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Radio Sutch & City - Part 12

Transmitters, Antenna Masts and More

Issue: 2 Updated: 11th June 2020

Court for dress code for David Sutch Court for dress code for David Sutch

Club call David Sutch the self seeking publicity machine (1963)

Swedish Headline Report on Radio Sutch
Swedish Report on Radio Sutch

Radio Sutch made news headlines in Sweden (20th May 1964)

Would any of our Swedish visitors like to translate?

Radio Sutch

Radio Sutch takes to the air colour by Harm Koenders ( 26th May 1964)

Daily Express Cartoon on Radio Sutch

Daily Express (26th May 1964)

Initially Radio Sutch was treated as something of a joke, the transmissions were spasmodic & programme suspect with little direction, DJ's played what they fancied from what little was available

Colin Dale

'Stars of Tomorrow' (1964)

The all important plugs were for Kings Agency bands & Reg's signings, primarily his biggest act the Fortunes, soon followed by the Pinkerton's Assorted Colours, The Rocking Berries, The Hallabaloos, Wayne Gibson & his Dynamic Sounds, The Pixies and a whole load more from Reg's famous Rock School

Late at night Radio Sutch read unabridged extracts of 'Lady Chatterleys Lover' by D H Lawrence, much to the amusement of passing fisherman, about the only people able to pick up the station after dark

Voise of Prophecy on Radio City

The Voice of Prophecy on Radio City (1965)

By December 1964 the old Radio Sutch transmitter was used for religion on 187 metres, sponsors of the programming had complained their material couldn't be heard in London

A second more powerful ex-Naval Cossor transmitter was taken out in 1965, you can see pictures in Sutch & City - Part 4

City Headed Paper

Paul Elvey writes ..

Reply to fan mail by Paul Elvey, and now some jobs for the boys ... (6th February 1965)

Station Controllers Job 1

Station Controllers Job 2

Bill Crozier Job offer (1st April 1965)


Audio

Radio City extracts from tapes discovered by Cliff Cuttelle March-April 1965

The tapes have laid in boxes untouched for years, Cliff recently discovered his reel & dropped it in on one of his visits from Thailand in July 2009 which prompted, me to raid my tape archive. Goodness we were appauling but just youngsters at the time

Both tapes had suffered dozens of dried out splices, City re-used tape mercilessly even Anti-City tapes sent in by listeners were used again so recordings were subject to various degrees of drop out depending on quality

My tape dates from March 1965 and was recorded during an engineering test on one of the Ferrographs after we'd officially closed at 19.00. Reg had asked for some tests after dark as the TX was wandering, we later discovered the rise and fall of tide caused the drift

Cliffs tape was recorded by Dick Dixon on Good Friday 1965 on the TX room Grundig


Job request from BFBS 1

Job request from BFBS 2

Job refusal (17th April 1965)

Tony Carroll Airlift Headline
Tony Carroll Airlift Story

The late Tony Carroll airlifted from the Towers just a few days after arriving (June 1965)

The 5 x 4 Show

The daily 5x4 show at 5pm begun soon after Radio City was conceived in September 1964

The idea was largely that of Eric K Martin of the Record Centre, he was station controller & in his own words Beatles & Rolling Stones records sold by the bucket load

5x4 traded on the trend to become one of Pirate Radio's most loved and memorable programmes

500 shows was artistic licence, the true number was just under 400

J L Eve Antenna 1

J L Eve Antenna 2

J L Eve Antenna 3

J L Eve Antenna 4

J L Eve Construction Co Ltd antenna maintenance quotation (3rd February 1967)

Reply to J L Eve Antenna

A day after the closedown the maintenance declined, soon rented mast was dissembled (9th February 1967)

Shivering Sands Gun Towers

Shivering Sands: Beneath Gun Tower 4, G3 with Searchlight Tower (2008)

Shivering Sands Gun Towers

Shivering Sands: Beneath Gun Tower 4, G3 with Searchlight Tower (2008)

Rock School Poster

Poster for the Play based on Reg Calvert's life (2009)

A musical  entrepreneur & pioneer Offshore Radio founder Rock School (pdf) was written by his eldest daughter Susan


Just a note to let you know that my 'first' stage play (with music) is having it's premier performances on October 1st, 2nd & 3rd in Old Windsor. The Peters Players are a small theatre group, so please don't come expecting anything more than what a small group can stage. I am pleased to say that the rehersals went well and Dilwyn Bright who is directing says he thinks the play will go far so here's hoping. My art exhibition, 'People and Places' is currently running until 20th September at Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery. It has been very well reviewed - and I am in the gallery on Saturday 5th September, doing a portrait demonstration between 11 - 1pm. Kind regards - Susan K Calvert-Moore

This feature is dedicated to the Memory of Ian West Radio City's much respected senior transmitter engineer

Pictures of Ian may be seen in Radio Sutch & City - Part 2 & Part 3

The story will continue in Sutch & City - Part 13