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Between 1956 and 1965 Radio Free Scotland (RFS) broadcast through the PAL audio channel of
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
(then on VHF) after ''
God Save the Queen
"God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, bu ...
'' finished in the evening, and, later on, on 262 metres
medium wave on the
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
.
The station was the initiative of
David Rollo, an electrical engineer who served as the
Scottish National Party (SNP)'s treasurer and head of broadcasting. He built a transmitter in the Townhead Cafe in
Kirkintilloch with Alvaro Rossi.
The first broadcast interrupted a BBC newscast when viewers in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
were told to stay tuned following sign off. This "pirate" radio transmission opened with the provocative statement: "This is Radio Free Scotland proclaiming to the nation that the fight for independence is on in earnest". This roving station was heard for almost a month in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
,
Ayrshire and Perth. The Scottish National Party (SNP) announced official backing for Radio Free Scotland because of the government ban on broadcasts by the Scottish and
Welsh nationalists on the BBC.
The BBC later paid for the right to re-broadcast some RFS material and the
SNP and
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
gained the right, as other parties already had, to time on mainstream broadcasters.
Leading figures in Radio Free Scotland included "Controller General",
Gordon Wilson, who later became an
MP (1974–1987) and was Chairman (Convener) of the SNP from 1979 to 1990.
Douglas Henderson, also later an MP, was "Director of Programmes"
between 1963 and 1965. Scotland's oldest woman when she died,
Annie Knight, hosted the station in her living room during 1962.
Gordon Wilson has written a book about the station, ''Pirates of the Air''.
Radio Free Scotland was reborn online in 2007 after the blessing of
William Wolfe
William Cuthbertson Wolfe (22 February 1924 – 18 March 2010) was a Scottish accountant, manufacturer and Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He was the National Convenor (leader) of the SNP from 1969 to 1979, playing a central role in ...
and others from the original station was given to Presenter "Pax". The station was presented for the first run by Pax himself with occasional guests providing music and opinion relevant to
Scottish independence. Every show still starts with opening words from the original broadcasts.
Pax was diagnosed with cancer and went through several treatments for it and the show went off air for a while. After successful treatment the show was back on, this time with co-host Norrie and the double act was born. In late 2014 Pax was diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder presenting as the main symptom. His treatment continues.
In 2013 the show was revamped again to include regular guests Nick Durie and Gordon S. Kerman giving their own views and insights along
Yes Scotland
Yes Scotland was the organisation representing the parties, organisations, and individuals campaigning for a ''Yes'' vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. It was launched on 25 May 2012 and dissolved in late 2014 after Scotland voted ...
Edinburgh Pentlands co-ordinator Simon Hayter giving monthly updates both nationally and regionally for the Yes Scotland campaign.
The station has an account on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
, although it has been inactive since December 2014.
References
External links
Details of book launch of Pirates of the Air - http://news.scotsman.com/politics/Pirates-of-the-Caledonian-Uncovering.6842505.jp
Radio Free Scotland Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/Radio.Free.Scotland
{{Authority control
Radio stations in Scotland
Scottish independence
Pirate radio stations in the United Kingdom
Scottish National Party
Defunct radio stations in the United Kingdom
Radio stations established in 1956
Radio stations disestablished in 1965