Laser 558

Laser 558 was an offshore pirate radio broadcasting station which came on the air in 1984 from the MV Communicator. Within a matter of months it gained an audience of millions. Lack of advertising due to UK laws starved the station off the air. However, it did return briefly in 1986 as Laser Hot Hits but the station did not last for the same reasons as before.

Legacy of Laser 558

The legacy of the original Laser 558 was in its impact upon British broadcasting at the time, because it forced licensed stations to take note of the success of this short lived offshore station and it caused them to attempt to incorporate its ideas and some of its personnel into their own programming.