Radio First Termer
Radio First Termer was a pirate radio station which operated in January 1971 in Saigon during the Vietnam War.
The station was hosted by a United States Air Force Sergeant[1] Clyde David DeLay (August 15, 1948–January 20, 2012[2][3]) better known to some by his DJ alter-ego "Dave Rabbit."[2] The two other members of the crew were known as "Pete Sadler" and "Nguyen." Nguyen is Roma from "Don and Roma" radio show on WLS Chicago.
After three tours in Vietnam, "Dave Rabbit" and his friends launched Radio First Termer from a secret studio in a Saigon brothel. The station broadcast for 63 hours[2] over 21 nights (between January 1-21, 1971[4]).
The station played "hard acid rock" such as Steppenwolf, Bloodrock, Three Dog Night, Led Zeppelin, Sugarloaf, the James Gang, and Iron Butterfly, bands which were popular among the troops, but largely ignored by the American Forces Vietnam Network. The music was mixed with antiwar commentary, skits poking fun at the U.S. Air Force and Lyndon B. Johnson, and raunchy sex and drug oriented jokes.[1]
During the mid-1990s, sound clips from a Radio First Termer broadcast posted on the internet renewed interest in the station. In February 2006, "Dave Rabbit" came forward and told his story. He also did an interview for a bonus feature on the DVD release of Sir! No Sir!, a film about G.I. counterculture during the Vietnam era.
Although the frequency was always announced as "FM69", in reality the show was broadcast over numerous frequencies, in addition to 69 MHz as selected by the Radio Relay troops across Vietnam. It was also broadcast over AM frequencies, including 690 kHz.
In February 2008, audio clips of this underground radio show made their way into the hands Opie & Anthony and 3rd mic Jim Norton. They played some of the audio of these shows over the air at both their terrestrial radio show and their XM Satellite radio show.
External links
- Dave Rabbit's Official Podcast Home Page
- List of songs in the only known copy of an episode
- Radio First Termer home page with audio samples and Dave Rabbit interview
- Vietnam War Pirate DJ Dave Rabbit Has Finally Come Forward
- Radio First Termer Restoration Homepage
References
- 1 2 Good morning, Baghdad!- Salon News
- 1 2 3 Vietnam War Pirate DJ Dave Rabbit Has Finally Come Forward
- ↑ Simnacher, Joe (24 January 2012). "David DeLay, pirate-radio DJ who entertained Vietnam troops, dies". Dallasnews.com (Dallas Morning News). Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ↑ The Radio First Termer Home Page