Fifty years ago, after a long delay, the government acted to close down the dozen or so pirate radio stations which had sprung up around the British coast. Many of the stories about those ships and offshore forts, and the personalities involved, are well known, but this book asks intriguing questions about what was really going on behind the scenes.

Offshore unlicensed radio stations were not a new idea, they had existed in different forms elsewhere for decades, so why did the phenomenon blossom in the UK when it did?

It is common to conflate the rise of the UK pirate radio stations with the predominantly left-wing liberation struggles going on at the same time: civil rights protests, anti-war movements, student unrest and increasingly liberal attitudes to sex and sexuality. Fifty years on we can appreciate the reality: the people behind the early offshore stations were frequently motivated by very different political agendas and often the ships and forts were simply pawns in much bigger power games.

The list of players in this story ranges from a Texan oil millionaire, a wealthy American evangelist preacher and the wife of a US president to the managers of struggling UK pop groups and notorious London gangsters. And, throughout it all, there’s the shadowy presence of various state security agencies from the CIA and MI5 to the East German Stasi.

Pirate Gold shines a light on the social, political and technological background to the rise of the UK offshore pirate stations and their lasting effect on British radio broadcasting.

A superb book. Extremely well written and researched, and looks at offshore radio from a different perspective from most books on the subject. It is not purely a history but gives much more information about what went on behind the scenes and the wider implications of the stations. An essential read for anyone with an interest in these stations and complements well other books, without a lot of duplication. Very highly recommended.
Michael E Kebbell.

Just when you think you know it all, here comes objective fresh insight into a fascinating era. Engagingly written, this is a must for anyone interested in these times in radio, and the events which surround them. Top notch book.
David Lloyd

If you want another misty eyed, romanticised account of sixties offshore radio then Pirate Gold by Brian Lister is not for you. The author points out that by endless repetition, many myths about the era have become facts when they are not facts at all and that the truth is far different.
Peter Moore, Manager, Radio Caroline

Brian Lister is a trusted and respected radio consultant, working with numerous radio groups. He previously co-authored a guide to Managing Radio with two colleagues from Sunderland University where he is a visiting lecturer. With a diverse, multi-skilled background in BBC, commercial and community radio Brian currently specialises in radio licence application projects, station launches, programming consultancy, interim management and training. His passion for radio is life-long, initially involved in broadcasting through land-based pirate radio and setting-up a hospital radio service, he became manager of University Radio Essex while studying for his electronics degree. He then trained with BBC Radio as a studio manager, working at Broadcasting House and with the overseas services at Bush House. Joining Metro Radio for the launch of the Tyneside radio station in 1974 he went on to manage commercial radio stations in Teesside, Harrogate, Darlington and Sunderland. He was also a founding director of community radio stations in Sunderland and Teesdale. As development director for The Local Radio Company he wrote many successful Ofcom licence applications for the group and other organisations. He has since worked with a variety of radio businesses and projects including Jazz FM and Lyca Media. In the 1970s he served on the National Executive of the broadcasting union ABS and in the 1990s was a board member of the Commercial Radio Companies Association. Brian was a trustee of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust and is an active member of the Radio Academy.

PIRATE GOLD IS ALSO AVAILABLE VIA AMAZON AND FROM THE RADIO CAROLINE SOCIETY WEBSITE BOOKSHOP