The Radio Rose of Texas by Derek Burroughs,
jr.
Englands finest. Preface
by Conrad J.Earle.
That was one of the
top-of the hour identifications used on a radio station broadcasting on 1322 kc
for just over half a year in Spring, Summer and Autumn of 1966.
The radio station in
question, Radio England, is still remembered along with its Dutch-speaking
aftermath(Radio Dolfijn) its sister, Britain Radio(The Hallmark of Quality),
and their 2 younger sisters, one Dutch(Radio 227), and one British(Radio 355).
Together, all 5 stations
from the radio ship Olga Patricia(Laissez Faire), as well as their forerunner
and cousin Radio London from the Galaxy, were the result of Texas investors
from Abilene/Wichita Falls, Midland/Odessa and Eastland seeking Northern
European business opportunities in radio. This was to prove successful in the
case of Big L broadcasting on 266, but difficult from the Olga Patricia.
But without these courageous people, European broadcasting history would have
been different and less colourful. And, transition from state-run broadcasting
monopolies to deregulation as well as restructuring of national channels would have
been slowed down.
On the fan side, many
would like to express their
gratitude to the business people who took
the risk, as well as all former presenters and other employes of these most
missed stations. We want to remember these stations vividly with great
fondness. It was sadly a shortlived operation.
Especially the founder of the stations, the late
Don Pierson must be honoured. One cannot help admiring his entrepeneuring spirit and
ability to make his visions a reality.
American radio in the UK and in Europe was not an
innovation in the mid-60s however, with AFN London and its 50+stations already
broadcasting from 1943-1945 and its cousin ABSIE, followed by AFN networks
and stations in many European countries, the most famous being AFN Germany.
There also was another Texan station in Sweden 1961-1962 with some of the same
roots, namely Radio Nord. But their stories are told elsewhere[1]
[2].
The day of the 1st edition of this
essay, May 3rd, 2006, it was 40 years since the two Continental
transmitters on board the radio ship Olga Patricia burst to life off the
Frinton, Essex UK coast. On 845 kc, at 1030 in the morning, with a tone and
The Yellow Rose of Texas[3],
Radio England started test broadcasting. Subsequently, the high-paced tests on
355 in May 1966 by Larry Dean, Ron OQuinn and others hit us like a bomb, and
since then we were hooked.
What
most people know about SRE and the other 4 stations is what they learned from
the press or heard over the airwaves, but the press often had the story wrong.
What was heard over the airwaves was a series of changing formats, changing
names and a sudden end to the entire project in advance of the Marine Offences
Act coming into effect[4].
But the real story goes
much deeper. This is an attempt to tell and categorize that story.
In early
2004, a Norwegian, svennam, published a Radio England fanzine on the web,
called Pickinup Boss Vibrations. In his essay,
the author says it was an immensely great period of life, radio, and music.
The editor couldnt agree more.
And
he goes on inviting inputs in order to establish more facts[5]. His opinion is there should be a larger
study on the general history of this radio project, comprising the material in
(his) essay, which inevitably grew into the first months of the operation, and
if possible material from the collections of the late Don Piersons family and
Hans Knots large archive. Hans Knot also wrote an excellent 1991 study in
Dutch: De Vijf van de Laissez Faire.
It would also be interesting, he says, to hear the views and stories of
more djs,and learn more of Britain Radio, Radio Dolfijn, Radio 227 and Radio
355. And, the later history of the ship and Don Pierson. Also an accompanying
CD could be interesting for many. These contributions would be essential, even
it is realized it wont be easy to find more details. But if more material may
be uncovered, svennam concludes he has good reason to believe that an
independent writer might take on this task in a most professional way.
The essay
caused considerable interest, with an average of 300 genuine daily hits since
then on what originally wascalled The Last Month of Radio England, a result
indicating that the 5 radio stations broadcasting from the radio ship Olga
Patricia couldnt have been the calamitous failures they were blamed to be.
And the people appointed to run the programming must after all have been much
better at what they were doing than what the in-the know thought them to be.
And they must have had some notion of who they were broadcasting to[6], when, now, on this 40 Years
anniversary of the start of transmissions from the Olga, these stations, with
founders, presenters, and-sound still are so much loved among us.
In the 3
years that have passed, a lot of new information have been uncovered and
secured. Also, having had a large number of inputs and researched a
lot of new material it has been decided to rewrite and extend the whole story
up to all 5 stations that played such a strong part in our lives 1966-1967 and
after, also including a little glimpse of their cousin, Wonderful Radio London
broadcasting from the Galaxy, from 1964, since that station had the same
roots.
A
new author has submitted the text below, presenting himself as the Olga
Observer, seemingly related to Derek Burroughs, the name of the voice on the
automation tapes aboard the radio ship[7]. In a Radio 355 Saturday evening broadcast in July, 1967 he came out
of his cabin(behind the Carousel?)and was interviewed by Alan Black about his
13-month stint on the Olga:
(I am)looking forward to going back
home to Los Angeles after nearly a year here in this wonderful country on this
wonderful little boat...
Alan
Black commented at the end of the interview that Derek Burroughs did not say or
talk much. You keep yourself to yourself!
Whilst
Dave MacKay, in the air-chair that evening on 845 kc, added though, that
Burroughs was a great card-player.[8]
Burroughs,
jr. has listened through a large number of recordings[9] from all 5 stations for documentation, corrected earlier mistakes,
included a lot of new facts, improved the diary, and added many facts about
what happened to the ship and transmitters after August 6th, 1967, when Radio
355 closed at 0022 hours and the transmitter went dead, later to come on the
air in an entirely different part of the world.
Burroughs,
jr., in presenting his new long essay here is making an independent, honest and
non-profit effort to make this fascinating piece of radio history a more cooperative preservation project, creating a radio
history hub, umbrella if you like, encouraging contrasting agendas around
this subject to come together so that still existing material will be available
to everyone's benefit, and may be secured for the future.
This
seems to be a most responsible approach, as there seems to be various interests
around the subject in question, such as personal, commercial, ideological, and
even political. There are still anoraks interested on these stations, but
also other interests opposed to this approach.
And
then there are the founders, broadcasters, and everyone that worked for the
operation. Not forgetting their descendants. By means of the web, they now have
a great chance of knowing more, and put the elements into place. Hopefully,
this study may assist in that task, and also create a lasting monument of the
hectic radio days of 1966-1967, or even, 1964-1967.
Derek
Burroughs, jr. has been able to draw upon the archives of
svennam
still
Smile
album(2004).Pickinup NEW Good Vibrations 40 years after the autumn of 1966
Smile. From Radio Englands
studio aboard the Olga Patricia, May, 1966.
Unknown
photographer. LIFE International Oct.31st,1966 . Submitted by Lars Holm.
Hans
Knot[10],
De 5
van de Laissez Faire Hans Knots study from 1991[11],
built on his large archive, and some of the late Don Piersons files.
Eric
Gilder and friends[12],
London,
My Hometown[13]. in Mass Media Moments in the United Kingdom
Eric Gilders study from 2001/2003, forecasting a larger audio/book presentation,
putting the subject of this essay into a larger context.
parts of
relevant material from Offshore Echos magazine
and archives,
as
well as Grey Pierson(the son of Don
Pierson) and the Pierson family archive in Texas.
The late Don Pierson(r), founder of
Radio London and the Olga stations, aboard the Olga Patricia in May, 1966. With
Captain Julio Alonzo, Free Cuban. Photo from the Pierson family collection, kindly
provided by Grey Pierson.
Burroughs,
jr. also wishes to thank the following others for their kind efforts,
contributions and cooperation:
Sweden
Calling DX-ers(SCDX, Radio Sweden)
DX-Listeners
Club, Norway[14]
John
Ross-Barnard
Genie
Baskir
Rosalie
Beasley
Ian
Biggar
Gerry
Bishop(Offshore Radio, 1975)
John
of Brucebase[15]
Look
Boden
Jack
Curtiss
Robert
Chapman[16]
Phil Champion
Rick Crandall
Keith
Dobson
Roger
Day
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
Steve Eberhart[17]
Chris Edwards
John England
Steve England(The Radio England story edition II
(S.England))
Tony Fitzherbert[18]
Steve Geisler[19]
Dave Gilbee
Eric
Gilder
Paul
De Haan[20]
Mervyn Osborne Hagger
Paul Harris[21]
Jim
Hawkins
Lars
Holm
How
to Listen to the World
Richard
Irwin(Uncle Ricky)[22]
The
Laissez Faire story[23]
Tore
Larsson
Mike
Leonard(From International Waters)
Paul John Lilburne-Byford
Larry
Magne[24]
Jeff
Martin
Phil
Martin
Jon
Myer[25]
Rolf
Mong
Colin
Nicol
National
Radio Club, USA[26]
Offshore
Echos Magazine(OEM)/Chris Edwards[27]
Mary
Payne[28]
Radio News(in London Weekly
Advertiser and National Advertiser, and Time and Tide)1967, reprinted by Offshore
Echos Magazine (OEM)
Ron
OQuinn
Susan
Rager
Steve
Richards
Alan
Roberts
Ray
Robinson
Manfred
Steinkrauss
John
Sgruletta
Steve Stavropoulos
Chris Turner[29]
TV
Mail, 1966-1967, reprinted
by Offshore Echos Magazine (OEM)
Dr.Martin
v.der Ven[30]
Tim
Warden(Los Solanas Consulting)[31]
Tedd
Webb[32]
Dick
Weeda
Martyn
Webster
Perry
Woods[33]
World
Radio TV Handbook
Oscar's
Groovy Grotto,
November
13th, 2006,
Conrad
J.Earle.
-and
don't forget our sponsor-Inter-Cham!
(Advertiser
on Britain Radio, a 'Knock-Out Idea'(Phil Martin, December 17th, 1966)