MARINE

MV GALAXY

RADIO LONDON DECEMBER 5, 1964 - AUGUST 14, 1967

The summer of 1964, all you need is.....$500.000. Buy a decommissioned ex US minesweeper called Density, a 50.000 watt RCA BTA 50H and a 10.000 watt RCA BTA 10J medium wave transmitter, the latest American standard studio equipment, a 212 ft aerial mast, Pams jingles, cross the Atlantic Ocean and anchor 3,5 miles off the Essex coast in the UK, tune the transmitter to 266 metres mediumwave, in between deejays onboard the ship listen to recorded programmes from Dallas Texas number one top 40 station in the midsixties KLIF, open up a small office in London and employ a small but very good marketing and sales staff, turn it in to the UKs most succesfull top40 station, close her down on August 14, 1967 and suprise.. suprise, she made over $ 8000000.

Radio London, known as BIG L, was a unique radio station in the midsixties for the UK and West European Island listeners because we had not ever heard anything like it before. In the USA BIG L would have been just another top 40 station. The 50.000 watt Wonderful Radio London was known in Holland as Whisteling Radio London, she was a bit to close to AFN Bremerhafen in Northern Germany and that caused a whistle on her signal. But ofcourse we listened! What a superb radiostation!

Starting of with a giant photo once again, the mast with the most

Teedubbleyou..... the man with the music, waltzing like Matilda, Australian Tony Windsor in the original Radio London studio onboard the Galaxy in 1965.

TW, great on air personality and salesman for Heinz Baked Beans in the new Big L studio in 1966.

The legendary Paul Kay, Radio Londons newsreader in the second studio onboard.

3,5 nautical miles off Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex this former US minesweeper had a second and once again very adventures life for two years and eight months. Listened to and loved by 12 million listeners in the UK and in countries like Holland, Germany, Belgium and France. And ...... the Falkland Islands. Listeners recorded the Big L programmes and sent them to The Falklands by post.

Kenny Everett onboard in 1966. A genius on production, gave Big L that extra that made the station number one.

And here's Kenny in his home studio in the 80s.

Another helicopter view of the Galaxy

Three Gates turntables, three RCA cart machines, loads of jingles and commercials and Norman st John in the main studio onboard.

Dave Dennis, Paul Kay, Bill Hearne and........help me out please.

This photo was sold as a postcard in many bookshops in the Kent and Essex region.

Radio Londons messroom with Paul Kay and Mitch the stewart.

Tony Blackburn on the Big L breakfast show......

and the time on his BULOVA watch is 07.50, that's 10 minutes away from the news in brief at 8 a.m.

This taperecorder was used to record the programmes of Radio London. Advertisers could ask for copies to check if the commercials were aired on Big L.

Another photo used by Radio London for promotional reasons.

In July 1967 Tony Blackburn left Radio London to move into a Bigger and Better Career at the Beeb Beeb Zee. Chuck Blair took over the Big L breakfast show from Tony.

Tony Blackburn in the first BBC Radio One studio on the breakfast show in October 1967.

The transmitterengineers workshop onboard Galaxy.

Take a good look.......

....did you notice the difference? Indeed, after all she was a minesweeper, so they had to cut many portholes on the port and starboard side of the ship.

X Mas 1966, Keith Skues, Kenny Everett and Chuck Blair having a party.

Hans Knot and Keith Skues in the 90s . Dont lean on the bar Hans, remember the mast of the Ross Revenge.

TALKING ABOUT KEITH SKUES,WHICH WE WERE…………………………..

HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED DURING A TIPICAL SKUES SHOW ON SATURDAY JULY 8, 1967

BETWEEN 09.30 AND 11.30………QUITE A LOT.

27 RECORDS WERE PLAYED

22 OF THOSE GREAT PAMS JINGLES WERE CONSUMED BY THE RCA CARTMACHINES

30 COMMERCIALS WENT OUT AT THAT SATURDAY MORNING

AND IF THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH…. 10 COMMERCIALS WERE READ LIVE BY MR SKUES.

FIRST , LETS TAKE A LOOK AT THE COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT:

THE TECHNA COMMERCIAL BY EX CAROLINE VOICE BILL HEARNE WENT OUT A TOTAL OF 9 TIMES.

TECHNA WAS ALL ABOUT WALLPAPER, STAIN REMOVER AND PAINT STRIPPER. THERE WAS ALWAYS A NICE STORY GOING ALONG WITH THE COMMERCIAL LIKE: YAK….THERES OIL ON THE BEACH, OR SEE THE NEW STRIPPERS IN ACTION, OR SIMON SCOTT IS DECORATING AND FALLS OF A LADDER, OR…ARE YOUR WALLS CRACKING UP? THE ANSWER TO ALL THESE PROBLEMS OFCOURSE WAS ONE OF THE TECHNA PRODUCTS NATION WIDE AVAILABLE AT ALL GOOD DECORATING SHOPS. AFTER ALL, IT WAS A SATURDAYMORNING SO THESE COMMERCIALS HAD TO BE AIRED 9 TIMES, HARD SELLING YOU KNOW.

HORLIX, A WINTERTIME AND BED TIME COCO DRINK NEEDED A PUSH IN SALES SO A YOUNG COUPLE AT THE SUMMERBEACH TRIED TO MAKE US BELIEVE THAT HORLIX IS A ,, COOL´´ DRINK IN SUMMER TOO.

HORLIX WENT OUT FOR A TOTAL OF 4 TIMES.

NESCAFE……ONLY ONCE! IF THAT’S NOT A SATURDAY MORNINGDRINK, WHAT IS?

VIDOR BATTERIES COMMERCIALS BATTERED 266 FOR A TOTAL OF 4 TIMES, AND I DON’T KNOW IF THESE COMMERCIALS DELIBERATLY WERE PRODUCED AT LOW INSTEAD OF HI-FI, BUT THEY SOUNDED AWFUL.

TIME FURNITUREHOPS HAD A BIG SALES GOING ON, THIS COMMERCIAL WAS HEARD 2 TIMES.

PETER STUYVESANT WAS THE SOCALLED INTERNATIONAL PASPORT FOR SMOKING PLEASURE, 3 TIMES.

EVET EYE MAKE-UP 2 TIMES, ONE FOR EACH EYE.

THE ALL NEW MOTIONPICTURE ,, YOURE A BIG BOY NOW´´ 2 TIMES.

COLGATE DENTALPASTA HAD A QUESTION FOR LADIES: HEY LADIES, DO YOU LIKE TO SHAKE< NO NOT SHAVE> A LEGG?

COLGATE OFFERED FREE NYLONS ALONG WITH THEIR TOOTHPASTA. WELL, AT LEAST THE LADIES COULD DO THE BAGGY KNEE TEST. COLGATE COMMERCIAL PLAYED 1 TIME OVER 266 MEDIUM WAVE THAT SATURDAY MORNING. NOW ON TO THE………. THE COMMERCIAL SCRIPT DEPARTMENT. ONE OF THE BASIC INGREDIANTS FOR THE FAMOUS MIDSIXTIES TOP 40 FORMAT WAS THE DEEJY READING OUT THE COMMERCIALS LIVE ON AIR, AND BELIEVE ME SKUES KNEW HOW TO DO IT.

THIS READING OF LIVE ON AIR COMMERCIALSCRIPT IS NO LONGER HEARD ON UK COMMERCIAL RADIO, INSTEAD THE NASTIES INVENTED THESE SO CALLED COMMERCIAL BREAKS. ALL THEY DO IS INDEED BREAK A PROGRAMME INTO PIECES.

SO,THE FOLLOWING WAS IN THE COMMERCIAL LOGBOOK ON THAT SATURDAY, JULY 8, 1967:

MAISON ROCHE FASHIONSTORE IN ILLFORD,

THE GIGGLE-GOGGLE-GOGGLE CLUB FROM BILLY WALKER IN LONDON, ADMISSION HALF A CROWN.

THE BRADWOODTOWN FOOTBALLCLUB HAD THEIR DONKY DERBY, DONKY RACES AND A BIT OF FOOTBAL, ALL THIS AND MORE FOR ONLY ONE SHILLING.

THEIR WAS RACING AT BRANDSHATCH, AND EVEN IN 67 SKUES TOLD US TO START A CARREER IN COMPUTERS AND PROGRAMMING.

AND FINALLY THAT SATURDAY MORNING MR CARDBOARD WAS SELLING US THE SOCALLED SABONA COPPER BRACELET!

DID YOU KNOW THAT ONCE YOU CONNECTED THIS SABONA COPPER BRACELET TO A TRANSISTORRADIO RECEPTION OF RADIO LONDON ON 266 IMPROVED DRAMATICLY! AFTER ALL, THAT’S WHAT COPPER IS ALL ABOUT.

SO FAR WE COVERED 4 BASIC ELEMENTS FOR A GOOD RADIO PROGRAMME: THE MUSIC, THE COMMERCIALS, THE LIVE ONAIR COMMERCIAL SCRIPT AND THE JINGLES. BUT THE NUMBER 5 AND MOST IMPORTANT BASIC ELEMENT THAT TURNED IT INTO A SUPERB RADIOPROGRAMME WAS THE HUMAN FACTOR, THE GREAT PERSONALITY PRESENTATION BY KEITH KUES.

SKUES WASN’T AND STILL IS NOT THE SOCALLED ,, TIME AND TEMPERATURE ´´ DEEJAY .

KEITH ADDED THIS ALL IMPORTANT NUMBER 5 ELEMENT TO THE SHOW IN HIS OWN WAY WITH GREAT REMARKS LIKE:

JAMBO SANNA FOR JACK THE NEW STEWART ONBOARD THE GALAXY, PLAYING A RECORD FOR DICK PALMER FROM ORPINGTON IN KENT, A DEDICATION TO HMS GANDGY THE MARINEVESSEL OF FELIXSTOWE AND HER CREW CALLED THE FROBISHER GANG AND A DIVER CALLED DUTCHY HOLLAND.

BEFORE STARTING A SKA RECORD CALLED AL CAPONE SKUES ASKED: I SAY, YOU SIR WITH THE WOODEN NOSE AND LOOKING LIKE AN IDIOT, WHATS YOUR NAME? FIRST WORDS FROM THE TEXT OF THE RECORD WAS OFCOURSE THE ANSWER TO HIS QUESTION…….AL CAPONE!

HERE IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE: SKUES PLAYED A RECORD SUNG BY TONY CRAIN CALLED THE ANONYMOUS MR BROWN.

WHEN BACK ANNOUNCING THE RECORD IT WENT LIKE THIS: THAT WAS TONY CRAIN AND THE ANONYMOUS MR BROWN WHO´S NAME WE SHALL NOT MENTION. SKUES ONCE AGAIN: MR BROWN, B-R-O-W-N. GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR!

WHILE READING OUT ANOTHER DEDICATION SKUES HAD TO COUGH AND EXKUESED FOR THIS, IT WAS CAUSED BY A ,,GROBBLE´´ BURGER IN HIS THROAT. SO IN 1967 THERE WAS THE GROBBLEBURGER! I´D LIKE TO KNOW IF THESE GROBBLEBURGERS ARE STILL ON SALE IN 2002 AND IS THERE A SOCALLED BIG Mc GROBBLEBURGER ON SALE, PERHAPS IN HOLLAND TOO.

HERE´S A VERY INTERESTNG FACT: STEVE JACKSON OF 45 WILLOWROAD IN REDHILL WROTE TO SKUES WITH THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: WHEN IS YOUR BOOK ON THE SUBJECT OF RADIO LONDON FINISHED AND IN THE BOOKSHOPS.

SKUESS ANSWER: IN A FEW MONTHS, ITS NOT READY YET, SOME VERY INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE SUBJECT OF OFFSHORE RADIO ARE ON THE HORIZON, I AM WAITING FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.

THOSE FEW MONTHS BECAME 324 MONTHS! BUT OFCOURSE THE BOOK POP WENT THE PIRATES WAS WORTH WAITING.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HAS MR STEVE JACKSON FROM REDHILL ALREADY BOUGHT HIS BOOK AND IF NOT, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ABOUT THIS MR SKUES?

THERE WAS A DEDICATION FROM SKUES TO ALL GENTS WORKING IN THE OFFICE AT 17 CURZONSTREET LONDON W1, ALL 14 OF THEM: PHIL-ALLEN-DENNIS-ROGER-GODFREY-EDDIE-DES-BARRY-PETER-JIMMY AND GORDON.

SKUES ASKING THE LISTENER: WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU COUNTED THEM, THERE AREN´T 14!

DID YOU INCLUDE HORRIS-BERT AND FRED. WELL, YOU SHOULDN´T HAVE DONE, THEY DON’T WORK THERE!

WITHOUT DOUBT THE CASSETTE WITH THIS SKUES 1967 PROGRAMME ON IT IS ONE OF MY VERY FAVOURITES, REGULAR TO BE PLAYED OVER THE CASSETTERECORDERDEPARTMENT OF MY CAR RADIO DURING MY TRAVEL IN THE NORTH OF HOLLAND AS A ,, DRUGPUSHER´´. NO NO NO, DON’T WORRY, ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK, ITS ALL LEGAL AS A MEDICAL REP.

Paul de haan

After only 2 years and 8 months this monstrosity forced Radio London to close down on August 14, 1967 at 3 pm.

The girls working in the London office during Radio Londons Final hour.

This is the last Radio London deejays saw on that Monday afternoon returning to Felixstowe after the close down of the station.

From left to right; Ed Stewart, Mike Lennox,Pete Drummond, John Peel, Dave Hawkins,Mitch, Paul Kay, Chuck Blair, Mark Roman and Tony Brandon arriving in Felixstowe after the close down.