Drama and comedy programmes featuring UK pirate radio: UK national newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, "BBC NEWS - Technology - Pirate radio 'puts lives at risk, "How a radio ship and 7 men shook up Britain in 1964", "Pirates of the airwaves recall days of radio and raids - and transmitters hidden in Jacob's biscuit tins", "LWR - London pirate radio history - AM/FM", "Kiss FM - London pirate radio history - AM/FM", "AM/FM - News Radio Today September 1988", "The history of UK pirate radio – and why it's still here", "Rush FM raided, 1993 - The Radical History of Hackney", "Media: Pirates remain afloat: Illegal radio stations are continuing to defy tough new laws, says Philip Fergusson – Media", "Pirate radio stations 'linked to drugs': Illegal broadcasters used as front for crime, regulator says", "Pirate radio rave tapes: 'You can't Google this stuff, "Illegal Broadcasting – Understanding the issues", "Bouncing the illegal broadcasters off the overcrowded airwaves", "You may think they're a bunch of amateurs...", "BBC News - England - London - Pirate radio 'risk to aircraft, "Four hundred pirate radio setups shut down in London in just two years", "Concrete jungle: Hackney's pirate DJs resist rooftop station crackdown", "Radical Objects: Covert Broadcasts and the Nuclear Disarmament Campaign", "Concealed Transmissions - the story of InterferenceFM", "Lewisham councillor urges cops to use illegal pirate radio", "Pirate radio station saves child's life | The Observer", "How Pirate Radio Made Grime Great Again", "London's Radio Pirates Changed Music. Listen live to your favourite music and presenters at Pirate FM. Rebel sounds: A brief history of pirate radio in the UK Read Story Having hosted her own shows on pirates as a teenager, Shy One (real name Mali Larrington-Nelson) is now a … [8] More recently, Interference FM was set up by a collective to broadcast during the Carnival Against Capitalism demonstration on 18 June 1999. Across the UK, the picture was similar, with notable pirate radio stations including PCRL, Frontline, and Sting in Birmingham; The Superstation, Buzz FM and Soul Nation in Manchester;[20] Dance FM, Fantasy FM, and SCR in Sheffield; Passion Radio, Ragga FM, For the People in Bristol; Fresh FM in Leicester; Z100 in Liverpool, and Dream FM in Leeds.[21]. "[44], For some, the Internet still does not replace the need for pirate radio: "Pirate will never stop; it’s cyclical. [17][19] These stations still broadcast today. [22][23] Speed/UK garage was being pushed by stations such as London Underground (notably the Dreem Teem), Freek FM (notably DJ EZ), and Girls FM. These stations included Radio Caroline which had two stations. Around the UK, the West Midlands and Birmingham would see a large number of stations forming including the likes of Peoples Community Radio Link (PCRL) which started in 1985, and Sunshine Radio. [37], The advent of the Internet has bought both opportunities and challenges for pirate radio. BGCR FM – 104.3 – London – September 1984: 45 mins. The development and promotion of grass-roots talent, the urban music scene and minority community groups were identified as key drivers for pirate radio. See sections 36 to 38 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006. [9][10] LWR's biggest rival would arrive in the form of Kiss FM, first broadcasting in late 1985. Thames Radio. In London, stations such as RFM (Rock FM) and London Rock, and in Manchester KFM Radio would spring up to cater for those music genres during the mid-late 1980s. Welcome! Follow us on EMUZE:https://www.emuze.com/karmalooptv [35], Political programming has been a feature of the many black community pirate radio stations that have grown in the UK since the 1980s. The UK Government also closed the international waters loophole via the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act of 1967, although Radio Caroline would continue to broadcast in various forms right up to 1990.[1]. According to the research both pirate radio listeners and those running pirate radio stations thought that licensed broadcasters failed to cater sufficiently for the needs of the public at large. [30], Ofcom responded to a Freedom of Information request in July 2015, that revealed they had raided and seized almost 400 pirate radio set-ups in London in just a 2-year period. By 1966, a huge audience was grooving to pirate transmissions. [7] The main method employed by most medium-wave or short-wave pirate stations during the 1970s involved programming played back on cassette recorders (often powered by a car battery), with a long wire antenna slung up between two trees. We will however remove all Spam and deliberate Advertising only posts! [9] London Weekend Radio (LWR) would start life in 1983 playing contemporary pop music during the day with more specialist shows in the evenings and weekends; however, having briefly closed down, management of the station was handed to club promoter Zak Dee and in 1984, LWR rose again as a dedicated soul, hip hop, jazz-funk, and reggae station, launching the career of Tim Westwood. Duwayne Brooks, councillor and friend of Stephen Lawrence who was murdered in a racist attack in 1993, has in the past urged police to work with community stations such as Genesis in order to improve "police engagement with the community" and "run our own appeals for information after incidents". BAFTA Awards: Nomadland and director Chloe Zhao make history with top honours, BAFTA Film Awards: Catch up on our live coverage of the awards, Real Music Variety from Cornwall's Pirate FM, Relax & unwind after another day in the Duchy with Pirate Chilled, Pirate FM is owned by Bauer Radio Limited. Rare Pictures Googie Bunker Heavy Equipment Abandoned Places Warfare Retro Uk Pirate The Incredibles. It has won many awards such as 'Station of the Year'at the 'Sony Radio Academy Awards' in 2003 and 2006. Solar Radio. However, the number of unlicensed broadcasters would soon begin to rise again, partly out of the belief that the Act had undermined community radio and small scale broadcasters. The on air sound was totally professional, and the business made nearly a million pounds during it's time on air. In Finland, most pirate radio stations operated in the 1970s and the early half of the 1980s, because Yleisradio was the only legitimate broadcaster. [36] Where black community stations have also been effective is to raise awareness and raise funds for local concerns, often where mainstream media has overlooked them. [4], The format of this wave of pirate radio was influenced by Radio Luxembourg and American radio stations. The film has an ensemble cast consisting of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Kenneth Branagh. Southern Radio/South East Sound. It was first launched in 1992 by Roger Day. Although it peaked throughout the 1960s and again during the 1980s/1990s, it remains in existence today. The pirate radio ship was record producer Ronan O’Rahilly’s idea. You may be committing an offence if you know, or have reasonable cause to believe, that unauthorised broadcasts are being made, and you: 1. keep a station/apparatus available for its use; 2. allowing your premises to be used; 3. a… For the likes of Galaxy Radio, part of their mission is to: "de-brainwash the black community". In it's 2 1/2 years on air, Radio London had become the most successful offshore radio station in the UK. [26] Furthermore, the Broadcasting Act 1990 provides that anyone convicted of an unlawful broadcasting offence is disqualified from holding a broadcasting licence for five years. The Marine Broadcasting Offences Act officially outlawed offshore stations, but unlicensed radio continued, moving from ships and sea-based platforms to urban areas in the latter part of the 1960s despite being already illegal under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949). Select UK Radio – (Direct Link) Shine FM. Also posts and or threads if found to be Obscene or offensive in any way! Starpoint FM. [1] As stations such as Kiss would increasingly discover that advertising revenue and market share became as important as the music it played, new pirate stations once again sprung up to cater for underground music scenes that were developing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_radio_in_the_United_Kingdom [9], In London, a notable moment would be the launching of Britain's first black owned music station Dread Broadcasting Corporation (DBC) in 1980. Sunrise Radio. UK pirate radio history was inspired by groups in Denmark and Sweden, who also broadcasted shows from the sea through stations like Radio Mercur or Radio Nord in the late 1950s and early 60s. [15] The Evening Standard headline exclaimed "Drug gangs set up fortresses. The Boat That Rocked (titled Pirate Radio in North America) is a 2009 British comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis with pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s as its setting. In the early days, the internet became another communication means in which to advertise and promote stations, with station listings, frequencies, and information starting to be posted. [8], Despite being better catered for by legal radio, there was still space for stations playing alternative rock and indie music which was struggling to get mainstream airplay. Thameside Radio. Start broadcasting it yourself. As pirate radio persisted into the 2000s, UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom undertook research into its continued popularity and published its findings in 2007. Check out this video following Palladium as they explore the depths of Pirate Radio in London. [8][9], Entering the 1980s, transmitters capable of FM broadcasting were beginning to be picked up reasonably cheaply, with the ability to transmit over a forty-mile radius from a 15-storey tower. Real Music Variety for Cornwall, Plymouth and West Devon. [3], The first British pirate radio station was Radio Caroline, which started broadcasting from a ship off the Essex coast in 1964. [9] In 1989, a London pirate radio station Q102 would become a short-lived but hugely influential station in the breaking of early 1990s indie and Britpop bands. [1] During this period, home-made medium wave (and sometimes short wave) transmitters were often constructed inside cheap, expendable biscuit tins. Nonetheless the growth of pirate radio in the 1980s was so rapid that at one point pirate radio operators outnumbered legal broadcasters and in popularity.[9]. The Story Of Londons Pirate Radio Stations – 1967-1973: 90 mins. [26] It found that: "a large proportion of these are operating in London, with notable clusters in Harlesden, Stoke Newington, Southwark and Lambeth". Our Radio once evaded arrest by setting up a dummy antenna for the Home Office to find. The internet has been pretty cool for that, but it’s not the be-all-and-end-all",[14] whilst others argue that for music like grime, pirate radio continues to be "such an essential platform for emerging voices". [43], By the 2010s, this landscape was changing with increasing use of social media and music streaming services, with research by RAJAR reporting that: "Although 90% of people still listen to the radio each week, the proportion listening to FM and AM stations has fallen from 68% in 2010 to 58% in March. By 1988, Kiss would boast a line-up of top DJs including Norman Jay, Jazzie B (of Soul II Soul), Colin Faver, Trevor Nelson, Judge Jules, Danny Rampling, Paul Trouble Anderson, and Coldcut, playing soul, jazz-funk, reggae, hip hop and the emerging sounds of house music. Pirate FM has 162.000 weekly listeners in the UK, and is in the ownership of Bauer Radio Ltd., member of the Planet Radio station group. The financing or participating in the day-to-day running of unlicensed broadcasting is also a criminal offence, as is the supplying of a sound recording for an unlicensed station and advertising through unlicensed stations. See more ideas about radio, pirates, offshore. London's Kiss FM was one of those that duly did so, yet despite strong backing and support, would lose out to Jazz FM. Pirate radio stations have been illegally hijacking the FM dial since the 1990s, but while the pirate scene is far smaller than it was in its heyday, the movement is still thriving on a local scale, and a vibrant array of online-only stations are inspired by the energy and spirit of the pirates. If you push people hard enough, they’ll find a mode of expression. The radio belongs to UKRD Group. Pirate radio in the United Kingdom (UK) has been a popular and enduring radio medium since the 1960s, despite expansions in licensed broadcasting, and the advent of both digital radio and internet radio. Schedule The years between 1964 to 1967 became the hey-day of British Pirate Radio. For those ill-served by mainstream and legal radio, pirate radio filled the void especially for the black community. [31], Since 2010, Ofcom have promoted the take-up of Community Radio, especially in areas such as London with a concentration of pirate radio stations. Register for the Birthday Club - Get a shout out on air. [5], Radio Caroline's audience was one third the size of the BBCs Light Programme in the parts of the country where it could be received, but the Light Programme's audience did not decrease, indicating that pirate radio appealed to an audience that the BBC did not serve. In London pirate stations emerged that, for the first time in UK radio broadcasting, focused on particular music genres such as Radio Invicta (92.4 FM) Europe’s first soul station, started in 1970. WIN with Warburtons and the Phrase that Pays - EVERY FRIDAY! [41][42] For the now legal Rinse FM, their website not only streamed shows live but it would also provide them a platform to develop their identity and to promote their events whilst still unlicensed. [1] Having moved from transmitting from ships in the sea to towerblocks across UK towns and cities, in 2009 the UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom estimated more than 150 pirate radio stations were still operating. The station was formed by George Power who had previously run another pirate station, London Greek Radio, along with DJs Gordon Mac and Tosca Jackson. [6], In reaction to the popularity of pirate radio, BBC radio was restructured in 1967, establishing BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3 and Radio 4. The research found that 37 percent of students aged 14–24 and 41 percent of the African-Caribbean community listened to pirate radio". At any one time, it is believed that around half of these are transmitting in London, within the M25 area". [32] As such, a number of former pirate radio stations have made the transition to legal broadcasting through community radio licences, such as Rinse FM, Kane FM, and most recently Flex FM. To put it simply, pirate radio never left London. Pirate FM is part of Planet Radio. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially when the signals cross a national boundary. Prince Philip: Countess of Wessex shares duke's final moments, saying his death was 'so gentle'. Freedom of Speech within a common sense framework for all things Radio,TV,RF, Etc. In other cases, a broadcast may be considered "pirate" due to the nature of its content, its transmission format, or the transmit power of the station, even if the transmission is not technically illegal. Similarly, Voice of Nuclear Disarmament would do the same for a short period in the early 1960s in London. Unable to get air time for his acts, he started his own station with two ships, MV Radio Caroline and MV Mi Amigo. The Act sets out a number of criminal offences relating to wireless telegraphy, including the establishment or use of a wireless telegraphy station or apparatus for the purpose of making an unlicensed broadcast. Both of these would broadcast until 1985 when they were followed by Solar Radio and Starpoint. The first of these was Radio Invicta, regarded as Europe's first soul music station first broadcasting in 1970. Radio Sutch, on the Shivering Sands Army fort, became Radio City. So the scene was set for a revolution in radio. In London, stations as Galaxy Radio, Genesis, Station, and Vibes have mixed black music with phone-ins and cultural programming: "We are trying to bring a balance into the community - to introduce culture and history and to inform people" as one of those involved in Galaxy. Catch all the latest Local news from Pirate FM. Anyone involved in illegal broadcasting is committing a criminal offence and could face up to two years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both. Skyline Radio. Jun 19, 2020 - Explore Pete Wyatt's board "Pirate radio UK" on Pinterest. Pirate FM, 102.8 FM, Truro, UK | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn. The 1970s and 1980s saw a wave of land-based pirate radio, broadcasting mostly in larger towns and cities, transmitting from flats and tower blocks. At the same time, the authorities would continue to assert the risk of interference to emergency services by stations. [13] In 1989, new licenses were advertised but stations would have to commit to closing down voluntarily and come off-air as part of bidding for them. Radio London and the two Carolines were joined by Swinging Radio England (pop) and Britain Radio (easy listening), both transmitting from the Laissez-Faire, and launched by the Texan founders of Big L. The station would launch the careers of Pete Tong, Gilles Peterson and a number of the shows were presented by what was then known as the "Soul Mafia" - DJs such as Chris Hill and Froggy. Keep up with the latest news and shows, enter competitions, and check out our playlists. [28][29] The latter two would be instrumental in the development of then underground grime and dubstep music scenes. [1] Spurred on by the offshore stations, land-based pirate stations took to the air on medium wave at weekends, such as Radio Free London in 1968. However, some remain skeptical of the ability of the local community and pirate broadcasters to make the move to legal status.