ABSTRACT
The term “pirate radio” is often used to describe unlicensed radio stations because the first unlicensed stations that broadcast popular music to the United States and Europe were located aboard ships in international waters. In 1960 an offshore radio station began broadcasting to Holland, and in 1961 ship-based stations began broadcasting to Belgium and Sweden. The Dutch government quickly silenced a pirate television station, TV-Nordzee, that appeared in 1964, but allowed Radio Veronica, the offshore radio station, to remain on the air for many years. Offshore broadcasting picked up steam in 1964, when Radio Caroline, Radio Atlantic, Radio London, and Radio 390 started broadcasting to Great Britain from ships in the English Channel. Only Radio Caroline remained on the air, bringing in supplies from continental Europe and lining up multinational companies as advertisers. The radio station managed to survive until 1980, when its vessel sank during a storm.
