Pirate radio in the United Kingdom Caroline and Radio London started to broadcast on medium wave to the UK from offshore ships or disused sea forts. At the time, these stations were not illegal because they were broadcasting from international waters. The stations were set up by entrepreneurs and music enthusiasts to meet the growing demand for pop and rock music, which was not catered for by the legal BBC Radio services. The first British pirate radio station was Radio Caroline, which was launched by Irish music entrepreneur Ronan O'Rahilly, and started broadcasting from a ship off the Essex coast in 1964. By 1967 ten pirate
Pirate radio in the United Kingdom Community Radio, especially in areas such as London with a concentration of pirate radio stations. As such, a number of former pirate radio stations have made the transition to legal broadcasting through community radio licenses, such as Rinse FM, Kane FM, and most recently Flex FM. Others have embraced internet radio, whether that be in addition to radio transmitting, or moving towards it as their primary broadcasting medium. However, some remain skeptical of the ability of the local community and pirate broadcasters to make the move to legal status. The first political radio station was Radio Free Scotland, which illegally