News story about the first industry campaign launched by new UK commercial radio trade body RadioCentre, attacking pirate radio stations, written by Grant Goddard in July 2006 for The Radio Magazine.

1. NEWS: FIRST RADIOCENTRE
INDUSTRY CAMPAIGN ATTACKS
PIRATE RADIO STATIONS AND
"THE DANGER THEY POSE TO
LOCAL COMMUNITIES"
by
GRANT GODDARD
www.grantgoddard.co.uk
July 2006

2. The newly created UK commercial radio trade body, RadioCentre, has
selected pirate radio stations as the focus of its first industry campaign, urging
the government to “get tough” and “face the truth about the danger they pose
to local communities”.
RadioCentre, formed from the recent merger of the CRCA, RAB, JICRIT and
Hit40UK, said it had “resulted [sic] to using its own funds to take out private
injunctions to previously convicted pirate broadcasters in an attempt to reduce
re-offending.”
RadioCentre chairman Paul Brown claimed that pirates “impair revenue
generation and investment in content” of the radio industry “by reducing
listening to legal, advertiser funded radio services.”
According to the RadioCentre, pirate stations “run by criminal gangs who use
the stations as a front to sell drugs” earn £5,000 per week from advertising
parties, records and clubs, but have overheads of “just £350”.
RadioCentre’s statement followed a forty-minute House of Commons debate
on pirate radio initiated by Conservative MP for Hornchurch James
Brokenshire. “Having spoken to a number of commercial radio stations,” he
said, “pirate broadcasters remain a significant issue to the industry.”
A Parliamentary Question he asked in January revealed that convictions for
illegal broadcasting numbered 58 in 2005, 60 in 2004, 103 in 2003, 49 in 2002,
20 in 2001 and 41 in 2000. During the debate, Brokenshire revealed that
“many of the broadcasters and DJs who appear on pirate radio stations
actually pay for the privilege. They are often teenagers and young people who
may be impressionable. The pirates often prey on that and charge them as
much as £20 an hour to broadcast on the stations.”
For the government, Margaret Hodge (who admitted to being a fan of pirate
'Radio Caroline' in the 1960s) explained that only 0.8% of Ofcom’s budget is
spent on anti-pirate activity, mainly through 21 staff employed mostly in
London and Birmingham in the recently “restructured” field operation unit. She
said that Ofcom was in discussion with King’s College London about possible
research “to understand the motivation of individuals who chose to manage
and operate illegal broadcasting stations” and that Ofcom was also considering
its own market research “to determine the popularity of pirate radio”.
Stephen Pound, Labour MP for Ealing, responded that “the thought of
spending public or private money analysing why these people want to fill their
boots with their ill-gotten gains, sell their drugs and present themselves as
figures of importance in their local communities is just about the most total and
utter waste of money that I have ever heard of.”
Neil Romain of London Media Company Limited was quoted in the debate as
saying that pirates affect his 'Time FM' stations in East London: “They prevent
us being heard by potential listeners. We have four pirates on an adjacent
channel with poorly configured equipment which blocks our signal. We have
News: First Radiocentre Industry Campaign Attacks Pirate Radio Stations And "The Danger They Pose To Local
Communities" page 2
©2006 Grant Goddard

3. News: First Radiocentre Industry Campaign Attacks Pirate Radio Stations And "The Danger They Pose To Local
Communities" page 3
©2006 Grant Goddard
clear evidence that advertisers who would use us do not do so because they
are aware of the intermittent service.”
Daniel Owen, head of regulatory affairs at Chrysalis Radio, said that
“interference from pirate radio is ruining listening enjoyment for 'LBC' listeners
and having a potentially significant impact on LBC’s business. One pirate
station has been on-air on an adjacent channel to ours for many months and
continues unabated, despite being a clearly well organised, determined outfit
with its own website, promotional events and even phone-in number. The
confiscation of pirate transmitters is of negligible value to LBC. Last time it
happened, the offending station was back within hours on a new transmitter”.
Before being elected to Parliament, Brokenshire worked in mergers and
acquisitions and, in 1998, he advised Lord Hanson on the sale of London’s
'Melody Radio' to EMAP plc.
[First published in 'The Radio Magazine' as 'RadioCentre Attacks Pirate Radio', #743, 5 July 2006]
Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of
experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy
roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at
http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk