Blast from the past

It was back in 1989 when I first found AM pirates. I had been given a shortwave radio for Christmas and four months later, in April, I came across Radio 48 with a very professional sound. Soon I was hooked on the hobby and enjoyed spending as much time as possible listening to these illicit broadcasters, many of whom would pop up on a Sunday morning. 

Only a year later though, some of these pirates were silenced by the 1990 Broadcasting Act. One of the stations to bite the dust was Atlanta Radio, perhaps the most slick-sounding of the lot at that time, and a station I used to really enjoy listening to. The man behind the operation was Mark Stafford, and I noticed some years ago that his voice can still be heard once a week on Radio Caroline. I kept meaning to tune in to hear him but always forgot. However, I was at the computer last Tuesday and noticed his show was airing on Caroline Flashback, which has recently been launched.

I tuned in and in an instant I was taken back in time by over 25 years. The voice was instantly recognisable and just as I had remembered. For several hours I stayed tune to Stafford's World, enjoying the music, the talking and thinking back to the days when pirates wondered around the countryside on a Sunday morning with car batteries and tape players.

If you get a moment, especially while conditions on AM are not particularly favourable, do tune in to Mark's show on either Radio Caroline or Caroline Flashback, or on any of the other stations he can be heard on. Take a look at his website for more details.