LWR – London

LWR (London Weekend Radio) was first heard in 1983, broadcasting on 92.5 at weekends (obviously!).

In their early days they were more of a traditional rock and pop station, rather than the soul and dance station they became later on. Having said that, it was the first place you could hear Tim Westwood’s rap show. First on Wednesday nights, then 6 nights a week, the show became the bible for London B boys. Unlike the Mastermind show on Invicta which mixed in soul and funk, Westwood was 100% hip hop. He would also play in mix tapes from listeners. You were just a likely to hear Junior Gee from Hammersmith as Grandmaster Flash from New York!

The station expanded in 1985, becoming the real success story of that year. There was a slight name change to London Wide Radio as they became a 24/7 black music station, quickly gaining a large audience. They were able to fill the void left by the closure of stations like JFM, Horizon and Invicta, playing soul, funk, hip hop, R & B and reggae. They continued to be one of the major stations of the mid 80s, helped by the explosion of dance music and rave culture.

In 1988 the IBA announced that it was to offer some new licences for London. Any pirate could apply, providing they closed by the end of the year. At first LWR made no comment, but as their competitors such as Kiss FM announced they were to close on New Years Eve to apply for a licence, LWR announced the same. This was a surprise to many as LWR always seemed a bit more piratical than the others.

LWR did not get legalised, as the dance licence went to Kiss FM. There were many rumours of a return to pirate broadcasting, but it never happened.

There are promises of various streams soon on LWR’s website which can be found below, along with other sites featuring more information on LWR:

LWR Official Website
AM/FM Site
Mike Allen Site

Downloads

To download, right click and ‘Save As’

Artwork & Paper Cuttings

Audio

LWR – 92.5 – London – Barry B	45 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Barry B – Clip NEW	2 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Barry B – Various Mixes NEW	43 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Barry B – 1983	44 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Tim Westwood – Richie Rich Mastermix – 1983	23 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – John Dawson – 19/3/83	61 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Paul Stafford – 3/4/83	61 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Ricky King & John Dawson – 3/4/83	61 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – The Mark Mason Alternative Revue – 17/12/83	45 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Barry B – 1984	46 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Martin James – 1/4/84	45 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Non Stop Music – 14/4/84	45 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Tim Westwood – 4/7/84	46 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Tim Westwood – Summer 1984	36 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Tim Westwood – Late 1984	34 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Abi Grant – Dec 1984	43 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Gary Richards – 13/4/85	60 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – JJ – The Getting Hot Show – Summer 1985	96 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Ron Tom – 27/9/85	59 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Tim Westwood – Clip – Nov 85	3 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Shake & Finger Pop – 60s Soul Show – Nov 85	19 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Clive Brady – 14/6/86	57 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Clive Brady – Late Show – 3/7/86	55 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Maurice Greenaway – 6/7/86	31 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Clive Brady – Early Show – July 86	138 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Richard Taylor – December 86 NEW	36 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Tim Westwood – 1986	60 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – JJ – The Getting Hot Show – 17/10/87	46 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Jazzy M – Clip – Jan 88	4 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Jazzy M – Clips – 27/1/88	9 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Donny Dee – Feb 88	4 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Unknown DJ – Clips – Feb 88	12 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – The Bust Up Crew – Poor Quality – 23/4/88	13 mins
LWR – 92.5 – London – Cliff Ringwood & Shabbs – 20/8/88	46 mins