Radio 390

Radio 390 (1965 - 1967) was a pirate radio station which operated from the former British Army Maunsell towers located off southeastern England on the Red Sands sandbar.

Radio Invicta's successor KING Radio was bought by Ted Allbeury, who wanted to relaunch it with an easy listening format and name it "Eve, The Women's Magazine of the Air". One of KING's disc jockeys had been John McGowan, brother of Cathy McGowan, presenter of the television rock show "Ready Steady Go!" Allbeury was advised to change the name to the station's wavelength in metres so listeners would know where to tune. The actual wavelength was 388 metres (773 kHz), but 390 was easier to remember and close enough for tuning. However, the original name was not discarded: the station was announced as "Radio 390 presenting "Eve", The Women's Magazine of the Air".

Like its neighbour Radio City, Radio 390 took advantage of the fort's layout by erecting a 250-foot vertical mast on an inner tower, guyed to three of the outer towers. This gave it a stable and efficient antenna, more than on ship-based stations, ensuring a 10 kilowatt transmitter coverede southern England - so much so that for the benefit of advertisers the station claimed 35 kilowatts.

The station's easy listening format was innovative but criticised by rival Britain Radio as "stone age radio - a series of segmented dirges".

The 1966 "Danger Man" ("Secret Agent") episode "Not-So-Jolly Roger" was set aboard a pirate radio fort, and partly filmed in and around Red Sands, with the credited permission of Radio 390. The fictional "Radio Jolly Roger" was a front for enemy spies.

There have been attempts to revive the station. One is a website claiming association with the original people behind the Radio 390 of the 1960s. This can be found at http://www.radio390.co.uk.tt

Red Sands Radio, a temporary station operating under a Restricted Service Licence, broadcast from Red Sands Fort for ten days between July 14 and July 23 2007 and July 2 to July 13 2008. Many of its presenters worked on offshore pirate stations in the 1960s and 1970s and the station celebrated the legacy of offshore broadcasting, particularly from the forts. [http://www.redsandonline.co.uk/]