Radio London, also known as Big L and Wonderful Radio London, was a top 40 (in London's case, the "Fab 40") offshore commercial station that operated from 16 December 1964 to 14 August 1967, from a ship anchored in the North Sea, three and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England. The station, like the other offshore radio operators at the time, was dubbed a pirate radio station and its offices were located in the West End of London at 17 Curzon Street just off Park Lane.
The station broadcast from the MV Galaxy, a former Second World War United States Navy minesweeper originally named USS Density. The majority of programmes were presented live from a studio in the hold. The ship's metal bulkheads presented problems with acoustics and soundproofing that were originally solved by lining the walls with mattresses from the crew's bunk beds, which meant none of them could sleep during the day.
Read more about Wonderful Radio London: Origin of The Station, Broadcasting Staff, Advertising Sales, Station Name, Transmitter Power, Station Close-down, Further History, Swinging Radio England and Britain Radio, In Pop Culture
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—Kurt Neumann (1906–1958)
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“I’m an orphan. I’ve come to London to make my fortune.”
—Vernon Harris (c. 1910)