Financial control, blame avoidance and Radio Caroline: Talkin’ ‘bout my generation

Abstract

We would like to thank Alan Sangster and Keith Duncan for their personal recollections and knowledge of Radio Caroline, and two anonymous referees and participants at the 8 th Accounting History International Conference for their helpful feedback.

Accounting history in diverse settings - an introduction

“…As was intimated in the previous paper by Nikidehaghani and Hui (2017), the ability to govern people is directly related to laws and rules imposed by the State. In the same way, Miley and Read (2017) testify how the British Government enacted the Marine & Broadcasting (Offences) Act (UK) 1967 and made use of financial control mechanisms to mask the strategies of governments to silence Radio Caroline. The purpose of the Marine & Broadcasting (Offences) Act (UK) 1967 was to silence Radio Caroline by cutting off its sources of income while, at the same time, ensuring that the legislation did not appear discriminatory, even though it was.…”

“…The article by Miley and Read (2017) deals with an illegal organisation, one of a group of radio stations established to circumvent British broadcasting legislation. These stations were collectively called ‘pirate radio’ by the British media.…”

“…These stations were collectively called ‘pirate radio’ by the British media. Taking its name from the daughter of the President of the United States, Caroline Kennedy, Radio Caroline – the subject of the Miley and Read’s (2017) paper – played non-stop rock music. Set in the 1960s United Kingdom, a time that witnessed the post-World War II ‘rise of youth culture and rock music, threats from the forces of anti-colonialism, disestablishmentarianism, as well as the republican and home-rule movements’ (Miley and Read, 2017: 306), Radio Caroline’s target market was the British youth.…”

“…Taking its name from the daughter of the President of the United States, Caroline Kennedy, Radio Caroline – the subject of the Miley and Read’s (2017) paper – played non-stop rock music. Set in the 1960s United Kingdom, a time that witnessed the post-World War II ‘rise of youth culture and rock music, threats from the forces of anti-colonialism, disestablishmentarianism, as well as the republican and home-rule movements’ (Miley and Read, 2017: 306), Radio Caroline’s target market was the British youth. It was successful in that a few months after it went on air it had an audience greater than BBC radio, even though, under the Wireless Telegraphy Act (UK) 1949 notwithstanding that those listening to a pirate broadcast were doing so illegally.…”

“…The purpose of the Marine & Broadcasting (Offences) Act (UK) 1967 was to silence Radio Caroline by cutting off its sources of income while, at the same time, ensuring that the legislation did not appear discriminatory, even though it was. Miley and Read (2017) illustrated that governments cannot control and achieve their objectives merely through direct financial constraints. It can also occur through indirect means.…”