Abie Nathan, the founder of Middle East pirate radio station The Voice of Peace has died at the age of 81. Abie suffered strokes in 1996 and 1998 and never fully recovered.
The Voice of Peace, mostly populated by British presenters, played commercial pop music whilst spreading a message of peaceful co-existence to the Middle East. The station launched in 1973 from the MV Peace and closed down in 1993.
Rob Charles, now hosting breakfast for Bauer Radio's Magic 999 remembers working for Abie in 1986: "He was a man with a great idea that came to fruition.
"I remember driving the desk for his phone in which came from his office via the phone to the ship. I accidentally misheard him say,'Ready' and put the fader up only for the listeners to hear Abie telling Ruben in the office off, not the best language ever heard on a radio."
Many radio presenters now working in the UK radio industry owe their break to the station. Well known broadcasters such as the late Tony Allan, Kenny Page and Howard Rose (Crispian St John) all appeared on the station during its two decades of operation.
After the closedown of the station on October 1st 1993, the MV Peace was sunk 15 miles off the Israeli coast.
More reading – [link=http://www.offshore-radio.de/VOP.htm]history of VOP[/link]. Leave your comment [link=https://radiotoday.co.uk/comment.php?comment.news.3744]here[/link].
