THE BACKGROUND It might seem inconceivable that a radio station that was thought up and for many years pretty much produced in a back bedroom of a semi-detached house in Sutton, should have a history that spanned 16 years. And furthermore a history that dictates that said station captured the hearts of a sizeable chunk of South West London, and finished up broadcasting 24 hours a day, with over 12 full time staff and an audience of up to a million people. Inconceivable that is, when you consider that the whole thing was done illegally and with two fingers up to the authorities that were responsible for regulating the airwaves. Radio Jackie - in the eyes of many of it's earlier contributors - 'sold out' to the system somewhat, in it's latter years. The story is a captivating one, regardless of your opinion of the way things developed. And the explanations offered under the heading of 'Politics' (on the left), may go some way to explaining how the station 'got away' with all that it did. The first ten years of Radio Jackie's existence were no picnic. The station was broadcast, on tape for the most part, from discreet countryside locations, using home built transmitters and powered by car batteries. It was on air every Sunday in all weathers, and hardly ever missed a broadcast. It was constantly pursued, first by the Post Office, who at the time were responsible for enforcing the Wireless Telegraphy Act, and later by the DTI (same people, different badges). Many of Radio Jackie's contributors were caught and prosecuted throughout those early times, and it's founder Nick Catford (pictured left, cutting the cake at the stations 15th birthday party), is probably the man who received the most prosecutions for offences against the aforementioned act. But try as they might, the powers that were could not silence it. And as the station fought its way into the eighties, it eventually went over to live broadcasting, and extended its transmissions, first to encompass the entire weekend, and eventually to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And so it was, that in those early eighties, the station became the property of local businessman (and Radio Jackie engineer) Tony Collis, and it was this development which allowed the station to grow to the size that it did. Quite a few Radio Jackie presenters went on to greater things after the station finally closed. Names like Paul McKenna, Dave Pearce and Phil Kennedy to name but a few. So just how did the station manage to have such an influence on the local community, and manage to transmit continously, live and relatively unchallenged? The answer lies (as with so many things), in the politics.