[cma-l] Region 10 Licensing

Mon Feb 8 16:40:41 GMT 2016

Hello Ian
As someone who has been, and remains, involved in legal broadcasting over a number of years I'm not unsympathetic to your passionate position regarding "Pirates". I feel an aspect of the problem both historically and currently is that there has never been a realistic pathway into local commercial broadcasting for those without immediate access to the necessary finances or expertise. Indeed some of the established legal commercial stations have their origins as pirates. Transition facilitated usually once popularity had been established and they could then attract the money people to legally bid. Usually with a blind eye position from the authorities regarding their history. The aspirations of licensed community stations are required to be not for profit and quite rightly in my view but that does not accomodate for those that identify a community/market that is not served and with whom they wish to commercially engage. Notably in London and other cities there are communities with culture and language not addressed by the mainstream or legal local broadcasting. They are ostensibly required to become the selfless sausages that comprise most involved in community radio or engage in illegal activity. I remember well campaigning for community radio legislation and it is with some regret we were not able to fend off the resistance of the commercial radio lobby to anything but not for profit aspirations. Clearly this does not apply in lots of cases of pirate activity but this absence of a pathway onto local commercial radio still remains a contributing factor. I say this in an individual capacity and it does not reflect the position of any organisation with which I may be associated. 
More power to your elbow and I look forward to your always sterling contribution to this list.
All bestLolG

Sent from my Samsung device

-------- Original message --------
From: Ian Hickling <transplanfm at hotmail.com> 
Date: 08/02/2016  14:25  (GMT+00:00) 
To: The Community Media Association Discussion List <cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk> 
Subject: [cma-l] Region 10 Licensing 

If it were not for the North Sea Pirates such as Caroline and London - then I agree Neil.But they weren't illegal at all.
They were stopped by a designer piece of spoiler legislation.
Apart from the use of the token word "pirate", there is no comparison with the current land-based illegal broadcasters who are knowingly and deliberately contravening established law - sorry.
I'm aware that some city pirates are in fact performing a useful community service - but he fact remains that they are still breaking the law and as such are by their own decision the enemy.
The orientation of the fence is very clear.
Ian Hickling
Partner

Office: 01635 578435  (7am-11pm UK time)Carphone: 07530 980115 (only responds when driving)6 Horn Street, Compton, NEWBURY, RG20 6QS

Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2016 14:01:13 +0000
From: neilm at susyradio.com
To: cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk
Subject: Re: [cma-l] Region 10 Licensing

I acknowledge that the comment is going to come from somewhere that if it was not for illegal pirates we would not have radio today! However that was then this is now and there is a way for people to apply and successfully win local legal frequencies. So on this basis and I cannot speak for my colleagues who I'm sure have individual personal views - I'm in!
Neil Munday

On Monday, 8 February 2016, Ian Hickling <transplanfm at hotmail.com> wrote:

Following Ofcom's recent updating of its CR Timetable:http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radio-broadcast-licensing/community-radio/apply-for-licence/timetable- here's a relevant train of thought.I was in South London on Friday, where we are building new studios for an International broadcaster, when I had to move my car at about 2 o'clock so that others could leave the rather small car park.
I put the radio on while I was waiting and found 8 strong illegal broadcasters within a few seconds - most of which I recognised from my own and others' previous scans as regular offenders.Why are they still there - in some cases for well over a decade?
Because in Ofcom's judgement they aren't actually damaging any licensed transmissions.
Which means in essence that they are occupying frequencies which are available for legitimate use,
So as Ofcom is going to be inviting Applications soon for CRs within the M25, what is it going to be saying about FM availability?
Is this not a God-given opportunity to give illegal broadcasters a final chance to become legitimate or be wiped out?
The phrase "Hunted Down to Extinction" is the one I'd like to use.
Ofcom has precise and efficient detection equipment at Baldock and elsewhere, has all these illegal operators documented, knows where they are - and in many cases knows the identity of individual perpetrators.
It is also relatively simple to locate their transmitters and identify their supporters, funders and advertisers.
Let's have a proper effective campaign to tell illegal broadcasters in London to Shape Up or Ship Out.
It doesn't require any action by Parliament or any new legislation - just the enforcement of the Laws we have in place already to remove offenders by the people who are tasked with doing that.
We have ANPR units that automatically identify and deal with vehicles without road tax and insurance that are cheating us and the Government out of valuable revenue - so why not a similar process for these perpetual and equally dangerous law-breakers?
I'm going to put this formally to Government, to the DCMS and to Ofcom.Who's with me?
Ian Hickling
Partner

Office: 01635 578435  (7am-11pm UK time)Carphone: 07530 980115 (only responds when driving)6 Horn Street, Compton, NEWBURY, RG20 6QS 		 	   		  

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