In This Month…
July.
The following are known to have occurred in July, but precise dates are not known yet. Can you help?
Jul. 1974
* GBR. Leicester. 1322 kHz MW and 6225 kHz SW. Independent Radio Leicester is believed to have started broadcasts in this month
Jul. 1977
* GBR. Wolverhampton. Paul Johnson and Doug Neilson begin experimenting with various transmitter designs, with a view to starting a free radio station – UK Radio.
* GBR. Kingston Magistrates Court. Eric Gotts is found guilty of assault on a Radio Jackie member. His fellow colleagues both say that they were looking the other way and saw nothing. Gotts is convicted of assault and ordered to pay prosecution costs with a conditional discharge. He is to appeal and appears in February 1978 at Kingston Crown Court
Jul. 1978
* IRL. Galway. 998 kHz MW. Atlantic Radio is noted this month
* IRL. Co. Kildare. 1111 kHz MW. Radio Cill Dara is noted this month
* IRL. Dublin. 1115 kHz MW. Big D Radio is noted this month
* IRL. Dundalk. 1133 kHz MW. Radio Carousel is noted this month
* IRL. Dublin. 1151 kHz MW. Alternative Radio Dublin [ARD] is noted this month
* IRL. Dublin. 1187 kHz MW. Radio Dublin is noted this month
* GBR. NW London. 1286 kHz MW. Celebration Radio starts broadcasts this month
* IRL. Dublin. 1322 kHz MW. Capital Radio is noted this month
* IRL. Dundalk. 1367 kHz MW. Radio Dundalk is noted this month
* IRL. Galway. 1370 kHz MW. Radio Westcoast is noted this month
* IRL. Galway. 1504 kHz MW. Independent Radio Galway is noted this month
* IRL. Dublin. 6203 kHz SW. Radio Valleri is noted this month
* IRL. Dublin. 6280 kHz SW. Westside Radio International is noted this month
* IRL. Dublin. 6317 kHz SW. Radio Condor is noted this month
Jul. 1979
* FIN. 6230 kHz SW. Radio Royals starts broadcasting this month, with 80 watts on Short-Wave.
July 1980
* GBR West Midlands. 1323 kHz MW. Radio Free Birmingham [RFB] returns with the help of UK Radio’s Paul Johnson and David Jarvis
Jul. 1981
* GBR. Merseyside. 1107 kHz MW, 271m, Station X appears, it is noted this month and in August.
Jul. 1982
* GBR. Epsom Downs. 90.0 FM. Surrey Sounds is to start test broadcasts around this time, these continue on occasional dates until the start of broadcasts proper in September
Jul. 1983
* GBR. Birmingham. Radio Free Birmingham [RFB] which has by now become County Radio, is joined by UK Radio’s Paul Johnson and Co. UK Radio does stay alive, on Saturday nights, although the audience is lower than it would be on a Sunday. County Radio also broadcasts on 94.4 FM.
Jul. 1984
* GBR. Nottinghamshire. The frequency of licensed commercial station Radio Trent is jammed in places by short broadcasts that appear twice a day to promote the miner’s strike then going on. Known popularly as ‘Radio Arthur’ it never actually gives a name. It allegedly uses 3.5 kW on MW and 800 watts on FM. Hansard claims those responsible were caught, but this is disputed
* GBR. Lincolnshire. Around this time, a station called The Wireless Company is noted.
* GBR. London. 1125 kHz MW and 104.0 FM. London Greek Radio holds a meeting to protest about the planned Telecoms Bill, and 12,000 people turn up to show support. Over the following weeks, a petition brings in 40,000 signatures.
* GBR. London. 90.9 FM. Phoenix Radio is raided during the installation today, this is a field site station, using 90 min taped shows.
Jul. 1985
* GBR. New Cross, London. Countdown Radio, featuring Bob Martin, Andy Allman, and a few others. Andy does a 12-hour show on FM, from the soon to be named ‘Doriath’ studios, linking to a block in the Old Kent Road. The station lasts a week and closes the day before the new Telecommunications Act becomes law in Great Britain.
* GBR. Colchester. 94.7 FM. Radio Zero appears with a test broadcast, and a week later puts out a top 40 type broadcast. The station then disappears.
Jul. 1988
* IRL. Monaghan. ‘late’ July, poor weather means Radio Star Country continues only on MW
Jul. 1989
* GBR. London. Radio Argus London newsletter lists the following staff: – Bert Bridges, Richard Head, Steve Garrison, Martin Richards [of RFM, KAOS and London Rock], Norman Bates, Candy Puff, Helmut Rheinhardt, Judy Diamond, Mr. Oz, DJ Quack, Pete Browne, Nick Peters [both on planned new station DLR- Direct Line Radio] and Lucien [of London Rock].
* GBR. Wolverhampton. UK Radio by now has the following staff: Paul Johnson, Mike Harris, Rod Lucas, Mike Wilson, Bob Barton [ex Sounds Alternative], Steve Merike and Andy Scot [ex Wulfrun Sound]
* GBR. London. 92.0 FM. Radio Free London introduces Arnold Brainbender this month; he sounds a lot like Kenny Meyers…
+ GBR. London. 92.5 FM. Towards the end of this month, LWR is to return again, minus several staff who have sold out and are now on licensed Choice FM, a station which is putting harmonics out in three places on the FM band as well as causing problems with a police repeater at Forest Hill. A pirate doing this would have been raided within the day, but this problem continues for months.
Info via Bert Bridges on Facebook