Offshore radio is usually thought of in the context of providing an alternative to, or challenging, the established state monopoly broadcasting systems, but surprisingly there have been a handful of ship-based stations located off coast of the USA.
This is surprising because from the outset the US Government and authorities had adopted a much less restrictive approach to the development of radio broadcasting than most of their European contemporaries. This was partly because of the geographical size of the country, but largely due to the fact that the USA then, as now, valued most highly the right of its citizens to freedom of speech - an entitlement enshrined in its constitution. As a result there were few restrictions on who was allowed to establish a broadcasting station.
The offshore stations which were established off the American coast generally came to exist because of individual dissatisfaction with the legislative and regulatory framework which governed the licensed broadcasters, although the original offshore station, RXKR, did exploit a gap in the early radio market to provide a wide coverage area for advertisers from its (comparatively) high power transmitter.
Follow these links for detailed information about each of the offshore stations which operated off the American coast:-
In addition to the stations which did broadcast there were often plans for stations which never materialised or only lasted a very short time - days or even just a few hours.
Al Weiner's interest and involvement in offshore radio did not end with the apparently fatal 1989 Court ruling against RNYI. While continuing to operate his station over hired shortwave outlets he became involved in planning another offshore operation, this time determined to ensure that legally and financially he would not be vulnerable to action from the various regulatory authorities.
During the early months of 1993 Al Weiner was invited to join this new offshore project as Technical Adviser. The project in question was an ambitious one - although offshore based it was designed to be licensed and perfectly legal and the radio ship was to house four stations broadcasting to a world-wide audience on shortwave.
Voyager Broadcast Services, set up jointly by Al Weiner and his partner in the project, Scott Becker, issued a press release on 20th September 1993 announcing that the new offshore station would be based on the MV Fury, which the two men had jointly purchased. Voyager planned to rent airtime on two of the four transmitters to any individuals or organisations who wished to broadcast, at a charge of $75 an hour. Al Weiner made it known that such airtime would be available to Radio Caroline if it wished to take advantage of the facility as a means of putting that station back on the air.
The third transmitter was to be reserved exclusively for the use of the registration/licensing country, Belieze, while the fourth was to be used by the project's main backer, the Overcomer Ministry based in South Carolina.
