KISS FM Book Reveals Inside Story Of London Pirate Radio Station’s Success

The inside story behind the success of KISS FM, the former London pirate radio station, is revealed for the first time by Grant Goddard in his new book ‘KISS FM: From Radical Radio To Big Business’ published 1 July 2011 by Radio Books. The subtitle of the book is ‘The Inside Story Of A London Pirate Radio Station’s Path To Success.’

In 1985, KISS FM had been just one of many illegal pirate radio stations in London playing black music that had been largely ignored by licensed broadcasters. By 1989, KISS FM had won an FM radio licence to broadcast legally to the whole of London, having fought off dozens of competing bids from some of the biggest names in broadcasting and industry. By 1991, KISS FM was attracting an audience of one million listeners a week, making it one of the most successful radio station launches in British broadcasting history.

The inside story of how a small London pirate radio station was transformed into one of Britain’s most successful youth brands is uncovered in this book. KISS FM’s remarkable trajectory was the culmination of a long-running campaign for a black music radio station in London that had been started in 1970 by soul music pirate station Radio Invicta. Also documented in this book is the determination of the government and commercial radio industry to rid Britain forever of pirate radio, and the abject failure of their desperate efforts.

Goddard was a senior member of the KISS FM management team that steered the transformation from weekend pirate station to successful commercial radio broadcaster. His detailed account will be of interest to KISS FM listeners, the dance music community, media students, broadcast historians, pirate radio enthusiasts and business readers interested to understand how a successful creative enterprise can be built from almost nothing.

This comprehensive, meticulously researched book offers a rare glimpse into the dark and secretive world of pirate radio in London, revealing the ambition and greed of some of those involved, as well as the duplicity and deceit deployed to destroy others who got in their way. At the same time, it charts the achievement of Goddard’s teenage ambition to launch Britain’s first licensed black music radio station, and the consequences of that success.
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Author Grant Goddard is a London-based media analyst specialising in the radio broadcasting sector. For thirty years, he has worked in the radio industry as a senior manager and consultant, in the UK and overseas, and has written extensively about the radio business for consumer and trade magazines. This is his second book.

Radio Books publishes books and reports about the radio broadcasting industry for the consumer and professional markets. Radio Books can be purchased from Amazon (UK, US, Canada, Europe, Japan) and other online book retailers.

TITLE: KISS FM: FROM RADICAL RADIO TO BIG BUSINESS
AUTHOR: GRANT GODDARD
PUBLISHER: Radio Books, London [trade distribution: Ingram, Nielsen BookNet]
ISBN: 978-0-9564963-1-7
FORMATS: e-book + paperback 235x191x27 mm, 528 pages, 899 grams
PUBLISHED: 1 July 2011
SUBJECTS: media, broadcasting, radio, black music, pirate radio, soul music
PREVIEW: book excerpts available to read online

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