Pirate radio stations
Pirate radio
stations are made by broadcasters who are not legally recognised due to not
purchasing a license under section 1 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act
1949. Moreover, independent broadcasters must also comply with
the legislation and have a broadcasting licence issued by the
Radio Authority.
Many people see
pirate radio as harmless fun, they assume that the Acts put in place
are unnecessary; however, this is not the case mainly because it is seen
as an anti-social and criminal act. Pirate radio stations can cause
more damage because they cause interference with the legal
radio stations- depriving their audience of effective broadcasting.
An unlicensed radio station means that the owners will have to 'steal'
frequencies of other radio stations and space on the radio spectrum. In
addition, owners of pirate radio stations do not give back to their community
(by not paying TAX, VAT) rather they are stealing and taking from the
community therefore, pirate radio stations are of no benefit to the
community.
Here are some
pirate radio stations within London:
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| Click to enlarge |
The consequences of
owning a pirate radio stations could lead to fines and possible jail sentences.
Due to OFCOM rising in power, there are now lesser pirate radio stations than
there have been in the past, as the methods of regulating and monitoring radio
stations more closely have improved thus raising the standards of radio
stations.
I learnt that
in order to run a radio station there are many technical rules that need to be
applied, moreover it must be recognised by the government through the license.
There are many other ways of getting into the radio industry as there are many
of jobs available which include radio broadcasting therefore people
do not have to resort to creating pirate radio stations.
Source:
http://www.laughingpoliceman.com/court_pirates.htm
