Brian Anthony - JFM - R.I.P.

[Gary Edwards]

Clive Richardson has posted this on Facebook:

Sad to report the death of Brian Anthony, who was tragically killed in a road accident near Antalya,Turkey, his adopted home of the past decade, on December 11th 2021 aged 76 years.

Brian’s name is known to the soul radio community as the founder of JFM Radio, the London-based pirate station launched in 1980 which continued broadcasting until January 1985.

Brian Anthony started out as a DJ on Radio Jackie which also trialled on VHF known as Jackie FM, and when he started his own station, he appropriated those initials for J.F.M. Radio, which many listeners took to mean Jazz Funk Music from the output of the station.

Transmissions were initially limited to Sundays and Bank Holidays, and the DJ roster featured a number of people (including Pete Tong, Steve Walsh, Gordon Mac, Steve Jackson and Lynn Parsons) who went on to gain wider radio fame.

Early in 1984 JFM began a 24 hour broadcast schedule with a transmitter located at Crystal Palace and studios also located in South London. As the reputation and audience of the station grew, so did the DJ roster, with an accumulation of leading names from the world of Club DJs and music journalism.

Along with running the radio station, Brian also organised listener events and ‘club gigs’ in London including sell-out events at the Lyceum as well as two successful soul cruises to the Netherlands.

JFM ceased broadcasting in January 1985 after a major studio raid by officials from the Department of Trade and Industry, the Government body responsible for managing the airwaves.

As ex-JFM presenters Clive Richardson, Tony Monson and Mark Davis (now on Solar Radio) were acutely aware of at the time, Brian didn't suffer fools gladly and ran a tight ship! Through his drive, determination and vision, JFM became a 'go to' station for jazz-funk and soul fans in London and the home counties, with many now well-known bands being promoted on the station and appearing at PAs at the station's events.

Without doubt, Brian's contribution to the rise of a new generation of radio stations and the popularisation of the music we love is huge - a torch which still burns bright in the hands of Solar Radio.

https://twitter.com/amfmldn/status/1480 ... s78JgCJgxQ