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:: RSN
GOLD commercial radio ~ 1967 ~ commercial radio
~ 1968 ~ During 1968 a new DJ, later to
be named Kenny King, joined the station and many contacts were made
through Paul Harris, author of 'When Pirates Ruled the Waves'. These
included former Radio Scotland deejays Jack McLaughlin, Tony Allen and
Jimmy Mac. The latter, along with Dave Jamieson of hospital radio station
Forth Radio Network in Edinburgh, gave a tremendous amount of help and
encouragement to develop the station. After some adventures on a Coventry
land-based pirate that year, in June a refit of the station ~ 1969 ~
~ 1970 ~ The studio was repainted, and in May the local Conservative MP Mr W H K Baker visited the station. An interview with Mr Baker was recorded, and is stored in the station's archives. A change of government that year when Labour lost the election made the possibility of RSN becoming a proper broadcasting station a reality, and all members of the staff pursued this goal. The new Conservative government were sympathetic towards establishing land-based commercial radio in the UK. ~ 1971 ~ A momentous episode occurred
that year, and we shall quote directly from Nicky Knight's book 'The
History of Radio Scotland (North)' for a description.
Nicky Knight - also Managing
Director Norman McLeod had to leave the area to attend Brighton University, but he visited regularly while home on holiday, and the equipment received its regular servicing! The station was by now receiving regular promotional copies of new albums, singles and promotional material from record companies, and actively promoted the discs on-air and in the North-East of Scotland. Nicky Knight attended by invitation a cocktail party at the presentation of a Golden Disc to The New Seekers in Edinburgh during the Eurovision Song Contest for their hit 'We'd Like to Teach the World to Sing'. He met the group, and also some record company representatives, securing more promo copies of new releases for the station. The station also ran a listeners' club called the RSN Clan, which entitled members to a monthly Clan Magazine, and reduced prices on promotional material such as pens, car stickers, badges and photos of the station and staff. Altogether, it was a very professionally run organisation and had a great following not only in the North-East of Scotland, but all over the UK. Also very popular was the mobile disco, The RSN Roadshow which was much in demand, and was used to finance the non-profit making section of the operation. ~ 1975 ~ By now, it was beginning to become apparent that a licence to operate as a legal commercial radio station from land was going to be well in excess of the resources of the station. A regrettable decision was made to close down the station, as its raison d'être was to eventually broadcast to the area from transmitters. This fact, coupled with a work move to Dunbar in East Lothian, seemed like the end. But never say 'never'! A new studio was found in Dunbar at Lauderdale, and the station recommenced producing programmes purely as a tape station. Things ran fairly smoothly with a new batch of deejays, but another drastic change was on the way. ~ 1978 ~ In October, the station moved once more back to Banff, and continued operations from a home studio. The Roadshow continued to prosper and was again asked to provide music at various venues. ~ 1981 ~ Home was moved once again,
this time to Scotstown in Banff, and the station operated from a
custom-built home studio. This studio looked out to the rolling waves of
the North Sea, and it was almost like broadcasting from a radio ship! ~ 2001 ~ On 24th September, 2001, RSN Gold actually takes to the air - legally. In conjunction with a third party, the station secured an RSL (Restricted Service Licence) and broadcast to the surrounding area under the name of Deveron FM with an output of 25 watts on 107 MHz FM. This broadcast was made from studios in Castle Street, Banff, and at the end of it the complete studio had to be dismantled and rebuilt in its current location. ~ 2007 ~
Forty years on - and RSN Gold
still continues, providing a much loved tape radio service to a dedicated
band of listeners all over the UK. A new website is established, with
online audio featuring monthly programmes from the station broadcasting
in RealMedia using RealPlayer on your PC. ~ 2009 ~ The online service ends due to tightening legislation, but the station continues in its long-established system of broadcasting on cassette tape and CD. The search engine block on the website is now removed and the full station facilities are unleashed to the world! ~2009/10~ 26th November 2009 was another memorable date in the life of RSN Gold. It is the day the online service of the station resumed, in a new and better format. Programmes could now be downloaded in CD quality stereo as MP3 files. Members of the RSN Gold Listeners Clan received an e-mail with notification of the download link. The station entered the new decade with new vigour, new life, and welcomed many more new listeners. ~2011~ Due to various constraints, rules and regulations inflicted on the station, all programme downloads were discontinued. Previous listeners were encouraged to keep in touch on a personal level. ~2013~ 2 videos produced by John
Milne showcasing the station through the years are added to the
"Gallery". ~2016~ At last - RSN Gold is back "on the air" from our website - legally AND in HQ stereo. Go to the "Listen" page and enjoy the latest programmes as they appear monthly. Don't forget to get in touch and make a request or dedication to your loved ones to be included in the next show. We are YOUR station!
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On July 16th 1967, less than a
month before the Government's Marine Offences Bill was to come into effect
and outlaw the offshore 'pirate' stations, Nicky Knight decided that the
sound of commercial radio should not die for us as it had to for others.
With the imminent loss of Scotland's much loved offshore station, Radio
Scotland on 242, something had to be done. With only one tape recorder, a
record player and no proper studio the sound that was to become RSN was
born. A basic studio was formed in Peterhead, and the station was launched
under the name of Radio Scotland (North). Unable by law to broadcast
on-air, programmes would be sent out on tape to listeners.
with some new
equipment was needed. It is ironic to think that the former offshore
stations had bought ships to broadcast from, and in order to afford the
station refit, Nicky Knight had to sell a fishing boat! A selection
of crucial brand new equipment was purchased and installed, making the
programming sound better than ever.
In February, another
advertisement in 'Disc and Music Echo' brought in even more listeners. A
larger studio was required, and premises were secured in Thistle Street,
Peterhead. These had the luxury of two rooms - the second room doubling up
as a second studio and office. Then, in early July, fate played its part.
A move was required to Macduff for work commitments, and the station faced
complete closure as a result. However, after only fourteen days 'off the
air', the station returned from temporary premises in Banff, and
recommenced programmes with Nicky Knight as the only deejay. The local
paper in Banff ran an article on the station along with an advertisement
for deejays, with no response. Then the Aberdeen based Press & Journal
printed an article, and gradually interest grew in the station and
applications were received for positions.
DJ NAME