2004

It would take 5 months until the first broadcast was conducted. It should be clear that during much of the years after 2000, FRS activities were extremely limited. Despite this, the ‘radio vibe’ didn’t really go away; FRS persevered.

The May 2004 edition of FRS News #26 was completely restyled containing 4 pages filled with new columns like Mailbox 2702 and Fact File.  In that edition it was proudly announced that FRS would soon be back on the airwaves on 9290 kHz with 100 kW!
Following careful consideration, the decision was taken to bring FRS-Hollandsoon back on the airwaves via the powerful Latvian  9290 kHz facility. No doubt it had been widely proven that the 31 metre band was a perfect way to reach a far greater audience then we ever had done in the past. One reason for trying this new outlet was that FRS-Hollandwanted to spread its wings over brand new areas reaching new listeners. The advantage of using 9290 was obvious: providing an excellent reception in all corners of Europe and in addition wide areas beyond. Perhaps time to look for an alternative for our slogan ‘From London to Berlin and Oslo to Munich ….this is FRS-Holland playing 4 decades of music’! This time Peter Verbruggen kept his word: following a 5 month silence FRS-Hollandtook to the airwaves Whit Sunday May 30th  from 14.00-16.00 UTC.   Three programmes were aired: FRS Magazine, Off Beat and the Frank Carson Show. No doubt it was an excellent signal that day. From what we’ve heard from the listening audience, many were pleasantly surprised to hear FRSH on 9290 kHz guaranteeing superb reception. Even on small portable (and often not very sensitive)transistor radios, the signal was booming in ! A satisfactory number of letters was received both via E-mail and snail mail and in the end FRS was very happy about its 9290 debut.

And there was more: the FRS News #27 October edition announced that the upcoming 24^th anniversary- November 2004- would also take place via the Latvian 100 kW relay.
Sunday November 14th 2004 marked FRS’ second  9290 transmission. The slogan “From London to Berlin and Oslo to Munich ….” was replaced by  “From New York to Amsterdam and  Moscow to Tokio …”.  Once again an excellent signal was radiated that day. May 31st 2004 it was a complete surprise for many listeners to tune in to FRS on 9290.

This time the promotion for the 24th anniversary broadcast started on time. More people were informed ahead of the broadcast. Originally the 3 hours and half shows were intended to go out on November 7th. However, Mark Jones’ show didn’t arrive in time and thus the broadcast went out on the 14th. FRS received a total of 75 reports from 17 countries including the USA, Japan & Australia.  An absolute record number of different countries for one transmission. By he way: many people didn’t realize leasing air time in Latvia was quite expensive: the fairly dated transmitters consumed a lot of electricity.
FRS-Holland still stuck to a programme formula based on “a balance between music and information” playing a mix of 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s music. Each show contained at least one or two radio-related items. Since November 2004 ‘FRS Magazine’ paid attention to a particular month/ year from the past featuring  political, cultural & of course Free Radio news.  Another item was ‘The Phrase that Pays’.  For the record: October 31^st saw a 40W test on 7370 and Boxing Day on 6286. December 2004 the traditional and  popular Holiday Season broadcast was skipped. November would be the final regular broadcast for that year. It was obvious that the number of FRS broadcasts in the first years of the new millennium was far less compared with the 80s and 90s. Periods of 5 or 6 months of non-activity and two or three broadcasts per year were rule rather than the exception .

NEW QSL SEries

Late 2004 FRS had some good news for its listeners: a brand new QSL Series was announced on air: the FRS Studio Series. A promo spot was produced. The series would consist of 4 different photos from the main studio.
In FRS News #26 (Nov. 2004), the new series was also announced.