Thameside Radio was an unlicensed radio station based in London. It launched in the winter of 1977,[1] offering "very slick pop rock with competitions", according to Time Out.[2] According to the Richmond and Twickenham Times, it broadcast from "a certain Notting Hill tower block" –[3] a reference to Trellick Tower.[4]
The station received 30-40 letters each week[5] and had an estimated listenership of around 20,000.[3] It pioneered new music, and is noted by the New Musical Express for giving airplay to "Win a Night Out with a Well-Known Paranoiac" by Barry Andrews, which was subsequently picked up by BBC Radio 1.[6]
Increasing numbers of raids resulted in the station losing five transmitters in six months[7] and the station ceased live transmission, instead taping its shows shortly before broadcast.[7]
Recordings of a number of Thameside Radio shows are held by the British Library.[8] Many shows are available for download from fmthen.com and thamesideradio.org
In late 1984, Thameside set up the first London unlicensed TV station for a one-off event.[9]
References
See also
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