Laser 558

Laser 558 was an offshore pirate radio station launched in May 1984 using disc jockeys from the United States. It broadcast from the Panama-registered ship MV Communicator in international waters in the North Sea, off the Thames Estuary of the United Kingdom.

Within months the station had a large audience, due to its strong signal and continuous music, mixing current records with oldies. However, insufficient advertising starved the station off the air in late 1985. In 1986 an attempt was made to return as Laser Hot Hits, but the same problems arose. LASER558 Ltd was incorporated at Companies House on July 4, 2023 and became the owner of related intellectual property trademarks the same year covering name, taglines, and logo. LASER558 began online broadcasting as a 're-creation' station in July 2023 and obtained a DSP broadcasting licence from OFCOM. In January 2024, the station launched on Google, Apple, and Amazon apps, on Freeview via the radio portal, Alexa, Roku TV, Fire TV, amongst other platforms. From 2024, original LASER558 disc jockeys Craig Novak, Rick Harris, Jay Mack, Erin Kelly, Jeff Davis, and Chris Carter returned to the station providing a full schedule of programming from 5 am until midnight.