You would think that fans of the original land based pirates in the UK would be keen that the legacy of those stations is also remembered. What better way than doing that than giving a big thumbs up to those who keep the free radio flag flying over the big cities of our country today!

Yet over the last two decades rather than support them, an awful lot of older anoraks have derided such stations, following the mantra of OFCOM, BBC, and commercial radio stations that they are all a bunch of drug dealers, illegal party messengers, and basic criminals. 

Just like Tony Benn calling the sixties offshore stations 'pirates that should be outlawed' and the persistent attempts of the Post Office and the DTI to shut everything land-based down from the seventies on-wards (and of course the eighties offshore stations) most older anoraks today seem to have switched sides and agree these are 'not real pirates'  and must be silenced.

I say most, because not everyone swallows the propaganda of our wonderful authorities, and the closet and sometimes very open racist opinions of narrow minded individuals that simply want shot of them because they are the wrong colour, or that the music they play is just a noise (do any of you remember hearing that about pop music in the sixties?).

However FM free radio is still about as last years video below confirms.

Even though I was quite young, it didn't take me long to realize that far from replacing Radio London in 1967, Radio One was a complete sell out on all fronts. You may well be familiar with the photo below of the first line up of DJ's that in all honesty followed the money rather than caring for any listener.

Years later as the video demonstrates they were down to just two of the old school. Some had managed to migrate to the then awful Radio Two, and some got a gig on commercial radio. Far from remaining household names the vast majority of offshore DJ's of the sixties right through to the eighties are simply now forgotten from the public consciousness.

Yet a few hundred anoraks cling on to the past like it's some magical kingdom of wonderful radio that can never be repeated. Yet today's radio choice if you include online streaming stations has never been so varied and caters for so many more listeners!

Personally I think that when a presenters ego grows far more quickly than his audience, or when the future cannot change (in their minds), then it's only a matter of time before there is blood on the carpets.

My final thought is this, is it now time for some more blood on the carpet in regards of the dreadful presenters who pretend to be DJ's on the current offshore tribute stations, particularly those who say they have a real connection to the past, albeit pretty much unlikely.