Radio Veronica - end

To today's radio listeners, flattered with huge choice from around the World, in digital quality, it's probably puzzling that anyone should care about a medium wave radio station crackling into the UK in a foreign language.

But in the 60s, they did. Such was the paucity of vibrant pop music radio in the UK, that anything was welcome. Radio Veronica was an offshore radio station that began broadcasting in April 1960. Much like the original 1920s BBCompany model in the UK, this was a joint-venture by radio, TV and household electrical retailers in the Netherlands to stimulate the sales of radio sets. It beamed out programmes from its ship the Borkum Riff (later the Nordeney) to an eager audience, becoming larger that the official Dutch broadcasters at home, and becoming pretty popular over here too, in the days not only before Radio 1 and commercial radio, but even pre-dating Radio Caroline.

Just like the UK, Dutch legislation was introduced to outlaw the offshore stations, prompted in part by internecine activities between the remaining stations. The law came into effect on September 1, 1974 and Veronica closed the preceding day. These are the last seconds in her life.