Horizon Radio London’s Legendary Soul Music Station

Horizon Radio 1981 to 1985

London’s Legendary Soul Music station set the standards that others that came later are still striving to attain today. When the station voluntary closed down in 1985, even the legal radio stations of the day were asking the question “How On Earth Did You Make Horizon Radio The Most Listened To Radio Station In London”. It is not known if Horizon Radio was the most listened to radio station in London, but nevertheless a nice complement to hear from those who worked in the legal radio industry at the time and asked the question many times.

Horizon Radio very nearly never came into being, as one of the co-founders really did not want to get involved with unlicensed broadcasting. It took Nigel Walton (ex Radio Jackie) one of the co-founders a long time to get Chris Stewart to agree to give it a try.

The first broadcast came on the 11^th of October 1981 from the roof of Conniston House, a tower-block in Camberwell London SE5. Two one-hour shows had been per-recorded By Nigel & Chris (both club DJ’s) and played out by an auto reverse cassette machine and a 5 watt VHF FM transmitter 0n 94.4 Vhf. This continued for 2 hours every Sunday right up until Christmas 1981. The first live shows via a link on 108.5Vhf FM were broadcast at Christmas 1981. That night Horizon Radio did suffer a visit from the RID and lost the transmitter and cassette player.

In early 1982 a studio was constructed in the roof of Comber House, no doors just windows to enter and leave by. 5 floors up and no one but the every growing DJ roster knew it was there. Around the same time a transmitter was installed on a tower block in Rye Hill Park Peckham Nunhead. This transmitter could not be found as if anyone (RID) moved the hatch to the roof, it would turn off the power to the transmitter and disconnect the antenna coax. This transmitter lasted over 12 months before the system was finally found. 1982 also saw Wednesday nights being added to the schedule of Sunday Nights and Long Bank Holidays along with the first outside broadcast.

1983 at Easter, Horizon Radio venture out of that hidden studio into clubland and the first alldayer. The Idea was to see what kind of following the station had. Kisses in Peckam the venue was full in minutes with queues outside. The second Bank Holiday of the year was just the same. August 1983 Bank Holiday saw a move to a bigger Venue at The Podium 1 Nine Elms Lane Vauxhall. This was full again in minutes. This event was broadcast live and thousands turned up just parking their cars, turning up their stereos and dancing in the street. The area was a complete roadblock nothing moved for hour’s (traffic wise). This was also the day the phrase Soul Family was born.

1983/4 thanks to Radio Jackie a loop hole was found in the 1947 wireless telegraphy act. Horizon Radio moved from London’s tower blocks to a privately owned building at 70 Westow Hill corner of  St Aubyn’s Road, Crystal Palace and put up a 50ft antenna mast, then switched on 24/7 in early March 1984. The station at the time was running 3 transmitters, 94.5 Vhf, 104 Vhf and on MW. Instantaneously there was a interference problem with Gas Board Communication receivers which saw a visit from the RID in late March. That visit confirmed the loophole as the transmitter which the RID tried to takeaway, had to be given back. Horizon Radio worked with the Gas Board engineers and found that any transmitter above 102.6 Vhf caused interference to Gas Board Communications. Horizon Radio at the Gas Boards request  moved down to 102.5 Vhf which did not cause problems. 7 months of 24 hour uninterrupted broadcasting commenced.

This was The Summer Of Soul In London. Further information about 1984 and 1985 is contained on the About Us Pages.

The Soul Radio Pioneers

Radio Invicta was the first soul music radio station in the UK, the idea of Tony Johns (R.I.E.P.). Tony you inspired us Thank You. Radio Invicta gave Sundays & Bank-holidays a very special meaning.

Tony Johns, Steve Devonne and the rest of the team on a Sunday afternoon and long bank holidays, nothing was better.

Sadly the RID and other problems saw broadcast hours diminishing by 1981. Radio Invicta finally called it a day in 1984. The original Soul Radio Station that gave happiness to thousands of Soul Music Lovers across the Capital and beyond.

JFM (Brian Anthony) (R.I.E.P Brian)  took up the challenge after Invicta started to fade and for a long time made a brilliant job of it. Live every Sunday from morning till night, quality too.

JFM too suffered broadcasting problems, so hours became erratic as the transmitter mysteriously grew legs and jumped into a Red Astra? The station’s studio location was finally grassed up to the authorities in late December 1984, resulting in JFM being raided in the second week of January 1985 and taken off air, never to return.