Author: Beatrice Camarlinghi

Radio Luxembourg is a Pirate Radio. In fact it broadcasted on a radio frequency that was not allocated to the station and crossed national boundaries. To reach its widespread audience the station adopted the law of commerce and ignored international rules.

A ship with broadcasting equipment on board, sailing offshore on international waters that was considered a pirate radio. Bypassing national regulations, censorship and taxes pirate radios in the 60s claimed to be independent and challenging the monopoly of traditional radio stations like the BBC and of Record Companies.

Radio Luxembourg was affected by those nautical radio stations. As they both relied on sponsors to finance their activity they were in direct concurrence. National governments too did not appreciate the music of the corsairs as in international waters they did not pay taxes and disturbed national radio transmissions.

Sources:

http://www.ina.fr/video/CAF96032180/bateaux-radio-pirates-video.html#xtor=AL-3

HARRIS, Paul, When Pirates Ruled the Waves, Aberdeen: Impulse Publication, 1970, pp. 215.

AnLux AE- 13371 Comité Juridique pour la radiodiffusion et la television 1962-1963

-Lettre du 20 juillet 1963 du Ministre d’Etat au Ministre des affaires étrangères

BADENOCH, Alexander, Between Rock and Roll and a Hard Place: ‘Pirate’ Radio and the Problems of Territory in Cold War Europe, in: Airy Curtains in the European Ether, Broadcasting and the Cold War, Badenoch, A., Fickers, A., Henrich-Franke, Ch., (ed.), Baden-Baden, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 2013, pp. 297-319.