Radio Caroline 259

Radio Caroline 259 is the stream of Radio Caroline, the legendary British offshore station that began broadcasting from a ship in 1964 and defied the authorities of its time. The programme plays album rock and classic rock, with deep cuts and the great albums of the 1960s, 1970s and beyond, presented by veteran DJs. The mood is free-spirited and nostalgic.

The Netherlands has a compact but very competitive radio market, with public channels from NPO, regional broadcasters, national commercial networks and many web stations, and Dutch radio is a useful source of listening practice for learners and a link with home for the Dutch abroad. Radio Caroline now broadcasts on the 648 kHz medium wave in the UK and online, and its history is part of the legend of pirate radio. The stream is delivered as MP3 at 320 kbps, a very high bitrate that gives music a full, clean and detailed sound, particularly on good headphones or speakers, though it uses more data than typical streams. It plays in your browser on RadioKite without installation, and you can add it to your favourites.