Hans Knot International Radio Report February/March 2021 Welcome to the first issue of the International Radio Report for 2021. Thanks for all the Christmas and New Year wishes which came in here in Groningen and I have to say that we both appreciated the amount of wishes. I hope you’ve all the strength to go on with the fight to Corona and that before summer there will be a far better situation. Of course in this issue I will answer some e mails from readers as well as brining in some longer stories again. There is so much on the shelfs to bring to you that once again I had to make a selection. In last issue I promised that soon an article would be published in our on line journal for media and music culture, which has been done: About Ronan O'Rahilly, the driving force behind Radio Caroline, many stories circulate. Some of those say he also was the manager of some beknown pop groups and singers. By know these tales all have been disproved. Still, as Martin van der Ven tells, O'Rahilly once may have started a band: the Caroline Showband. Read more in the excellent article: www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME23/Caroline_Showband.shtml In the following link a lot of info about the Scheveningen 96 which became Ger Anne in 1968 as tender from Veronica when Dirk Verweij bought the ship. Also many photographs. https://www.scheveningen- haven.nl/info/schepen/index.php?nummer=96&lijst=0&af=SCH Next an e mail from Jan van der Meulen from Leeuwarden: ‘Dear Hans, thank you very much for once again providing wonderful information about a period when I too had my ears glued to the tube radio. I really appreciate what you are doing to keep these memories alive and audible. I think it's good to say that to you for once. We don't know each other. I am more or less a dormant ‘visitor’ of the offshore radio groups and sites. I visit these weekly, sometimes daily. I collect a lot of airchecks, especially from Radio London, (the FAB 40 via Oldiesproject is almost complete) and not forgetting Paul Kay, I think also one of your favourite radio personalities too. Even my children sometimes poke fun at me with: "Big L time is three o'clock and Radio London is now closing down". This under the reproach "Dad is stuck in the sixties". I was 17 at the time. Roger Day. Photo: Robbie Dale Radio is still a very welcome way of passing the time these days. Versus internet radio I receive almost all the old stations in a somewhat different format. A lot of Roger Day via Caroline Flashback and Uncool Radio. He is already active for almost 55 years after first meeting Dave Cash, unbelievable. Finally, I wish you and your family all the best. Kind regards, Jan van der Meulen, Leeuwarden.’ Thanks a lot Jan and it’s always a fine feeling to hear from someone who’s following my work and feels it’s time to write to me. I hope you can enjoy the history on radio for much more years. Next e mail time from the USA: ‘Thank you Hans! I love getting these reports from you. They always get read the evenings of receipt. Sorry to read two former offshore people passed away and have taken the sky radio route. Even to those of us who never met them, they'll be missed, simply because they were part of airwaves. Reading your radio report I received today, I found something that I consider to be the holy grail of old radio/tv magazines! https://worldradiohistory.com/ Thank you very much for that addition! I have a particular love for old magazines relating to radio, tv, tape machines and broadcasting. It seems I'll have inexhaustible material to read till the day I perish! I love it! I'm so excited I can't wait to get started. I might wear out my monitor's screen with this one. This is the most fantastic offering in your report yet! I am happy, happy happy! Phil in Minneapolis.’ WWJ Detroit taken from the above mentioned World radio history archive A message from Dick Offringa (see photo above) from Emmeloord. Also an active listener for 60 years, but also a programme maker: ‘Since September 2016, the golden oldie station Radio Emmeloord in the Netherlands has been broadcasting via medium wave 1224 AM and internet. Since halfway through the year 2020, it has also been broadcasting via DAB+. Radio Emmeloord tries to bring back the atmosphere of the offshore stations in its broadcasts. Most of the 25 presenters regularly play old jingles and airchecks from those offshore days. This includes old Top 40's and old Tip Parades from Veronica as well as Radio Luxembourg Top Twenty's. In addition, there are DJs who really come from that era. Weekly Ron O'Quinn (Radio England), Bob Le-Roi (Radio City) and Paul van Gelder (Radio 227) can be heard. About twenty hours a week there are English-language broadcasts, most of which are streamed live from England. Furthermore, there have been many location broadcasts in recent years. Because interaction with the listeners is considered to be very important. In request record programmes, requests come from all over the world. And everyone enjoys it and can play their own choice of records.’ www.radioemmeloord.nl Thanks a lot Dick and hope you and your team can go on for many years. Next a longer article by reader Philip Dawes ‘Dear Hans, I was deeply saddened and shocked to read of the passing of Sherri Lynn, which she changed by deed poll from her birth name of Brenda Pidduck, born in Rhodesia. You may recall me contacting you several years ago when I read that Sherri was on your list? Even though I only met Sherri (Brenda) on three occasions in about 1968, they were memorable. I phoned Tony Blackburn and told him that I had established the Pollution Research Bureau, (PRB), as a publicity venture to bring greater awareness of the problems of pollution of the land, sea and air. I told Tony that I was planning a pollution publicity event and needed an attractive girl to assist with it. He willingly agreed and announced it on radio and gave out my phone number as contact. Two beautiful girls contacted me, separately, one being Brenda. Over a coffee meeting with Brenda, I mentioned the time and date of the pollution publicity event, about six weeks away, to be held in Trafalgar Square, London. Various people were coming to assist, including photographers, and we will have several giant 6 foot diameter (152cm) black balloons depicting pollution. Brenda agreed to help, and gave me the address of a solicitor’s office close to Trafalgar Square, where she was worked. The day of the event came. Various helpers were blowing up the giant black balloons and photographers were on hand, but Brenda was late. I decided to walk to her office, which was only about two hundred yards away (180 metres). I walked up to her office on the first floor. There was Brenda, splendidly attired in a brilliant white satin trouser suit, with brightly coloured embroidered words depicting air pollution, land pollution and water pollution on both sleeves and on the front of the jacket and the thighs. But she was struggling to zip up her trousers. He boss was hovering about politely trying to help, but to no avail. Brenda said she made the trouser suit herself, but that the waist was just a little too tight. She had a safety pin ready for the top of the trousers, but the zip’s slider would not go up more than a quarter of the way. I could see the problem. I said to her, “let me help, and when I say so, I want you to breathe in fast.” I then thrust my right hand down her pants, the tips of my fingers in line with her pubic bone, which was the lower end of the zip, to the utter astonishment and embarrassment of her boss. He dithered a bit, not knowing what was to follow! Grabbing the zip slider with the thumb and index finger of my left hand, I said hastily, “breath in,” Then, pressing the zip slider against the fingers of my right hand I pulled them both up together. Zipped up! “Now quickly fasten the button,” I said. Success! She then used the safety pin to connect the two parts together as security. Brenda was a happy bunny! Her great seamstress work was a triumph. We proudly walked down to Trafalgar Square for the photoshoot. Our photographers started taking photos. Then a cop came up and said, “you can’t do that here!” We quickly decided to walk to Hyde Park and the Serpentine, where we hired a couple of small boats for more publicity photos. I wanted to do more pollution publicity shots with Brenda wearing her beautiful white satin trouser suit, and phoned her asking if she would be willing to come to my house in Caversham, Reading, in Berkshire. She agreed to come in a week or so. In the meantime I had bought a large piece of dark coloured cloth as a backdrop and lighting and set them up as the studio in an upper room. On the day Brenda arrived with a suitcase, or actually it was evening. I had prepared a meal with wine, for us to dine after the shooting.