REM Island

Photograph of REM Island, taken December 16, 1964

Radio and TV Noordzee was founded in 1963 with land-based offices and broadcast from the sea. The artificial island was built in the harbour of Cork, Ireland.[1] It was towed to its location and anchored in cement on the seabed. On 12 August 1964 a test broadcast was performed and on 15 August regular broadcasting started. The radio service broadcast on 1400 kHz, while on television it used Channel E11 (System B).

REM stands for Reclame Exploitatie Maatschappij[2] ("advertising exploitation company"). The company intended to broadcast commercial radio and TV. Dutch law at the time did not authorise such broadcasts but the island was outside territorial waters. Other stations, such as Radio Veronica, used a ship.

Dismantling of the REM Island

While Dutch authorities were unhappy with the broadcasts, they did not possess the legal right to stop them. However, on the 12 of December, 1964, the government passed the REM law, which split the North Sea into continental sections. The sea bed under REM Island, to which the structure was attached, was therefore declared Dutch territory. Five days later, Korps Mariniers boarded the platform and ended broadcasting.

REM Island as an Amsterdam restaurant

A year after the raid, Radio Noordzee resumed transmissions legally under the name TROS. After that REM Island was used by the government to measure sea temperature and salt concentration. After a failed attempt to sell the island in 2004, the government dismantled it with a goodbye radio event by amateur radio enthusiasts, with the callsign PB6REM on the platform on 8 June 2006.

Since March 2011 the platform sits in Amsterdam harbour where it serves as a restaurant.

Media related to REM island at Wikimedia Commons

52°20′N 4°20′E