Roger Day

Roger Day trained as an accountant. He joined the “pirate” ship Swinging Radio England in 1966 when that station launched, and when it closed, transferred to Radio Caroline South. Like Johnnie Walker, he remained on Caroline after the Marine etc. Broadcasting Offences Bill became law in August 1967, and presented the breakfast show up until the day when the ships were impounded in lieu of unpaid bills, in early March 1968.

In 1970 Roger returned to watery wireless on Radio Northsea International, the ship which changed its name to Radio Caroline in a controversial attempt to affect the outcome of the British general election in favour of the Conservatives, who were promising independent radio.

By 1974 Roger was back on land, and was the first presenter to be heard on Piccadilly Radio (now Key 103) in Manchester when that station launched in April. He remained at Piccadilly until 1979 when he moved to BRMB in Birmingham, presenting a variety of programmes such as an evening show and Solid Gold Saturday. He joined Radio West in early 1983 and presented first mid-mornings, then breakfast until leaving the station in 1984 to join the management at Invicta Sound in Kent. While at West Roger was “Head of Music and Presentation”, introducing a playlist and doing a great deal to tighten up the station sound. After leaving West, Roger presented peak-time shows on Invicta (where as programme controller he met with enormous ratings success after the initial Wiltshire Radio-like format had been dumped in 1985), Pirate FM, Piccadilly Gold (now Magic 1152), Radio Mercury (now Heart), Jazz FM (now Smooth Radio) and County Sound Radio. For some time, he presented the weekday drive show on Birmingham’s Saga 105.7 FM (now Smooth Radio). Oh, and by the way, Invicta is now Heart!). He now presents a weekday evening show on a network of BBC local radio stations in the South-East.

The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame

Roger’s web site

Roger at BBC Radio Kent

Click on speaker for audio

        
Roger Day The Radio
West Annual		   Roger Day 1967  

Roger Day, Robbie Dale, and Johnnie Walker
in the 2000s
(Thanks to Munro Jack who got in touch via the contact form.)

  

Roger finishes his Saturday morning show in early 1983,
using the second
(and rather nice) news jingle
           
Roger in action in August 1983, sitting in for John Hayes on the breakfast show. Animation by Bristol’s own Aardman.