[cma-l] Fwd: Four hundred pirate radio setups shut down in London in just two years
Tony Bailey
ravensound at pilgrimsound.co.uk
Tue Jul 7 11:27:35 BST 2015
The old Radcom Agency used to do the "pirate bit" at their annual bash -
the last one I attended included a mock-up of a pirate radio studio,
complete with used lager cans.... Didn't the investigation service get
passed to the beeb?
Tony Bailey
On 07/07/15 10:41, James Cridland wrote:
> My concern is: why did this take an FoI request to discover? Surely
> Ofcom should be shouting about their work here?
>
> Investigations I made a few years ago after a presentation from Ofcom
> on pirate radio at TechCon -
> http://james.cridland.net/blog/techcon-a-look-back/ - point to an
> awful lot of spin by Ofcom:
>
> "Then the man who is in charge of closing pirate radio stations down,
> Jim McNally from Ofcom. McNally -- who sounded like an ex-policeman --
> spent all his time telling us why pirate radio was all linked with
> drugs and crime, and why they were all very nasty people. As far as I
> was concerned, he completely misread the audience; many of whom saw
> much of pirate radio as simply a nuisance who transmitted over their
> own properly licenced stations, and wanted to know when Ofcom might
> take action against them. Yet, we heard nothing about Ofcom's attempts
> to close these stations down: indeed, he didn't mention one single
> successful closure or any statistics there at all. Instead, we heard a
> story about London City Airport being "20 minutes from closure"
> because of a pirate radio service. The story dates from 2005, and --
> while apparently on the CAA's behalf -- only appears online in
> connection with Ofcom's attempt to brand all pirate radio stations as
> uninterested in music, involved with drugs and crime, and affecting
> public safety. There is no independent reporting of this incident, far
> less anything to back up the "20 minutes" claim. If it was so
> shocking, why on earth wasn't it covered by any news outlet? I'm
> afraid I saw this entire session as a spin exercise, light on facts
> and covering up Ofcom's clear incompetence in actually closing any of
> these services down. I'd be delighted to be corrected by Ofcom, and
> actually hear some evidence of the authority protecting its licensees."
>
> It's interesting that nobody from Ofcom bothered to correct me.
> Because if they really are closing 200 pirate stations a year, they've
> something to shout about.
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 7, 2015 at 10:03 AM Mark Davis <MarkD at in2beats.com
> <mailto:MarkD at in2beats.com>> wrote:
>
> I don't think they can actually do anything even if they do manage
> to find the studio , most pirates these days call themselves
> ______.net etc they never mention the frequency and always refer
> to themselves as streaming world wide and never say if someone is
> listening via fm or Internet ,and they link via the Internet , so
> I suppose gathering evidence on them from there broadcasts is very
> hard , unless they catch them on a tower block .
> Please correct me if I'm wrong
>
>
>
> Mark Davis
> www.in2beats.com <http://www.in2beats.com>
> markd at in2beats.com <mailto:markd at in2beats.com>
> www.facebook.com/in2beats <http://www.facebook.com/in2beats>
> office:01234352244 ext:22
> Mobile:07887867114
>
>
>
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Tony Bailey <ravensound at pilgrimsound.co.uk
> <mailto:ravensound at pilgrimsound.co.uk>>
> Date: 07/07/2015 08:36 (GMT+00:00)
> To: cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk
> <mailto:cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk>
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Four hundred pirate radio setups shut down in
> London in just two years
>
> This is full of interesting bits:
>
> "It's a big problem, especially in London," he said. "There are
> about 70 active stations in the London area. In the whole of the
> UK we've got something like just over 100.
> "From the enquiries we've carried out, this problem doesn't exist
> in New York or Rome or Paris - it's a London phenomenon."
>
> Maybe because in Rome and Paris the FM band is planned for the
> city - not the surrounding countryside as it is in London?
>
> Tony Bailey
>
> On 06/07/15 18:08, Ian Hickling wrote:
>> "........internet radio and the introduction of community
>> broadcasting licences have taken away some of the incentive for
>> pirates to broadcast........"?
>>
>> Sorry - on which planet is this?
>>
>> *Ian Hickling*
>> Partner
>>
>> <http://www.transplanuk.com/>
>> /Office: 01635 578435 (7am-11pm UK time)/
>> /Carphone: 07530 980115 (only responds when driving)/
>> /6 Horn Street, Compton, NEWBURY, RG20 6QS/
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> From: cma-l at commedia.org.uk <mailto:cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
>> Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2015 11:40:18 +0100
>> To: cma-l at commedia.org.uk <mailto:cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
>> Subject: [cma-l] Four hundred pirate radio setups shut down in
>> London in just two years
>>
>> Regulators have raided nearly 400 suspected pirate radio setups
>> in London over the last two years, the Standard
>> <http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/four-hundred-pirate-radio-stations-shut-down-in-london-in-just-two-years-10362974.html>
>> can reveal.
>> Figures released by Ofcom in response to a Freedom of Information
>> request show nearly a quarter of the raids took place in
>> Haringey, north London, while 90 resulted in equipment being seized.
>> Lambeth, south London, was the next biggest offender, with more
>> than 50 raids on suspected pirates between April 2013 and March
>> this year.
>> The communications regulator says internet radio and the
>> introduction of community broadcasting licences have taken away
>> some of the incentive for pirates to broadcast.
>> But pirate stations remain a problem because they can interfere
>> with vital comms channels used by the emergency services.
>> "It's not about raising revenue," Clive Corrie, Ofcom's head of
>> spectrum enforcement, told the Standard. "It's about protecting
>> the spectrum from harmful interference.
>> "Last year Ofcom received 53 complaints of interference to
>> aviation services - ground-to-air radio location and radio
>> navigation systems."
>> Of the 53 complaints, 48 related to the London area.
>> Mr Corrie added the problem was largely confined to the capital,
>> though the reason for this has experts at something of a loss.
>> "It's a big problem, especially in London," he said. "There are
>> about 70 active stations in the London area. In the whole of the
>> UK we've got something like just over 100.
>> "From the enquiries we've carried out, this problem doesn't exist
>> in New York or Rome or Paris - it's a London phenomenon."
>> The true figures are likely to be even higher - councils don't
>> have to tell Ofcom when they raid pirate radio setups.
>> Hackney Council revealed last month it had dismantled 29 masts
>> and transmitters being used by pirate broadcasters in 12 months -
>> only five of which are recorded in the FOI disclosure given to
>> the Standard.
>> Aviation doesn't use the same bandwidth as FM radio but because
>> the home-made transmitters are typically a dozen times stronger
>> than community radio equipment - sometimes up to 300 Watts - and
>> are often poorly installed, they can inadvertently take over
>> higher frequencies.
>> Corrie added pirates typically chose tower blocks on high ground,
>> and often hide equipment in lift shafts and air vents - not just
>> to stop authorities from getting to it, but also to protect it
>> from other pirate groups. "It's a bit of a Wild West situation,"
>> he said.
>> Among the council raids in Hackney this year was one on the
>> Summit Estate, Upper Clapton.
>> Hackney's housing chief Cllr Philip Glanville said:
>> "Surprisingly, this type of activity is still quite common, and
>> can have an impact on the lives of our residents."
>> Three years ago, the Army inadvertently raided an illegal dance
>> music station in north-east London.
>> Soldiers stumbled upon a group of "young men" broadcasting from
>> Highfield Towers in Collier Row as they set up surveillance
>> equipment ahead of the Olympics.
>>
>> Source:
>> http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/four-hundred-pirate-radio-stations-shut-down-in-london-in-just-two-years-10362974.html
>>
>> \\
>>
>> Community Media Association
>> --
>> http://www.commedia.org.uk/
>> http://twitter.com/community_media
>> https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation
>>
>> Canstream Internet Radio & Video
>> http://www.canstream.co.uk/
>> https://twitter.com/canstream
>>
>> _______________________________________________ Reply -
>> cma-l at commedia.org.uk <mailto:cma-l at commedia.org.uk> The cma-l
>> mailing list is a members' service provided by the Community
>> Media Association - http://www.commedia.org.uk Twitter:
>> http://twitter.com/community_media
>> http://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation Canstream
>> Internet Radio & Video: http://www.canstream.co.uk/
>> _______________________________________________ Mailing list
>> guidelines:
>> http://www.commedia.org.uk/about/cma-email-lists/email-list-guidelines/
>> _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe or
>> manage your CMA-L mailing list subscription please visit:
>> http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>> Reply -cma-l at commedia.org.uk <mailto:cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
>>
>> The cma-l mailing list is a members' service provided by the Community Media Association -http://www.commedia.org.uk
>> Twitter:http://twitter.com/community_media
>> http://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation
>> Canstream Internet Radio & Video:http://www.canstream.co.uk/
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>> Mailing list guidelines:http://www.commedia.org.uk/about/cma-email-lists/email-list-guidelines/
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>> To unsubscribe or manage your CMA-L mailing list subscription please visit:
>> http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l
>
>
> --
> Local Reports athttp://www.ravensound.pilgrimsound.co.uk
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> Reply - cma-l at commedia.org.uk <mailto:cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
>
> The cma-l mailing list is a members' service provided by the
> Community Media Association - http://www.commedia.org.uk
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/community_media
> http://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation
> Canstream Internet Radio & Video: http://www.canstream.co.uk/
> _______________________________________________
>
> Mailing list guidelines:
> http://www.commedia.org.uk/about/cma-email-lists/email-list-guidelines/
> _______________________________________________
>
> To unsubscribe or manage your CMA-L mailing list subscription
> please visit:
> http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l
>
> --
>
> http://james.cridland.net | http://media.info
>
> Tel: +44 7941 251474
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> Reply - cma-l at commedia.org.uk
>
> The cma-l mailing list is a members' service provided by the Community Media Association - http://www.commedia.org.uk
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/community_media
> http://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation
> Canstream Internet Radio & Video: http://www.canstream.co.uk/
> _______________________________________________
>
> Mailing list guidelines: http://www.commedia.org.uk/about/cma-email-lists/email-list-guidelines/
> _______________________________________________
>
> To unsubscribe or manage your CMA-L mailing list subscription please visit:
> http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l
--
Local Reports at http://www.ravensound.pilgrimsound.co.uk
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/pipermail/cma-l/attachments/20150707/5f62a7fd/attachment.html>
More information about the cma-l
mailing list