Legalise our name: Black "pirate radio" helps free up the airwaves

By Donald McTernan

Pirate or unlicensed radio is not new to the UK. In recent memory Radio Caroline was hailed as a pioneer for UK radio movement and directly led to the creation of BBC Radio 1, and the rise of such stalwarts as Tony Blackburn and Dave Lee Travis, etc. However, pirate radio stations in the 70s, 80s and 90s were not afforded the same cult status amongst the Establishment. And at various times they have been referred to as mindless criminals, gang-related drug dealers and nowadays Yardies! What was so different about this new breed of pirate?

Who are the pirates?
Clearly, these new stations were different - they played Black music. Over the past three decades their numbers have expanded considerably...and so has their musical and cultural styles. Punjabi, Bengali, Nigerian, Spanish, Techno, Hip-Hop, Ragga, Garage, Drum n' Bass, etc., etc., etc. The list is virtually endless.

Every racial and cultural group wants (and probably has) at least one station, preferably citywide, because their members and/or 'community' are dispersed across the major cities. This is most evident in London, which is the most diverse and cosmopolitan city (probably in Europe); it also has the highest concentration and variety of pirate stations. Evidenced also by the high proportion of raids on London pirate stations!

Additionally, every sub-culture group wants to "bust their own musical style on the airwaves", whether it be evenings or weekends or 24/7; whatever the reasons for their existence, there are now hundreds of pirate radio stations out there, and more to come.

Is it worth it?
Let's face it! Technological advances make it relatively cheap and easy to set up an unlicensed station. No taxes, no copyright fees and no salaries will easily convince one or two community entrepreneurs that it's worthwhile. Not all of these stations take advertising, or would wish to. Some of them call themselves community stations, although any profits remain in the hands of those same entrepreneurs and all of their community information breaks are advertising for local dances and food shops.

Nevertheless some stations can and do play an important role in bringing people together, creating a genuine sense of community and fraternity. Pirate radio stations and their owners are not some species of inner city Robin Hoods. It's true that they do play a role in spreading democracy and reaching the marginalised and the alienated, yet they could do so much more.

World-wide scope
Across Europe and the rest of the world, the Community/Free/Independent Radio movement is blossoming. Groups of people from Papua New Guinea to Paris, Cape Town to Canada and from the Highlands of Scotland to Holland are working to enrich and enliven their communities through the medium of radio.

Using radio, satellite and Internet technology these groups often link up for joint broadcasts or collaborate upon joint projects, be it fundraising, local economic development, training or capacity building. These stations do not necessarily seek to represent people but to facilitate access to the means of communication.

Community radio like some pirate stations, believe in producing quality information, seeks to educate its listeners (if only about music) and always tries to entertain. However, unlike the BBC, community radio encourages participation. People from all walks of life are trained to professional standards; many move on to contribute positively within the mainstream side of the industry. Look at the number of ex-pirates on Radio 1 weekend late-night line up.

The solution is the problem
Innovation comes out of creativity and diversity. Currently the trends within radio are towards very specific niches: Golden Oldies, Teens and fans of the Archers. Quite frankly most stations sound the same, with about 5 or 6 variations. The solution is simple...

Re-organise the radio spectrum and free up the airwaves. Create genuine free to air community radio stations. These stations would be operated by not-for-profit organisations that would depend upon mixed sources of finance, both public and private. Community stations could tap into such funds as the Training and Enterprise Councils, Single Regeneration Budget, European Social Fund, Local Authorities, etc.

Community radio stations should also be able to earn a proportion of revenue from advertising, sponsorship, on-air appeals, in much the same way as the current commercial stations.

Pirate expertise
Radio and the media are big business. Left in the hands of a few community entrepreneurs we have remained excluded from the High Table that is the Radio Academy and its Festival. Owning and operating Community Radio Stations and other community media enterprises must not be left in the hands of individuals who are unaccountable to their wider communities. However, their expertise cannot and should not be lost and those pirate operators should be given an opportunity to actively participate in all aspects of this new Community Radio.

The licensing of a number of community radio stations would be an extremely valuable and worthwhile addition to the current range of services available. It would also be an efficient use of those parts of the radio spectrum, which are lying vacant or used by pirate operators.

Licence freedom
Community Radio services could be ready to commence broadcasting within months of being offered a license. A three-month amnesty could be declared to allow current unlicensed operators the opportunity to gear up for providing a legal radio service, or adopt the "sandpit" option. (This is where space on the radio dial is left available for them to play in...as long as they don't move out it!). After all, some people would always want to remain pirates for various reasons!

The RadioCommunications Agency spends over £1 million per year on chasing pirates. Surely this money could be put to better use, i.e. showing new stations how to broadcast and organise themselves, or training young people in the various technical and engineering aspects of broadcasting?

This is a realistic and achievable scenario. It would genuinely broaden listener choice, extend democracy, and assist in bringing communities together whilst simultaneously celebrating cultural diversity.

Notes by the author:
I recently attended the Radio Festival in Cardiff. The Festival is organised by the industry body - the Radio Academy, which is the organisation that supports professional radio people and is drawn mainly from the commercial sector and the BBC, representing the public sector. Like most British institutions it is almost exclusively white and male-dominated. Currently, the only Black commercial music station is Choice FM. There is also Sunrise and that thing on 103.3FM. All of these are in London.

The Academy and the Festival also has a small but significant number of other members, e.g. academics, student radio representatives, interested individuals and community-based not-for-profit organisations. The community stations represent a very small fraction of the industry and within this sector there are, of course, only a few Black community stations. However, there are a significant number of other stations, especially Black ones, who will always remain underrepresented within the industry - the Pirate radio stations.

Donald McTernan is a community worker, writer, broadcaster (both licensed and unlicensed) and currently works for the Community Media Association (CMA). This article is written in a personal capacity and does not represent the views of the CMA.

© Donald McTernan