R16 - Pirate Radio

WHAT IS A PIRATE RADIO?

A pirate radio is an illegal or unregulated radio transmission for entertainment or political purposes. There are hundreds of these radio stations broadcasting illegally in the UK. They usually specialise in playing music not heard on other radio stations but even so, they are still breaking the law.

THE PROBLEMS...

Although to some people they find that there is no harm in this the participation of it is still a criminal and anti-social activity which causes problems for legal broadcasters. From the OFCOM site, broadcasters cause these particular problems:

- Cause interference to the broadcasts of legal radio stations depriving them of audience and the public of the ability to listen to the station of their choice.
- Steal frequencies and space on the radio spectrum and their use of poor transmitting equipment makes interference an inevitable consequence of their activities.
- Unauthorised use of premises as transmitter sites leads to criminal damage and theft - a burden carried by the owners or residents of the premises used.
- Pay no business, council, VAT or income taxes and therefore take from, rather than contribute to, the communities they claim to serve.
- They disrupt the vital communications of the safety of life services, particularly air traffic control.

chart shows the outcome of the Agency's prosecutions up to 2002



"The Agency has learnt that a licensed broadcasting station is running a competition to recruit DJ’s from pirate radio stations.The economic value of the UK radio industry is worth £20 billion at 2000 prices. The Agency is responsible for ensuring that this vital national asset is not threatened by misuse of the radio spectrum. The greatest threat comes from unlicensed broadcasters who operate with total disregard for authorised radio users. Recruitment of staff from pirate radio stations may require pirate broadcasters to provide information that is effectively evidence of their committing a criminal offence of unlicensed broadcasting. The penalties for that criminal offence are:

- an unlimited fine and/or two years in prison, plus
- anyone convicted of an offence is barred from working on a legal station for 5 years" 

This is a warning from the "RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS AGENCY" to broadcasters who are looking to hire DJs from pirate radios. As shown, the penalties from even this are tough. This goes to show how seriously pirate radios are taken

  

~~http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/topics/enforcement/pirate.htm~~