Free Radio Forum: Re: The Divided Dial podcast; Al Weiner's radio career particularly on shortwave station WBCQ

An interesting post, Mike. Thanks for posting and the feedback on the Tony Kirk content, after so many years, much appreciated. It brings back memories when I recorded my 'Tony Kirk' RNYI 30-minute Radio Caroline shows in 1992 and sent them over to Al.

IIRC, Chris Edwards of Offshore Echoes was the connection that allowed us to provide these shows. In 1992 we had very few broadcast outlets at the time, including some shortwave services, limited satellite time, and, of course, the Dover and Chatham RSLs. My RNYI programmes were produced in my home studio in South West London. Any means of giving Caroline air time was welcomed. Heady times as the organisation had limited funds and Ross Revenge was impounded in Dover, in poor shape following the Goodwins Sands grounding. Along with Peter Moore at the helm, we were extremely busy keeping the operation 'alive'.

Strangely and unknowingly, my connection to Al Weiner occurred a few years earlier in 1988. I had started my first stint on the Ross in November of that year and Al recorded 6215khz shortwave in Maine, USA. It was my evening slot 9 pm to midnight. It was later featured in Al's 'The Pirate's Cove' show, dated 9th November 2003. Link provided below.

https://archive.org/details/pirates-cove/2003-1109+pirates+cove+rni+1987+and+radio+caroline+1988.mp3

Previous Message

The Divided Dial is a Peabody award winning podcast on how right wing talk radio became dominant in the US. First series dealt with it on medium wave and FM. Second series is on shortwave, podcasts around 35 minutes. Produced by NPR station WNYC, also included in their weekly long running On the Media series.

First episode in the second series dealt with the early broadcasts, then broadcasts on shortwave to and from the US in World War Two and the Cold War.
Second series dealt with the far right and extremist broadcasters from the many newly licenced stations in the 1990's. Lots of audio from the broadcasters in each episode.

Latest episode may be of particular interest to readers of this forum as it features Al Weiner.

"Today, in the internet era, much of the shortwaves have been left to the most extreme voices — including a conspiratorial flat earth ministry, and an ultra-conservative cult complete with everything from sexual abuse to dead infants and illegal burials. In the 737-person northern Maine town of Monticello, one of the world's farthest-reaching radio stations has given them a home, pumping out extremism and conspiracy theories to the world as the voice of American broadcasting."

Katie Thornton visits WBCQ to watch a solar eclipse and chats extensively to Alan Weiner as well as Timothy B Smith (engineer who started on landbased pirate radio and now has a music show Radio Timtrom) and a transmitter engineer who used to work on Christian Science station WCSN.

Starts with audio and reports on Al Weiner's time on offshore radio station Radio New York International. Audio of broadcasters includes Brother Stair, World's Last Chance and Hal Turner. World's Last Chance provided the funding for the 500kw shortwave transmitter he now has.

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/divided-dial

Some more background for those unaware of it.

Al was a landbased pirate broadcaster in New York from the late 60's when he was in high school. Then had licences for some low power AM and FM stations. Thought about starting an offshore radio station in 1985, knew about Radio Caroline.

He rang up Caroline's New York office and said he was interested as working for them as an engineer. Spoke to Ronan later and joined them in November. Spent three weeks there including reconditioning their shortwave transmitter which then tested on 6215, a frequency that caused them problems with the authorities as it's a marine distress frequency. Ronan wanted him to stay but at the time he had his station in the States and wanted an offshore station one. Ronan suggested he call it Radio Caroline West.

John Ford, American DJ who was on Caroline for five months in 1985 helped him fit out the MV Sarah Radio New York International broadcast from and was also involved when it came back on air again for a short time after it's initial raid.

His first contact with Brother Stair was when he fitted out a proposed offshore station for him in 1993 on the Fury 5, four shortwave, one medium wave and one FM. It was thought it would get a licence from St Nevis/St Kitts. They pulled out, ship got raided by the FCC in 1994. Brother Stair has broadcast from several other shortwave stations and still is despite him having passed away.

In August 1990 shortwave station WWCR rang him up to see if he would be interested in leasing time from them to broadcast as Radio New York International. Started the next month Sundays 9pm to 1am EST. From I think 1991 they included 30 minute broadcasts from Radio Caroline. They were also broadcast the following Wednesday on Costa Rican station Radio for Peace International.

Three are available for download or streaming on Internet Archive.

https://archive.org/details/radio-caroline-wbcq

The two Tony Kirk ones are the most interesting IMO as they give details of what was happening at the time on the Ross Revenge in Dover, future plans and items for sale from Caroline. The Chris Watford one is mostly a history of radio in the UK from the 1960's.

He wrote a 246 autobiography Access to the Airwaves published in 1997, he'd applied for a shortwave licence by then, which I have. It's now out of print.