PROGRAMMING COMMENCES
Full programming started on Sunday 7th December 1986 with Paul Dean from 06.00 until 10.00, when it was the turn of David Lee Stone to present a two hour Motown show, this was all on tape. At 12.00 K.C., a 28-year-old San Franciscan who'd previously worked for around twelve years on US radio, presented until 14.00 when an Elvis Presley special show was aired, followed by John Anthony. On Monday, things began to set into a regular pattern with 05.00 K.C., 09.00 Paul Dean, 13.00 John Anthony, and 17.00 Andrew Turner until 22.00. These were somewhat reduced hours due to a shortage of staff at the time, Paul Dean was also heard later in the evening on several occasions. News read by ex-BBC Radio One Newsbeat senior reporter Andrew Turner, is aired every hour, just before the top of the hour. A great number of commercials were aired during the first week, including "Susan Linsey" design knitwear, "Music Monsters" record catalogue, "Sunday Sport" newspaper, "Ski Plant" holidays, "NFL" football catalogue, "Motown Magic" LP set, "Hot mix 86" record set, "Hot hits" jigsaw puzzles, "Communicator Club" with a colour poster of the ship, badge, stickers and quarterly newsletter for £10, "Laser roadshow", station tee-shirts, sweatshirts and a hand knitted jumper. Listeners can either write to the New York address or phone a credit card hotline in London on 01. 636 4266 for the stations own mail order products. As well as the adverts, Laser was airing a "Powerplay" record at the top and bottom of every hour, among those heard during the first week were records from Samantha Fox with her new release "I'm all you want", as well as discs by Lionel Ritchie and Chris Rea.
Laser's ship the M.V. Communicator is owned by a Panamanian company KABO S.A., originally set up by BAA, when the ship was sold, the company and its assets, the radio ship, went with it. Airtime is sold by Radio Waves Incorporated based in Dallas at PO Box 161 333, Irvine, Dallas, Texas TX 75016, USA, phone 0101. 817 588 0688, they also have offices in New York at Suite 3600, 515 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, USA. The European Vice-President of Radio Waves is Rob Day, who is also responsible for the Laser roadshow.
 

K.C.

John Anthony