© 2014-2022 Offshore Radio Museum
Radio Caroline 1980s
Opening Date
19th August 1983 (tests)
20th August 1983 (12 noon) (Regular programmes)
(There were periods off the air during the life of Radio Caroline aboard the Ross Revenge due to weather, fuel and staff shortages, the aerial tower collapse and the raid by Dutch and British authorities)
Closing Date
5th November 1990 (1.00am)
(from an offshore base)
Radio Caroline still continues to broadcast today on the web and other platforms:
www.radiocaroline.co.uk
Owners
Caroline Communications
(American and later Canadian backers) fronted by Ronan O’Rahilly
Grothan Steamship Co. Inc
(registered in Panama) owned the radio ship Ross Revenge
Landbased Address
Los Angeles
New York
P O Box 491831,Fort Lauderdale, Florida 3349
Box 146,
Playa de Aro,
Gerona, Spain
(from October 1988)
Format
AOR (Adult) Album Orientated Rock (Format changed gradually during learly 1985, becoming more inclined towards the Top 40 chart)
Jamming 963
(Operated in periods of unsold airtime during the sponsored religious programmes between 6.00pm and 9.00pm with classical, jazz, gospel and even old 78s, gradually becoming more formalised with an emphasis on jazz and Afro music).
(from 15th June – 16th November 1985)
Caroline Overdrive
(Broadcast 9.00pm-4.00am featuring traditional Caroline rock and album music)
(from 1st January 1986)
'Viewpoint 963' -the rationalisation of the sponsored religious programmes into a service of their own under an umbrella title
(from 19th February 1986)
Management
Ronan O’Rahilly
Vincent Monsey (US Sales Representative)
Frequencies/Wavelengths
Medium Wave (AM)
963kHz (319m) (from 9th August 1983)
594kHz (505m) (test transmissions 12th July– 5th August 1984)
576kHz (521m) (from 5th August 1984 -7th November 1985)
558kHz (537m) (from 7th November 1985 – 16th September 1990)
819kHz (366m) (from 4th October 1990 – 5th November 1990)
Short Wave
6273kHz (tests November 1985)
6220kHz and 5955kHz (tests October 1987)
6210kHz, 6215kHz and 6205kHz (tests March and April 1988)
Broadcasting Hours
Broadcasting hours varied considerably during the life of Radio Caroline from the Ross Revenge - initially (August 1983) they were 7.00am - 2.00am, increased to 6.00am-2.00am from September 1983 and becoming 24 hours a day from 12th November 1983.
However, many factors including split frequency transmissions, varying numbers of sponsored religious programmes, the introduction of other stations aboard the Ross Revenge, weather, fuel and staff shortages contributed to very many changes in broadcasting hours.
For more of Radio Caroline’s history see
