A radio station using the name Laser Hot Hits has launched, bringing a fresh take on its 1980s offshore radio namesake.
Originally launched in 1986 as a follow-up to LASER558, the new version of Laser Hot Hits is led by Station Director Steve Bannister and offers a mix of 1980s classics and today’s chart hits.
The station follows the high-energy LASER style and sticks to its original format where “the music is never more than a minute away.”
“After launching LASER558, we had many requests to also bring back Laser Hot Hits,” said Steve Bannister. “We thought it would be a great idea to open it up to DJs from all countries.”
The line-up includes presenters Simon Davis, Julian Bright and Shadow Stevens. Stevens was originally meant to join LASER in the 1980s but missed out when the M.V. Communicator was brought into dock the same day he landed in the UK.
“Finally, forty years after I first applied to LASER, I’ve got the gig,” he said.
Simon Davis and Julian Bright are both fans of the original station. Davis described how he discovered LASER as a teenager experimenting with a long wire in the garden. Bright said: “LASER transformed radio like nothing else in 1984. I’m so pleased to be involved forty-one years later.”
The playlist features artists such as Prince, Duran Duran and Blondie alongside current chart hits.
Laser Hot Hits is available to listen online here.