The famed REM island — a platform used in 1964 to broadcast commercial pirate radio and TV programs to the Netherlands — will be towed to Amsterdam where it will be outfitted as a restaurant in the harbour. The two-storey structure was bought by De Principaal, the municipal project development company of housing corporation De Key. It will be towed to Amsterdam shortly, and the restaurant should be ready to welcome its first guests one year from now. The rebuilt version, which will take eight months and create 30 jobs, will have an extra storey compared to the original.
REM Island was located just outside territorial waters, 6 miles off the Dutch coast. The stations - Radio and TV Noordzee - were operated by REM, which stands for Reclame Explotatie Maatschappij (Advertising Exploitation Company). Broadcasting commenced 15 August 1964, and countless people in the West of Holland bought and installed the special antennas necessary to receive its TV transmissions.
But on 17 December, 1964, the Royal Dutch Navy raided the station and the island was confiscated. The Dutch government later used the island as a measuring post. On 8 June, 2006, the structure was dismantled and the substructure was demolished.
(Source: DutchAmsterdam.nl/RTV Noord)
on Sep 3rd, 2010 at 22:23
I was aboard REM Eiland on July 29, 1964 (my 20th birthday). If anyone knows when REM Restaurant is open please reply.