Laser 558

Laser 558 was a 1984 European offshore pirate radio station broadcasting in the English language and using mainly American disc jockeys whose target audience was primarily in the United Kingdom. The station was based aboard the motor vessel Communicator. Within a matter of months the station gained an audience of millions. Poor management and lack of advertising income eventually starved the station off the air. In 1986 an attempt was made to return the station to the airwaves as Laser Hot Hits, but although the station succeeded in coming on the air, it did not last for the same reasons as before.

Brief history of the station

Laser Radio was a spin-off project from an earlier project to enable the return of Radio Caroline. The station had been off the air since 1980 when its ship sank in a storm.

Background to the era

The 1980s were musically a throwback to the climate and conditions that had prevailed in the 1960s. The UK music charts were approximately one year ahead of the charts in the USA and British music was very popular in America. At the time MTV had created a following from viewers who were hooked by back-to-back music videos. Since Britain had a track record of creating videos, British groups gained a lot of airplay on MTV. With the airplay came more chart success and this in turn created the kind of media coverage in other areas that had once existed in the 1960s.

Radio Caroline

Due to the restrictive laws that made offshore commercial radio a risky venture, creative ways had to be found in which to bring advertising revenue into the Radio Caroline. When the motor vessel Mi Amigo sank in a storm during 1980, a con-man with a criminal past stepped in to promote a new venture that could raise the funds to buy a new ship; outfit it as a radio station, and provide a business plan that would keep the station in business by supplying a good return on investment. That was the stated intention, but criminal fraud was the actual result

These efforts brought in personnel from a major US representation firm in New York; the manager of dj Wolfman Jack and many other capable personnel, along with notable investors. Unfortunately these efforts all resulted in a federal criminal case that eventually took place in Philadelphia. The original Radio Caroline operation fell apart, although the station did manage to return to the airwaves from a new ship, but not in the grand manner once dreamed about.

Laser Radio

Out of the fragments of the Radio Caroline team in the US came people (including the same con man.) This team originally planned to create a new offshore venture with two stations on a new ship. The end result was of this ambitious plan was scaled down to create a single station called Laser. The station was built on board a vessel that would use a high-flying balloon system in order to keep an extremely high antenna aloft.

Antenna disaster

The early days of Laser were a disaster. Radio Caroline had already limped back on to the airwaves from its new ship. Laser spashed on to the media scene in the UK and immediately commanded attention, but the first frequency chosen was a poor choice due to interference and this problem was compounded when the balloon antenna system failed completely. As a result the station was on and off the air while eating into its financial reserve.

Finally a traditional offshore tower antenna system was rigged on the vessel and the new frequency of 558 was selected. That combination plus the format was a runaway success story.

Hot hits format success story

The Hot Hits format had never been heard in Britain before Laser 558 and the American djs had enough experience on US stations to turn the sound into a winning formula. Millions tuned in. Stores began relaying the signal over their own public address systems and the BBC suddenly found itself confronted by the same kind of competition that had almost wiped out its entertainment radio service in the 1960s. By some estimates the station had five million listeners in about as many months.

Business failure

While the music programming was a success, the business plan was a total failure. The audience success also attracted a direct assault on the station by the British Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). They used the sister ship of the MV Communicator to mount a blockade of Laser 558. Meanwhile Radio Caroline continued broadcasting a format that generated little attention.

Demise

Due to the blockade and the lack of a sound business plan to supply the successful station with income, the MV Communicator was eventually forced into a British port where the ship and its broadcasting equipment was seized by the authorities. By a strange sequence of events the ship station was put up for sale where it was bought and sent back out to sea as Laser Hot Hits. This poor-man's rebirth lasted for far less time than the original venture and the station went off the air for the last time.

Legacy

Laser created careers for people like dj Charlie Wolf and it caused the BBC to wake up once again and rethink what it was doing with its popular music service.

References

Lid off Laser, by Rusling, Paul.

External sources

The Laser 558 Story