The United Kingdom’s broadcast regulator says Londoners could save “up to” £1 million by cracking down on that city’s remaining pirate radio stations. As we’ve noted earlier, Ofcom has pretty much gone medieval on unlicensed radio of late, smashing and grabbing at least 400 stations, mostly in two London boroughs. “Pirate stations typically use high-rise […]
Tag Archives | Pirate Radio
Love Every Listener
Broadcasting is a privilege. To have people listen to your voice and what you present from miles or oceans away is an amazing thing that deserves respect. Whether it’s over terrestrial broadcast, pirate radio, internet streams or podcast, having another human being choose to listen to you is an honor. As a former program director […]
Low Power Radio and Media Activism: An Interview with Christina Dunbar-Hester
Here at Radio Survivor we are committed to weekly coverage of low power FM radio, so we’re very pleased to feature an interview with Christina Dunbar-Hester for our Academic Series. Dr. Dunbar-Hester is an Assistant Professor in Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University and she recently published a fascinating book on media activism and […]
Unpacking London’s pirate radio problem
I’ve been thinking a lot about reports that the United Kingdom’s broadcast regulator has shut down 400 pirate radio stations over the last two years, many of them situated in London. Well over a third of those Ofcom busts took place in two boroughs: Haringey in North London and Lambeth in South London. Why these […]
Radio Survivor Podcast #6: The Portland Radio Project’s Journey from Online to LPFM
The Portland Radio Project is Portland, Oregon’s newest low-power FM station. However, it started as an online station, with no plans for a terrestrial broadcast. On this episode we learn why PRP made this pivot, and the philosophy behind its public service approach to broadcasting. Paul and Eric run down the top radio news stories, […]
Radio Survivor Podcast #3: FCC Paper Tiger Teams vs Pirate Radio
The FCC Enforcement Bureau and pirate radio are the topics of the day, as Prof. John Anderson of Brooklyn College joins us to discuss the broadcast industry’s furor over the Commission’s plans to ratchet down its resident field agent presence around the country. We also tackle the FCC’s $100 million fine levied against AT&T, House […]
FCC’s Wheeler: “flying teams” still ready to “descend” on pirate radio
Federal Communications Commission Chair Tom Wheeler is at the National Association of Broadcasters NAB show in Las Vegas and just gave a talk at which he told the suits that although the FCC wants to streamline its field office system, that doesn’t mean the agency won’t crack down on unlicensed broadcasters when necessary. Indeed, “flying teams” […]
Puzzling Anti-Pirate Radio Proposal from FCC Commissioner O’Reilly
Despite years of enforcement action and the establishment of low-power FM, unlicensed pirate radio has not gone away, though it hardly qualifies as a runaway problem or nationwide epidemic. True, there are some hotspots with a high density of communities underserved by local broadcasters–such as Brooklyn, NY and South Florida–where unlicensed broadcasting is arguably more […]
LPFM News: FL Pirate Denied LPFM; Upcoming Events
It was a slow week in LPFM approvals, with just five construction permits issued. There’s one time-sharing arrangement in the bunch, with two Catholic-associated organizations broadcasting on 106.5 FM in Raleigh, NC. The Corporation for Educational Advancement will be on from 2 PM to 2 AM seven days a week, while the Columbus Club of […]
Digital Watch: Even Online There’s No Such Thing as ‘Free Radio’
While internet radio is sometimes thought of as the wild and untamed cousin of terrestrial broadcast, it’s not entirely unshackled. While web broadcasters don’t require an FCC license, and are unrestricted with regard to using four letter words, stations still have to have to pay up for the right to play recorded music. Even if […]