Click here to hear Radio
Kaleidoscope, London 
(download 177kb) or streamed audio!
More Radio Kaleidoscope (download 136kb) or streamed audio!This aircheck features both Phil Hazleton
and Pat Edison
Radio Kaleidoscope, Southend with
Gerry Kaye (download) or streamed audio!
The Radio
Kaleidoscope theme 'Kaleidoscope' (download) or streamed audio!
Address, Radio Kaleidoscope, 71 George Street, London W1.
One of the most innovative Pirates to broadcast in Britain, Kaleidoscope followed a strict format which was popular on American Top 40 stations of the time. They originally began broadcasts on 226metres medium wave in Southend-on Sea, Essex in September 1970 but following many successful transmissions the station eventually closed and a saddened disc jockey annouced that Dionne Warwick's 'Walk On By' would be 'the last record ever heard on Radio kaleidoscope'.
The station remained silent until early '73 and dropping 'The Dambusters' theme in favour of a new theme, 'Kaleidoscope' by the group Kaleidoscope, operations were transferred to South London. With a clear, strong signal on a new wavelength of 266 metres and a bright hit radio format, the station became popular with a disenchanted public still seeking an alternative to Radio One. Even the well established Radio Jackie fell by the wayside, indeed most of Jackie's best known presenters left to join "Big K".
Transmissions took place every Sunday from 10 am until 3pm on 1133 kHz, announced as 266 metres. The station broadcast mobile from various sites around the London and Essex areas with programmes recorded earlier in the week. The station suffered almost weekly raids by the then GPO, (Radio Interference Service) but on many occasions the staff were able to flee the transmitting site with all the equipment. An FM service (KFM) was also broadcast on 94.4 MHz on Thursday nights as part of the London Transmitter of Independent Radio. Kaleidoscope continued weekly transmissions until February 22nd 1976 when at 1300 Pat Edison closed the station down.
It is a fitting tribute that most of the Big K staff went on to work on the new ILR stations around the country. Pat Edisons' views on the unhealty state of British sound broadcasting and his actions to do something about it helped mould Radio Kaleidoscope into a dynamic, exciting and innovative station that became a regular fixture on the medium wave band for several years. It provided listeners with some of the most stimulating radio heard in the UK since the demise of the offshore pirates. What a pity so much money and resources were expended on attempting to close the station down.
The airchecks feature the station, in its heyday, signing on at 1000 hrs on Sunday December 29th 1973 and two programming extracts from around the same period. Also you can enjoy a rare clip of the Gerry Kaye show on Radio Kaleidoscope, Southend and the station theme 'Kaleidoscope' by Kaleidoscope.
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