Radio Mercur

Radio Mercur was a Danish offshore radio which broadcast between 1958 and 1962. Mercur was the Foundation of the tree (explosion) to zeezenders in the ' 60s and ' 70s.

Three years after the start, the listening audience has grown to 3.5 million. Initially, the broadcasting shipused Mercur one Cheetah I. Later there came the Cheeta II and the Lucky Star at.

In 1962 joined the Danish Radio Mercur was silent in operation and antizeezenderwet for good.



Content
[hide] *1 Opening  ==Opening[ Edit] == On 2 August 1958, CopenhagenDenmark, especially heard a new sound on the FM band (89.50 MHz): Commercial Radio Mercur. The sound came out of the sea, of the vessel Cheeta I, in international waters, 4 miles (about 6 km) South of Copenhagen. The Danish national radio had a monopoly on DR taking care of radio broadcasts, but the law forbade the sending from international waters not. Also the law on the distribution of transmission frequencies did not take into account channels outside national territory.
 * For history 2
 * 3 preparation
 * 4 Start
 * 5 End
 * 6 Trivia
 * 7 external links

A year later described the TV magazine (Edition of 12 July 1959) the transmitter as follows (copied including language errors, for example Mercuur instead of Mercur): ''"it is almost a year since a new signal the rest on the FM band disturbed. The 89.5 MHz wavelength was unsafe created by screaming musical advertising and endorsements of soap powder and margarine were not from the air. It took a whole day for Copenhagen radioluisterend understood that this was the result of the appearance of the 70 tons of great fishing vessel Mercuur, which is about 10 kilometers off the coast of Denmark for anchor was gone! Great was the consternation and indignation at the Danish radio-broadcasting-for they had the exclusive right for the Danish radio programs. It soon became apparent that this is not an attempt by one day went, but that it is a well-designed organization concerned, which, with the aim of a Danish advertising to set the station broadcasts by a group of international lawyers had carefully prepare "''. ==For History[ Edit] == Peer Jack from Copenhagen in the first half of the 1950s got the idea to start an offshore radio. He was crazy about the new music genres, such as rock and roll, and listened to Radio Luxembourg and occasionally toAFN. If it were to receive this reasonable rate is a little expensive, on the medium wave. The national Danish radio Statsradiofonien turned as good as never music of his liking. The Danish law gave the official national radio stations a monopoly position. Danish listeners had the choice of two transmitters: Program 1 and Program 2.

During a trip through southern Europe discovered Jack the broadcasting ship US Courier on the Mediterranean Sea near Rhodes. It sent out under the name Voice of America. The Government of the UNITED STATESput the transmitter in order to broadcast propaganda aimed at the Soviet Union attached to the Eastern European countries. Jack came up with the idea of combining an offshore radio with the sound of Radio Luxembourg. ==Preparation<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Jack found his employer, the silver company of his family, were led by Ib Fogh, prepared to invest money. Jack got help from his cousin Boerge Agerskov, law student at the University of Copenhagen. Together they prepared for the start of Mercur. In Germany they bought a fishing boat, the Cheetah I, and registered in Panama. The official owner was a Liechtenstein company.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Many programs on the station include tireswould, in the ether went on board. The recording studios arrived in the former Argentine Embassy in Copenhagen. The law was not a radio broadcasts on Danish territory, preparing thereof was not prohibited. Agerskov later said about this period: "I went out, as it were, or the plans of Peer were attainable. No one had previously thought of the possibilities that a radio station for our coast from a broadcasting ship could be realizable, without authorization by the Government had to have ".

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In a small port on the East coast of Zealand in the greatest secrecy the Cheetah I was equipped with transmitting devices. The FM transmitter was built by a brother-in-law of Jansen, William Petersen, who enthusiastically radio fanatic was.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">On 11 July 1958 the Cheetah I went at anchor off the coast of Copenhagen. One started the test broadcast on 93,12 MHz with an effective power of about 20 kW. Shortly thereafter shifted they ship to a place at the Swedish island of Ven, North of Copenhagen, in international waters between Denmark and Sweden. On the night of 17 on 18 July 1958 lost the Cheeta I her anchor and stranded at the Swedish coast at Malmö. ==Start<span class="mw-editsection" len="324" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After repair the Cheetah I enter back to international waters. Official broadcasts began on 2 August 1958.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">On August 5, 1958 to Panama asked the Danish Government to revoke the registration of the Cheetah I. Panama gave on August 29 hearing to this request. Although Radio Mercur afterwards claimed that the ship was registered in Honduras, the Cheetah I remained stateless until the end of the broadcasting station.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The popularity of Radio Mercur gradually took over. The drive had success with the concept of a mix of the new popular music and new Danish bands, which performed live in the studio and then at a later time through the recordings of which the broadcasting ship were broadcast.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Radio Mercur began on 31 August 1958 with daily 2 hour Swedish programs under the name Skånes Radio Mercur. On Board was a wheel (with car tire) installed, with which the transmitting antenna could be rotated in the right direction. Also the broadcast power increased.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">On 31 August 1961 started a new radio ship, the Cheeta II, broadcast on 88 MHz with an even stronger transmitter. The ship lay in Storebaelt between Zealand and Funen, so that the largest part of Denmark came within range. The Cheetah I went to Norway for maintenance and on 25 november 1961 came back on 89,55 MHz with the Swedish program, from an anchorage to the Elefantsgrunden.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In september 1961 a second offshore radio started its broadcasts (Danmarks Commercielle Radio): DCR . The station was founded by former employees of Mercur and used the Lucky Star as zend ship. On 19 January 1962 merged DCR with Radio Mercur. Mercur had three zend ships. But not for long.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">On 12 February 1962 a severe storm raged and the Cheetah came I in trouble. She was towed to the port of Copenhagen, where authorities seized the ship right away. The ship turned out not to be registered. For Radio Mercur was the Cheetah I lost. The Lucky Star took over the broadcasts. ==End<span class="mw-editsection" len="324" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Danish Government decided on 14 June 1962 to the import of a law that participation in all activities that have to do with send at sea, forbade. The law went into on 1 August 1962. On 3 July 1962 Sweden, Norway and Denmark spoke, Finland that they apply from 1 August 1962 broadcasting from the sea prohibited.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">On 10 July 1962 stopped as a result, the Cheeta II broadcasting. The ship was towed to Germany. The Lucky Star, and thus Radio Mercur, stopped its official broadcasts on July 31, 1962, at 23: 59 hours.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">On 13 August 1962 challenged one on the Lucky Star from the Danish authorities. The ship sent out old recordings of programmes of Mercur. Shortly after the Danish Government boarded the ship and took the Lucky Star to complete. Also this ship turned out not to be registered. The Lebanese flag which had flown on the ship, turned out to be false.

<p lang="en" len="631" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Swedish station Radio Syd of Britt Wadner took the two Cheetahs on of Mercur and sent, despite the ban, still out until 1966. ==Trivia<span class="mw-editsection" len="325" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * The national radio DR began on 1 January 1963 a third program: Melody Radio. This transmitter seemed very on Radio Mercur. Several employees of Mercur worked on the drive. Later, in 1968, the BBC would repeat this concept.
 * In February or april 1961 (sources differ disagree) held Mercur an experiment. One sent in stereo out, via two separate FM frequencies. The listener had two radios to hear the stereo effect.