"The noble pirate": The Voice of Peace offshore radio station

This article analyzes the case of Abie Nathan's "Voice of Peace" - an offshore pirate radio station that began broadcasting in 1973 off the coast of Tel Aviv. Although the station reflected the diffusion of this type of media transmission into the Middle East from Europe, particularly in its identification with pop music, the Voice of Peace was distinct in its political and ideological aims and in its positive reception. I argue that public enthusiasm for the Voice of Peace reflected not merely the yearning for pop music but the search for a "normal" life within the turmoil of Israel. By "tuning in" to the Voice of Peace, listeners found an escapist heterotopia - an alternative to Israel's hegemonic national characteristics.