 1000 by David Lee Stone, 1500 Jessie Brandon and at 2000 Steve Masters until the close at 0100. "All the Hits, all the Time" on Laser 558, All Europe Radio, the 1st official day on the air and the sound of champagne corks popping was a familiar sound as was the Laser Blast jingle, the audio logo of the station. In maritime signal language it means "I want to communicate with you" and the dash-dot-dash became a familiar sound on the station.
Day two was hangover day, as a slightly more subdued crew presented their programmes. The London evening "Standard" carried a report about Laser in their "Ad Lib column and suggested that
neighbouring Radio Caroline were experiencing financial difficulties.
NOT A PIRATE
In a press release from Music Media International, Roy Lindau, President of MMI, the worldwide sales rep's for the station disputed the "pirate" tag that the Laser had been given by the press saying that "unlike the pirate stations of the past Laser 558 is a legal radio station, since the ship is registered out side of Europe, transmits from International waters, is owned and operated by a Panamanian company and staffed and supplied by citizens of the United States, the station is in the opinion of
counsel, entirely legal".
On Sunday 27th May, a new deejay joined the line-up, Paul Dean, who'd last been heard on offshore radio under the name Paul May on RNI, some ten years or so earlier. Shows reduced to four hours
each.
Laser posters, teeshirts and a video were all advertised on Laser from the end of May, these were obtainable from the stations address of Music Media International, 341 Madison Avenue, New
York NY 10017 USA. With any goods ordered you automatically became a member of the Communicator club and received a membership card.
A FAMOUS LISTENER
Two TV crews visited Laser on 12th June, one from Channel 4 and the other from Anglia, who carried a report on their news the following night. Anglia TV spoke to Roy Lindau as well as David
Lee Stone and Jessie Brandon. From the 13th, listeners could write to Laser at Communicator, PO Box 1892, Grand Central Station, New York NY 10163, USA. One of the listeners who'd been in
touch was Paul McCartney announced Paul Dean on the 14th and played a Wings record for the McCartney family.
On 16th June, transmitter problems occured as the modulator transformer broke down, and Laser went off the air. The station returned to the air on 22nd June. Laser claimed an audience of some 8,000,000 listeners and was seriously threatening the duopoly of the BBC and the IBA. The
Department of Trade and Industry started to take action against the station, firstly by advertising in specialist magazines to warn boat owners of the penalties of supplying "pirate" broadcasting ships. Notices began appearing around the British coastline warning not to supply the radio ships.
LASER LADY ON THE BEEB
BBC Radio London deejay Tony Blackburn asked Jessie Brandon to take over his show during July, while he was away. He said that "Lasers a brilliant station, much more fun that another pop
station I don't care to mention by name. I hope its presence will give the legal pop stations the kick up the bum they deserve". Over in Ireland, RTE radio were claiming that their reception on 576khz in London, was suffering interference from Laser on 558. The British Department of Trade were sympathetic, but said that as Laser was a Panamanian ship in international waters there was little they could do.
The Laser story - Part 3.
THE LASER STORY compiled by Chris Edwards, editor of "Offshore Echo's" magazine, with special thanks to Jim Parkes on whose text the story is based.