Voice of Peace
Encyclopedia
Voice of Peace was an offshore radio station
that served the Middle East
for 20 years from the former Dutch cargo vessel MV Peace (formally MV Cito), anchored off the coast of Tel Aviv
. Founded by the late Abie Nathan
and the New York-based Peace Ship Foundation, the station broadcast almost continuously between May 1973 and November 1993.
, was to communicate a message of peaceful co-existence to the volatile Middle East
. The station's output was a popular music format presented by a team of professional, mostly British, DJs broadcasting live from the ship.
The main on-air studio consisted of a Gates Diplomat mixer, Technics SL-1200
turntables
, Sony
CD Players, and Gates NAB cartridge machines, on which the jingles and commercials were played. The second studio, used for production, had a Gates turntable, reel-to-reel tape recorders, and an NAB cartridge recording unit.
The Voice of Peace was Israel's first offshore pop station and the first commercially-funded private broadcast operation. The station’s use of catchy American PAMS
, CPMG, JAM
, and TM Productions jingles, English-speaking DJs, and playlist of Top 40 hits attracted such big-name sponsors as TWA
and Coca Cola. Initially, the station transmitted on 1539 AM and 100.0 FM.
The original AM
/MW transmitter was installed in New York prior to 1972 and consisted of two 25,000-watt Collins units and a Collins combiner, giving the station a potential 50 kW AM signal. The MW signal was broadcast from a centre-fed horizontal antenna slung between the fore and aft masts, a design similar to those used by Radio Veronica
and later Laser 558
. The station normally ran at 35 kW until late 1976, when it was decided to operate just one transmitter at a time, keeping the other in reserve. In 1985, Keith York's repair of the combiner enabled the two Collins units to be run together again, resulting in a large mailbag from Turkey
, Crete
, Greece
, and Cyprus
, areas the Voice of Peace message hadn't reached for nine years. After these AM transmitters became unserviceable, a Canadian Nautel
10 kW AM transmitter was installed.
The 20 kW FM
transmitter installed in Israel was manufactured by Harris. This, combined with the antenna array, delivered around 80 kW ERP (Effective Radiated Power
) of stereo to the region. A second 20 kW Harris FM transmitter was also installed on board the peace ship.
During the station's heyday, many notable personalities were involved in broadcasting on the station. John Lennon, The Carpenters
, Johnny Mathis
, and many other celebrities recorded messages of peace which were transmitted from the ship. John and Yoko Lennon
signed hundreds of peace posters, held on the ship, which Abie Nathan could sell to raise revenue for the station should times become hard. Thanks to Tavas Advertising, this situation never developed and due to their hard work, the peace ship was able to function into the early 1980s on Tavas-generated revenue pre-May 1976.
During the mid-1970s, the station boasted more than 20 million listeners stretching from the Middle East to southern Europe
and Turkey due to the format used by the professional broadcast team drawn from Britain and Australia and led by Keith Ashton. The VoP had several (mostly short-lived) rival offshore radio (and even television) stations during its time on air. The best known of these was the right-wing station Arutz Sheva
(Channel 7).
Many notable broadcasters spent time as presenters with the Voice of Peace, including Tony Allan
, Bob Noakes, Ken Dickin, Phil Brice, Steve Gordon, Richard Wood, Don Stevens, Alan Roberts
, and Crispian St. John, who sailed through the Suez Canal
on board with Abie Nathan in early 1977; Gavin McCoy, Tony Lyman
(as Vince Mould), Malcolm Barry, Guy Starkey, Tom Hardy, Norman Lloyd, Richard Jackson, Keith York, Kas Collins, Nathan Morley
, Mark Hurrell, Steve Marshall, Chris Pearson
,Keith Lewis, Steve Silby, Rob Charles, Dave Shearer, Doug Wood, Digby Taylor, Tony Mandell, Nigel Harris
, Mike Kerslake (Davis/Coconut), Cliff Walker, Alex Skinner, Nigel Grover, John Macdonald, Steve Rowney (AKA Carlos the Chicken), and Grant Benson
. Johnny Lewis appeared on the VoP in the early 1980s as Johnny Moss. Steve Greenberg
, who would go on to become a Grammy- winning producer and president of Columbia Records
, was another early-1980s broadcaster aboard the ship. Kenny Page
is acknowledged as being one of the station's longest-serving presenters, having worked on board from the 1970s to the 1990s. Paul Rogers (ex-Radio Elenore, Liverpool) spent one year on board from 1984-1985, before moving on to become Dave Collins on Radio Caroline
, and is currently still working on radio in the UK. Writer/Producer Richard Doran Ticho was a DJ on the Voice of Peace in 1985, and went on to purchase the domain name http://www.VoiceOfPeace.com in the early 1993, around the time the peace ship was scuttled. The site is designed to educated and entertain, just like Abie's Voice of Peace.
A reunion in Amsterdam
, Radio Day 2006, celebrated the launch of a new book by Hans Knot of station memories on November 4, 2006, and was attended by many media outlets, including Channel Two Israel, which interviewed Don Stevens, Chris Pearson
, and Steve Silby, and broadcast the newsreel worldwide. This resulted in Don Stevens making contact with his long-lost child Sarit, whom he'd prayed for every day, and he was overwhelmed to discover he was part of a three-child family.
, (but a small section of the output also included shows in Hebrew, Arabic
, and French
), readily accepted by listeners in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea who felt the station reflected Western ideals.
The station had several popular long-running shows that ran for nearly its entire life, including Twilight Time (broadcast daily at 18:00, using the Platters
hit of the same name as its introduction theme), the Classical Music
Programme (daily from 19:30), and Late Night Affair (00.00-03.00).
The regular telephone forum chaired by Abie Nathan called Ma La'asot? (?מה לעשות, "What to do?") was central to his view of the station's purpose. It took the form of an open multi-line tele-debate accessible to everyone regardless of age, religion, ethnicity, or location, and was the only open and uncensored means of direct public dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. It played a significant role in creating mutual understanding at a grass-roots level.
, as Abie Nathan
was a beloved personality in the country; however officials at the IBA
were alarmed at the station's popularity in its first years on the air, and quickly set about devising a state-run pop service, Reshet Gimel, in May 1976.
Nathan was imprisoned on several occasions for violating Israeli laws forbidding contact with enemy states and the PLO.
non-stop. The lineup of presenters on board ship on its final day included Nathan Morley
, Matthew French, Bill Sheldrake, and Clive Sinclair.
Station founder Abie Nathan died in Tel Aviv on 27 August 2008, at the age of 81.
Israeli radio station Radius 100 (which currently broadcasts on VoP's old FM frequency) airs weekday tribute programs. The first hour is music in the format of Twilight Time. The second hour is hosted and plays hits mostly from the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s, along with some special features. Presenters include Gil Katzir, Mike Brand, and Tim Shepherd.
By Christmas 2009, it featured some live programmes, as well as syndicated shows. The Voice of Peace is now programmed by former Voice of Peace presenter Mark Hanna, who was a regular presenter during the summer of 1992. One of the station's earliest DJs, Alan Roberts, a former programme director who originally spent about a year with the station in 1976 and 1977, also presents some evening programmes.
On August 16, 2010, former VOP DJ (1985), Andy Cox, returned to the station. He broadcasts a one-hour show on Mondays, and is host of The Weekend Special on Saturdays.
On August 24, 2010, former VOP DJ (1987) Richard Doran Ticho Ticho returned to the air as host of the one-hour program the Spotlight.
On November 24, 2010 former VOP DJ (1986), Rob Charles returned to the Voice of Peace with all time number ones show, aired every Wednesday.
On February 5, 2011 former VOP DJ, John Macdonald returned with a weekly live show broadcast from Pulse studios in Scotland. John also hosts his much remembered show late night affair, each day at midnight.
with his show Back to the Garden
in support of Harry Chapin
’s World Hunger Year
(WhyHunger.org). The July 2010 edition also included exclusive video presentations featuring music industry legend (Country Joe and The Fish
, Blues Project
), David Bennett Cohen
's Turning Poison Into Medicine in support of Sōka Gakkai, Fab Fourum co-host Tony Traguardo's Peace, Love, and Good Music in support of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame
, Tree of Avalon host Winifred Boyd's Universal Brotherhood Through Music in support of the Animal Rescue Site, and actor / entertainer Che Broadway's Peace, Politics, and Protest in support of Amnesty International
.
Offshore radio
Offshore radio is radio broadcasting from ships or fixed maritime structures, usually in international waters. The claimed first wireless broadcast of music and speech for the purpose of entertainment was transmitted from a Royal Naval craft, the HMS Andromeda, in 1907...
that served the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
for 20 years from the former Dutch cargo vessel MV Peace (formally MV Cito), anchored off the coast of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. Founded by the late Abie Nathan
Abie Nathan
Avraham "Abie" Nathan was an Israeli humanitarian and peace activist, perhaps best known as the founder of the Voice of Peace radio station.-Early years:...
and the New York-based Peace Ship Foundation, the station broadcast almost continuously between May 1973 and November 1993.
History
The aim of the Voice of Peace, rumoured to have been established with the financial aid of ex-Beatle John LennonJohn Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, was to communicate a message of peaceful co-existence to the volatile Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. The station's output was a popular music format presented by a team of professional, mostly British, DJs broadcasting live from the ship.
The main on-air studio consisted of a Gates Diplomat mixer, Technics SL-1200
Technics SL-1200
The Technics SL-1200 MK2 MK3 MK4 MK5 MK5G M5G MK6 LTD & GLD are a series of turntables manufactured since October 1972 by Matsushita under the brand name of Technics. S means "Stereo", L means "Player". Originally released as a high fidelity consumer record player, it quickly became adopted among...
turntables
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
CD Players, and Gates NAB cartridge machines, on which the jingles and commercials were played. The second studio, used for production, had a Gates turntable, reel-to-reel tape recorders, and an NAB cartridge recording unit.
The Voice of Peace was Israel's first offshore pop station and the first commercially-funded private broadcast operation. The station’s use of catchy American PAMS
PAMS
PAMS , based in Dallas, Texas, was the most famous jingle production company in American broadcasting. It produced identification packages for radio stations around the world, as well as some commercial music.-History:The company was founded by William B. Meeks, Jr. PAMS (an acronym for Production,...
, CPMG, JAM
JAM Creative Productions
JAM Creative Productions, Inc., is an American company that produces radio jingles, promo music for television, and commercial jingles for advertisers. It has made more radio jingles than any other jingle company and has become part of American pop culture....
, and TM Productions jingles, English-speaking DJs, and playlist of Top 40 hits attracted such big-name sponsors as TWA
Twa
The Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....
and Coca Cola. Initially, the station transmitted on 1539 AM and 100.0 FM.
The original AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
/MW transmitter was installed in New York prior to 1972 and consisted of two 25,000-watt Collins units and a Collins combiner, giving the station a potential 50 kW AM signal. The MW signal was broadcast from a centre-fed horizontal antenna slung between the fore and aft masts, a design similar to those used by Radio Veronica
Radio Veronica
Radio Veronica was an offshore radio station that began broadcasting in 1960, and broadcast from offshore for over fourteen years. It was set up by independent radio, TV and household electrical retailers in the Netherlands to stimulate the sales of radio receivers by providing an alternative to...
and later Laser 558
Laser 558
Laser 558 was an offshore pirate radio station launched in May 1984 by a consortium of British and American business and broadcasting executives, some of whom have never been named. Laser 558 used disc jockeys recruited from the USA. The station was aboard the ship the MV Communicator in...
. The station normally ran at 35 kW until late 1976, when it was decided to operate just one transmitter at a time, keeping the other in reserve. In 1985, Keith York's repair of the combiner enabled the two Collins units to be run together again, resulting in a large mailbag from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, areas the Voice of Peace message hadn't reached for nine years. After these AM transmitters became unserviceable, a Canadian Nautel
Nautel
Nautel Ltd. is a Canadian manufacturer of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters, navigational radio beacons, Differential Global Positioning System transmitters, medium frequency telegraph and NAVTEX transmitters, and high frequency amplifiers for dielectric heating applications...
10 kW AM transmitter was installed.
The 20 kW FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
transmitter installed in Israel was manufactured by Harris. This, combined with the antenna array, delivered around 80 kW ERP (Effective Radiated Power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
) of stereo to the region. A second 20 kW Harris FM transmitter was also installed on board the peace ship.
During the station's heyday, many notable personalities were involved in broadcasting on the station. John Lennon, The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
, and many other celebrities recorded messages of peace which were transmitted from the ship. John and Yoko Lennon
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
signed hundreds of peace posters, held on the ship, which Abie Nathan could sell to raise revenue for the station should times become hard. Thanks to Tavas Advertising, this situation never developed and due to their hard work, the peace ship was able to function into the early 1980s on Tavas-generated revenue pre-May 1976.
During the mid-1970s, the station boasted more than 20 million listeners stretching from the Middle East to southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Turkey due to the format used by the professional broadcast team drawn from Britain and Australia and led by Keith Ashton. The VoP had several (mostly short-lived) rival offshore radio (and even television) stations during its time on air. The best known of these was the right-wing station Arutz Sheva
Arutz Sheva
Arutz Sheva is an Israeli media network identifying with Religious Zionism. It offers online news in English, Hebrew, French, Spanish and Russian. Arutz Sheva offers free podcasts, live streaming radio, a daily email news update, streaming video and 24 hour updated text news...
(Channel 7).
Many notable broadcasters spent time as presenters with the Voice of Peace, including Tony Allan
Tony Allan
Tony Allan was a British broadcaster and voice over artist. He broadcast almost exclusively on pirate radio stations and was highly regarded for his professionalism, his distinctive voice and clear diction, and for his ability to produce highly professional commercials and...
, Bob Noakes, Ken Dickin, Phil Brice, Steve Gordon, Richard Wood, Don Stevens, Alan Roberts
Alan Roberts
Alan Price-Roberts or Alan Roberts is a British radio presenter, producer and actor.- Broadcasting career :Originally from Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Roberts made his radio debut at 19 with a short stint on Radio England as Rob Allen and a couple of programmes on sister station Britain Radio under...
, and Crispian St. John, who sailed through the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
on board with Abie Nathan in early 1977; Gavin McCoy, Tony Lyman
Tony Lyman
Tony Lyman is a British disc jockey, who currently presents the drivetime show on Nottingham based radio station 106.6 Smooth Radio.- Career :...
(as Vince Mould), Malcolm Barry, Guy Starkey, Tom Hardy, Norman Lloyd, Richard Jackson, Keith York, Kas Collins, Nathan Morley
Nathan Morley
Nathan Morley is a multi award winning television presenter, columnist and journalist based in Finland and Cyprus.He is best known to international audiences for his live radio broadcasts on Talksport, LBC and the BBC to the United Kingdom...
, Mark Hurrell, Steve Marshall, Chris Pearson
Chris Pearson (radio)
Chris Pearson was born in Dartford, Kent and is a radio presenter on the worldwide BFBS radio network.His career started with the famous north-sea pirate station Radio Caroline...
,Keith Lewis, Steve Silby, Rob Charles, Dave Shearer, Doug Wood, Digby Taylor, Tony Mandell, Nigel Harris
Nigel MacArthur
Nigel MacArthur, also known as Stuart Russell and Nigel Harris, is a freelance broadcaster in Kent on Radio Caroline, EKR and KMFM.-Career:...
, Mike Kerslake (Davis/Coconut), Cliff Walker, Alex Skinner, Nigel Grover, John Macdonald, Steve Rowney (AKA Carlos the Chicken), and Grant Benson
Grant Benson
Grant Benson is a British-born broadcaster and music consultant who currently works forRadio Number One in Milan, Italy....
. Johnny Lewis appeared on the VoP in the early 1980s as Johnny Moss. Steve Greenberg
Steve Greenberg (record producer)
Steve Greenberg is a record producer currently heading the S-Curve Records label. He is noted for "discovering" popular musical acts such as Hanson, Baha Men, Jonas Brothers and Joss Stone. He received a 2000 Grammy Award in the "Best Dance Recording" category as a producer of "Who Let the Dogs...
, who would go on to become a Grammy- winning producer and president of Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, was another early-1980s broadcaster aboard the ship. Kenny Page
Kenny Page
Kenny Page was a Scottish radio broadcaster, known for his on air comedy pranks and slick American-style presentation. He started his radio career on Radio Clyde presenting a short feature called Ken’s Corner in 1974....
is acknowledged as being one of the station's longest-serving presenters, having worked on board from the 1970s to the 1990s. Paul Rogers (ex-Radio Elenore, Liverpool) spent one year on board from 1984-1985, before moving on to become Dave Collins on Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline is an English radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly...
, and is currently still working on radio in the UK. Writer/Producer Richard Doran Ticho was a DJ on the Voice of Peace in 1985, and went on to purchase the domain name http://www.VoiceOfPeace.com in the early 1993, around the time the peace ship was scuttled. The site is designed to educated and entertain, just like Abie's Voice of Peace.
A reunion in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Radio Day 2006, celebrated the launch of a new book by Hans Knot of station memories on November 4, 2006, and was attended by many media outlets, including Channel Two Israel, which interviewed Don Stevens, Chris Pearson
Chris Pearson (radio)
Chris Pearson was born in Dartford, Kent and is a radio presenter on the worldwide BFBS radio network.His career started with the famous north-sea pirate station Radio Caroline...
, and Steve Silby, and broadcast the newsreel worldwide. This resulted in Don Stevens making contact with his long-lost child Sarit, whom he'd prayed for every day, and he was overwhelmed to discover he was part of a three-child family.
Programming
The Voice of Peace primarily produced programs in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, (but a small section of the output also included shows in Hebrew, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
), readily accepted by listeners in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea who felt the station reflected Western ideals.
The station had several popular long-running shows that ran for nearly its entire life, including Twilight Time (broadcast daily at 18:00, using the Platters
The Platters
The Platters were a vocal group of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre...
hit of the same name as its introduction theme), the Classical Music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
Programme (daily from 19:30), and Late Night Affair (00.00-03.00).
The regular telephone forum chaired by Abie Nathan called Ma La'asot? (?מה לעשות, "What to do?") was central to his view of the station's purpose. It took the form of an open multi-line tele-debate accessible to everyone regardless of age, religion, ethnicity, or location, and was the only open and uncensored means of direct public dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. It played a significant role in creating mutual understanding at a grass-roots level.
Government reaction
The Voice of Peace was generally tolerated by the Israeli GovernmentCabinet of Israel
The Cabinet of Israel is a formal body composed of government officials called ministers, chosen and led by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must appoint members based on the distribution of votes to political parties during legislative elections, and its composition must be approved by a...
, as Abie Nathan
Abie Nathan
Avraham "Abie" Nathan was an Israeli humanitarian and peace activist, perhaps best known as the founder of the Voice of Peace radio station.-Early years:...
was a beloved personality in the country; however officials at the IBA
Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority is Israel's state broadcasting network.It grew out of the radio station Kol Yisrael, which made its first broadcast as an independent station on . The name of the organisation operating Kol Yisrael was changed to Israel Broadcasting Service in 1951...
were alarmed at the station's popularity in its first years on the air, and quickly set about devising a state-run pop service, Reshet Gimel, in May 1976.
Nathan was imprisoned on several occasions for violating Israeli laws forbidding contact with enemy states and the PLO.
The sinking of the peace ship
Nathan decided to intentionally sink the ship in international waters on November 28, 1993 after various promises of a broadcast license and mooring in Jaffa Port failed to come to fruition, and he closed the station due to heavy losses and following the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords, which he assumed was validation of the station's mission. On the final day of broadcasting, he instructed the presenters to play BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
non-stop. The lineup of presenters on board ship on its final day included Nathan Morley
Nathan Morley
Nathan Morley is a multi award winning television presenter, columnist and journalist based in Finland and Cyprus.He is best known to international audiences for his live radio broadcasts on Talksport, LBC and the BBC to the United Kingdom...
, Matthew French, Bill Sheldrake, and Clive Sinclair.
Station founder Abie Nathan died in Tel Aviv on 27 August 2008, at the age of 81.
Tributes
In 2003, NMC Music released a CD called the Voice of Peace, featuring songs and jingles from the station. As the Sun Sets, a film about Abie Nathan, soon followed, directed by Eytan Harris. Double CD compilations followed in 2007 and 2008.Israeli radio station Radius 100 (which currently broadcasts on VoP's old FM frequency) airs weekday tribute programs. The first hour is music in the format of Twilight Time. The second hour is hosted and plays hits mostly from the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s, along with some special features. Presenters include Gil Katzir, Mike Brand, and Tim Shepherd.
Voice of Peace Relaunch
In August 2009, the Voice of Peace was re-launched as an online radio station (streaming at 128 kbps). It returned on Saturday November 7th 2009 at 12.00 UTC with original shows, DJs, jingles, and grooves at http://www.theVoiceOfPeace.co.ilBy Christmas 2009, it featured some live programmes, as well as syndicated shows. The Voice of Peace is now programmed by former Voice of Peace presenter Mark Hanna, who was a regular presenter during the summer of 1992. One of the station's earliest DJs, Alan Roberts, a former programme director who originally spent about a year with the station in 1976 and 1977, also presents some evening programmes.
On August 16, 2010, former VOP DJ (1985), Andy Cox, returned to the station. He broadcasts a one-hour show on Mondays, and is host of The Weekend Special on Saturdays.
On August 24, 2010, former VOP DJ (1987) Richard Doran Ticho Ticho returned to the air as host of the one-hour program the Spotlight.
On November 24, 2010 former VOP DJ (1986), Rob Charles returned to the Voice of Peace with all time number ones show, aired every Wednesday.
On February 5, 2011 former VOP DJ, John Macdonald returned with a weekly live show broadcast from Pulse studios in Scotland. John also hosts his much remembered show late night affair, each day at midnight.
Other Online Tributes
Since the early 1990s, http://www.VoiceOfPeace.com has taken on several formats, from a news forum to an online station, but since 2007, it has been a video-based peace portal featuring playlists and shows hosted by entertainers and educators from around the globe. In July 2010, www.VoiceOfPeace.com has welcomed aboard celebrated broadcaster and best-selling author Pete FornatalePete Fornatale
Peter Fornatale is a New York City disc jockey who played an important role in the progressive rock era of FM broadcasting....
with his show Back to the Garden
Back to the Garden
Back to the Garden is a 1992 tribute album to Joni Mitchell .It was released on Intrepid Records, after the Canadian chart success of their 1991 Bruce Cockburn tribute, Kick at the Darkness....
in support of Harry Chapin
Harry Chapin
Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter best known in particular for his folk rock songs including "Taxi", "W*O*L*D", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle". Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the...
’s World Hunger Year
World Hunger Year
WhyHunger is an organization that seeks to address the root causes of hunger and poverty. WhyHunger was founded in 1975 by folk singer Harry Chapin, a social activist who was as well known for his humanitarian efforts as for his guitar ballads, and 95.5 WPLJ New York, legendary radio D.J. Bill...
(WhyHunger.org). The July 2010 edition also included exclusive video presentations featuring music industry legend (Country Joe and The Fish
Country Joe and the Fish
Country Joe and the Fish was a rock band most widely known for musical protests against the Vietnam War, from 1966 to 1971, and also regarded as a seminal influence to psychedelic rock.-History:...
, Blues Project
Blues Project
The Blues Project is a band from the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City that was formed in 1965 and originally split up in 1967. While their songs drew from a wide array of musical styles, they are most remembered as one of the earliest practitioners of psychedelic rock, as well as one...
), David Bennett Cohen
David Bennett Cohen
David Bennett Cohen is an American musician best known as the original keyboardist for the late-1960s psychedelic rock and blues band Country Joe and the Fish.-Early Life and Influences:...
's Turning Poison Into Medicine in support of Sōka Gakkai, Fab Fourum co-host Tony Traguardo's Peace, Love, and Good Music in support of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame
Long Island Music Hall of Fame
The Long Island Music Hall of Fame is an organization whose office is located in Port Jefferson, New York. It was incorporated in July 2005 under the New York State Board of Regents as a non profit organization and holds a provisional charter to operate as a museum in the state of New York...
, Tree of Avalon host Winifred Boyd's Universal Brotherhood Through Music in support of the Animal Rescue Site, and actor / entertainer Che Broadway's Peace, Politics, and Protest in support of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
.
External links
- The Voice of Peace official web site
- VOICEOFPEACE.COM
- Radius 100FM Voice of Peace page
- More pictures of the ship
- Soundscapes VOP article
- Remembering the Voice of Peace (oral history series)
- Israeli Pirate radio - past and present
- Abie Nathan site
- Today's Kol-HaShalom radio in Miami, Florida online and on the air at 92.1 FM in Aventura Area, Florida the Voice of Peace Radio - this has no connection to the original Voice of Peace station, other than the name.