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Pirate radio in the United Kingdom (UK) has been a popular and enduring
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
medium since the 1960s, despite expansions in licensed
broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...
, and the advent of both
digital radio Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital transmission by radio waves includes digital broadcasting, and especially digital audio radio services. Types In digital broadcasting syst ...
and internet radio. Although it peaked throughout the 1960s and again during the 1980s/1990s, it remains in existence today. Having moved from transmitting from
ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...
s in the
sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...
to
tower block A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently ...
s across UK towns and cities, in 2009 the UK broadcasting regulator
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
estimated more than 150 pirate radio stations were still operating.


1960s

Pirate radio in the UK first became widespread in the early 1960s when
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
stations such as
Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...
and Radio London started to broadcast on
medium wave Medium wave (MW) is the part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the daytime ...
to the UK from offshore ships or disused sea forts. At the time, these stations were not illegal because they were broadcasting from international waters. The stations were set up by entrepreneurs and music enthusiasts to meet the growing demand for
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...
and
rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
, which was not catered for by BBC Radio services. The first British pirate radio station was
Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...
, which started broadcasting from a ship off the
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
coast in 1964. By 1967, ten pirate radio stations were broadcasting to an estimated daily audience of 10-15 million. Influential pirate radio DJs included
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
,
Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and TV presenter. He first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s, before joining the BBC, on the BBC L ...
,
Kenny Everett Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English comedian, radio disc jockey and television presenter. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the mid-1960s, he was one of the fi ...
, Johnnie Walker, Tony Prince, Emperor Rosko, and Spangles Muldoon. The format of this wave of pirate radio was influenced by Radio Luxembourg and American radio stations. Many followed a top-40 format with casual DJs, making UK pirate radio the antithesis of BBC radio at the time. 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. Radio Caroline's audience was one third the size of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
s
Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...
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 reaction to the popularity of pirate radio, BBC radio was restructured in 1967, establishing
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
, Radio 2, Radio 3 and Radio 4. A number of DJs of the newly formed Radio 1 came from pirate stations. The UK Government also closed the international waters loophole via the
Marine Broadcasting Offences Act The Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967 (c. 41), shortened to Marine Broadcasting Offences Act or "Marine offences Act", became law in the United Kingdom at midnight on Monday 14 August 1967. It was subsequently amended by the Wireles ...
of 1967, although Radio Caroline would continue to broadcast in various forms right up to 1990.


1970s

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 Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the telecommunication, transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided transmission med ...
). During this period, home-made medium wave (and sometimes
short wave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the High frequency, high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (10 ...
) transmitters were often constructed inside cheap, expendable biscuit tins. 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. 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. These included community-focused local stations as well as stations emerging for the first time to specialise in particular
music genres A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...
. One of the earliest was
Radio Jackie Radio Jackie is an Independent Local Radio station in Kingston upon Thames, England broadcasting news, popular hits, and local information to South-West London and North Surrey from its studios in Tolworth. History Radio Jackie began as a pi ...
originally broadcasting in south west London.
Soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
stations would start to appear in the 1970s. The first of these was Radio Invicta, regarded as Europe's first soul music station first broadcasting in 1970. The station would launch the careers of
Pete Tong Peter Michael Tong, (born 30 July 1960) is an English disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as ''Essential Mix'' and ''Essential Selection'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio stre ...
, 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.


1980s

Entering the 1980s, transmitters capable of
FM broadcasting FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is cap ...
were beginning to be picked up reasonably cheaply, with the ability to transmit over a forty-mile radius from a 15-storey tower. Engineers such as Pyers Easton would build them for stations such as
London Greek Radio London Greek Radio (LGR) is an Independent Local Radio station for London's Greek community, most of which forms part of the ethnically diverse Cypriot community. It broadcasts in both Greek and English on 103.3 FM in London and is also ava ...
and
Kiss FM Kiss FM, Kiss Radio or variants may refer to: Asia-Oceania * Various Kiss FM-branded stations in the Philippines ** 95.1 Kiss FM, Lucena, Quezon ** 102.3 Kiss FM, Tagbilaran, Bohol * Kiss92 FM, Singapore * KISS 969, Sri Lanka * Kiss Radio Taiwan ...
. In London, a notable moment would be the launching of Britain's first black owned music station
Dread Broadcasting Corporation Dread Broadcasting Corporation, also known as DBC, was a 1980s West London pirate radio station which is credited as Britain's first black music pirate radio station. History It broadcast from the Neasden and Ladbroke Grove areas, and was fou ...
(DBC) in 1980. DBC played
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
soca Soca or SOCA may refer to: Places * Soča, a river in Slovenia and Italy * Soča, Bovec, Slovenia * Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport, by ICAO code * Soca, a village in Banloc Commune, Timiș County, Romania * SoCa, Southern California Other u ...
as well as other black music and would be instrumental to the later development of black community broadcasting as well as launching the career of
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
presenter
Ranking Miss P Margaret Anderson, better known as The Ranking Miss P, is a British radio presenter and DJ. Biography After leaving school, Miss P studied to become a teacher, but was persuaded by her brother Leroy Anderson (DJ Lepke) to start broadcasting on ...
. Soul stations would become prolific in the early-mid 1980s, with Invicta joined by Horizon Radio, and JFM in 1981. Both of these would broadcast until 1985 when they were followed by
Solar Radio Solar Radio is a London-based radio station, which originally started life as a pirate radio station. Solar broadcasts primarily soul to London on DAB and online. Solar (originally short for ''Sound of Londons Alternative Radio'') first broa ...
and Starpoint.
London Weekend Radio London Weekend Radio also known as LWR was a pirate radio station active in London in the 1980s. History LWR first broadcast on 1 January 1983, originally playing contemporary pop music during the day, with more specialist music shows in the ...
(LWR) would start life in 1983 playing contemporary
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
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 In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
, hip hop, jazz-funk, and
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
station, launching the career of Tim Westwood. LWR's biggest rival would arrive in the form of
Kiss FM Kiss FM, Kiss Radio or variants may refer to: Asia-Oceania * Various Kiss FM-branded stations in the Philippines ** 95.1 Kiss FM, Lucena, Quezon ** 102.3 Kiss FM, Tagbilaran, Bohol * Kiss92 FM, Singapore * KISS 969, Sri Lanka * Kiss Radio Taiwan ...
, first broadcasting in late 1985. The station was formed by George Power who had previously run another pirate station,
London Greek Radio London Greek Radio (LGR) is an Independent Local Radio station for London's Greek community, most of which forms part of the ethnically diverse Cypriot community. It broadcasts in both Greek and English on 103.3 FM in London and is also ava ...
, along with DJs Gordon Mac and Tosca Jackson. By 1988, Kiss would boast a line-up of top DJs including
Norman Jay Norman Jay MBE (born Norman Bernard Joseph on 6 November 1957) is a British club, radio and sound system DJ. He first came to prominence playing unlicensed "warehouse" parties in the early 1980s, and through his involvement with the then-pira ...
,
Jazzie B Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE, (born 26 January 1963) better known as Jazzie B, is a British DJ and music producer. He is the founder of Soul II Soul. Life and career Jazzie was born in London UK to parents of Antiguan descent in Hornsey, Londo ...
(of Soul II Soul),
Colin Faver Colin Faver (24 December 1951 – 5 September 2015) was a British club and radio DJ, best known for his 1990s cutting-edge show on London's Kiss FM, and an important role in the development of British club culture. Biography Colin Faver was bor ...
,
Trevor Nelson Trevor Ricardo Nelson, MBE (born 7 January 1964) is an English DJ and presenter. Early life Born in the London Borough of Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, Nelson attended Central Foundation Boys' Grammar School (now known as Central ...
,
Judge Jules Julius O'Riordan (born 1966), better known by his stage name Judge Jules, is a British dance music DJ, record producer and entertainment lawyer. He is known for his DJ activities, music production and long-running radio show which achieved glob ...
, Danny Rampling,
Paul Trouble Anderson Paul 'Trouble' Anderson (28 September 1959 – 2 December 2018) was a British DJ, playing soul, disco, funk, and house music and known for his long-running Kiss FM show. He worked as a dance music DJ in clubs from 1979 until his death in 2018. H ...
, and Coldcut, playing
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
, jazz-funk,
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
, hip hop and the emerging sounds of
house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
. A 1987
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
readers' poll placed Kiss in second place behind Capital Radio and ahead of
Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC ** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...
. 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 Sunshine Radio may refer to: * Sunshine Radio (Ludlow), a radio station covering South Shropshire, North Herefordshire and North Worcestershire * Sunshine Radio (Herefordshire and Monmouthshire), a radio station based in Hereford * Sunshine 1530 ...
. Although launching in very late 1979, Merseyland Alternative Radio broadcast from the Wirral in the early 1980s, showcasing many bands from the Merseyside area. Despite being better catered for by legal radio, there was still space for stations playing
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
and indie music which was struggling to get mainstream airplay. In London, stations such as RFM (Rock FM) and London Rock, and in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
KFM Radio would spring up to cater for those music genres during the mid-late 1980s. In 1989, a London pirate radio station
Q102 Q102 may refer to: * Quran 102, the 102nd chapter of the Islamic Holy book Transportation * Q102 (New York City bus) Radio stations * Q102 (Pirate Station) in London, United Kingdom; the precursor to XFM London * Q102.9 in Derry, Northern Irelan ...
would become a short-lived but hugely influential station in the breaking of early 1990s indie and Britpop bands. This station would be the roots of the later legal
XFM Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed London-wide station in 1997 and nationally in 2015 ...
. Pirate radio met with increasing opposition, especially from the authorities in the form of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). It had claimed since the 1970s that pirate radio caused interference to licensed broadcasters and could interfere with frequencies used by emergency services. 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. Twice in the mid-late 1980s, the
UK Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
had floated plans to tackle pirate radio by offering new licenses, particularly in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. 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. London's
Kiss FM Kiss FM, Kiss Radio or variants may refer to: Asia-Oceania * Various Kiss FM-branded stations in the Philippines ** 95.1 Kiss FM, Lucena, Quezon ** 102.3 Kiss FM, Tagbilaran, Bohol * Kiss92 FM, Singapore * KISS 969, Sri Lanka * Kiss Radio Taiwan ...
was one of those that duly did so, yet despite strong backing and support, would lose out to Jazz FM. However, further licenses were advertised subsequently and Kiss would win one on its second attempt and become the UK's first legal radio station specialising in black and dance music in September 1990. However, even as this unfolded, a new wave of pirate radio stations emerged as the
acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...
scene exploded. Particularly in London, stations such as Sunrise, Fantasy, Friends FM, and Centreforce became the "seven day rave stations".


1990s

The
Broadcasting Act 1990 The Broadcasting Act 1990 is a law of the British parliament, initiated in part due to a 1989 European Council Directive (89/552), also known as the Television Without Frontiers directive. The aim of the Act was to liberalise and deregulate the B ...
led to the brief decline of UK pirate radio by encouraging diversity in radio and opening up the development of commercial radio, whilst bringing in tougher penalties for those caught in unlicensed broadcasting. However, the number of unlicensed broadcasters would soon begin to rise again, partly out of the belief that the Act had undermined
community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular ...
and small scale broadcasters. 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. The biggest of these would be the rising rave music scene, with stations moving to a "rave on the air" format with back to back mixing and listener participation through 'shouts' - enabled by the growth of pagers and
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
s. In London, such stations included the likes of Rush, Kool FM, Pulse FM, Innocence,
Don FM Don FM was a 1990s London pirate radio station, influential in the development of breakbeat hardcore, jungle and drum and bass music. It was the first jungle pirate station granted a temporary legal license. Don first broadcast in November 199 ...
, and Defection. The authorities and media increasingly alleged an
organised crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
and
drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalat ...
link with the rave stations, culminating in a high-profile raid in Hackney in the summer of 1993 on Rush. The ''
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
'' headline exclaimed "Drug gangs set up fortresses." Toughened laws also sought to incur heavier fines on DJs and businesses that advertised on stations. The Rush raid was featured in the seminal
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
documentary ''Pirates'', shown as part of the ''
Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
'' series in December 1993. For those ill-served by mainstream and legal radio, pirate radio filled the void especially for the black community. In London, stations as Galaxy Radio, Genesis, Station, and Vibes have mixed black music with
phone-in In broadcasting, a phone-in or call-in is a programme format in which viewers or listeners are invited to air their live comments by telephone, usually in respect of a specific topic selected for discussion on the day of the broadcast. On radio ( ...
s 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. These stations still broadcast today. 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 Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
; Dance FM, Fantasy FM, and SCR in Sheffield; Passion Radio, Ragga FM, Kiss 101, For the People in Bristol; Fresh FM in Leicester; Z100 in Liverpool, and Dream FM (Leeds), Dream FM in Leeds. By the mid to late 1990s, genres such as happy hardcore, jungle music, jungle/drum'n'bass and speed garage, speed/UK garage saw a new generation of pirate radio stations emerge. In London, Kool FM was joined by Rinse FM, Rude, Flex FM, Eruption Radio, Eruption FM, and Dream FM (London), Dream FM in championing jungle music/drum'n'bass, and the latter also happy hardcore. Speed/UK garage was being pushed by stations such as London Underground FM, London Underground (notably the Dreem Teem), Freek FM (notably DJ EZ), Shine 879, Shine FM, and Girls FM. Α The now legal Flex FM and Rinse FM would make a transition from jungle music, jungle to UK garage during the course of the 1990s.


2000s

As pirate radio persisted into the 2000s, UK broadcasting regulator
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
undertook research into its continued popularity and published its findings in 2007. This estimated that: "there are currently around 150 illegal radio stations in the UK. At any one time, it is believed that around half of these are transmitting in London, within the M25 motorway, M25 area". It found that: "a large proportion of these are operating in London, with notable clusters in Harlesden, Stoke Newington, Southwark and Lambeth". It also commissioned research among residents of the London boroughs of London Borough of Hackney, Hackney, London Borough of Haringey, Haringey and Lambeth, finding that: "about 24 percent of all adults aged 14 or older living within the three London boroughs listen to pirate radio stations. The research found that 37 percent of students aged 14–24 and 41 percent of the African-Caribbean community listened to pirate radio". The development and promotion of grass-roots talent, the urban music scene and minority community groups were identified as key drivers for pirate radio. 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. Pirate radio was regarded as the best place to hear new music and particularly urban music. Furthermore, pirate radio stations were appreciated for their local relevance by providing information and advertisements about local community events, businesses and club nights. An operation by Ofcom to take unlicensed operators off-air in late 2005 would reveal that London's airwaves were still very active, including long established stations such as Kool FM, Point Blank FM, Point Blank, Bassline, Lightning FM, Deja Vu, and Rinse FM. The latter two would be instrumental in the development of then underground music, underground Grime (music genre), grime and dubstep music scenes. At the same time, the authorities would continue to assert the risk of interference to emergency services by stations.


2010s to present

Ofcom responded to a Freedom of Information Act 2000, 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.


Community radio

Since 2010,
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
have promoted the take-up of Community radio in the United Kingdom, Community Radio, especially in areas such as London with a concentration of pirate radio stations. 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 103.7 FM, Kane FM, and most recently Flex FM. However, some remain sceptical of the ability of the local community and pirate broadcasters to make the move to legal status.


Political pirate radio

Although UK pirate radio has in the main concentrated on broadcasting music not catered for by the mainstream, there has been some overt political pirate radio. The earliest of these was Radio Free Scotland, which hijacked the sound channels of BBC television after closedown. Similarly, Voice of Nuclear Disarmament would do the same for a short period in the early 1960s in London. In the 1970s, Radio Enoch, named after Enoch Powell, was set up by people on the right wing of the Conservative and Unionist Party to help re-elect a conservative government. Although Radio Enoch had vowed to return if a Labour administration was re-elected, it failed to do so after Tony Blair was elected in 1997. In 1982, Our Radio was broadcasting music, anarchism, and other left wing views to London. Our Radio once evaded arrest by setting up a dummy antenna for the Home Office to find. During the UK miners' strike (1984-85), 1984–1985 miners' strike, Radio Arthur operated in the Nottinghamshire area. More recently, Interference FM was set up by a collective to broadcast during the Carnival Against Capitalism demonstration on 18 June 1999. Political programming has been a feature of the many black community pirate radio stations that have grown in the UK since the 1980s. For the likes of Galaxy Radio, part of their mission is to: "de-brainwash the black community". The station combines
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
soca Soca or SOCA may refer to: Places * Soča, a river in Slovenia and Italy * Soča, Bovec, Slovenia * Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport, by ICAO code * Soca, a village in Banloc Commune, Timiș County, Romania * SoCa, Southern California Other u ...
with robust articulation of "black empowerment against a system designed our oppress our brothers and sisters" and live phone-in discussions. Genesis Radio, launched in the early 1990s, follows a similar format. Duwayne Brooks, councillor and friend of Murder of Stephen Lawrence, 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". 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. In 2002, Powerjam launched an appeal through one of its talk shows to raise money to save a young girl from a rare tissue disease.


Internet and pirate radio

The advent of the Internet has brought both opportunities and challenges for pirate radio. 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. Some stations decided to embrace the World Wide Web, Web and early radio streaming technologies as a means of ceasing illegal broadcasting - the most notable and pioneering of these was the former London pirate Face FM that re-invented itself as the internet station InterFACE. For those that had no intention of coming off the air, the internet provided a way to expand their promotion and audience reach by establishing websites and enable them to begin to stream live beyond their usual broadcast area. 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. 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." For some, the Internet still does not replace the need for pirate radio: "Pirate will never stop; it’s cyclical. If you push people hard enough, they’ll find a mode of expression. The internet has been pretty cool for that, but it’s not the be-all-and-end-all", whilst others argue that for music like grime, pirate radio continues to be "such an essential platform for emerging voices". For former pirates such as Kool London, Internet radio has given them a new lease of life.


Legal situation

The Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 provides for
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
to issue licences to radio broadcasters for the use of stations and wireless telegraphy apparatus. 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. 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. The act allows Ofcom to take a number of actions against individuals committing these offences, including power of entry and search and seizure of equipment. It is a criminal offence to obstruct a person exercising enforcement powers on Ofcom's behalf. Furthermore, the
Broadcasting Act 1990 The Broadcasting Act 1990 is a law of the British parliament, initiated in part due to a 1989 European Council Directive (89/552), also known as the Television Without Frontiers directive. The aim of the Act was to liberalise and deregulate the B ...
provides that anyone convicted of an unlawful broadcasting offence is disqualified from holding a broadcasting licence for five years. Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBO) have also been used in the fight against pirate radio.


In popular culture

Drama and comedy programmes featuring UK pirate radio: *A 1966 episode of ''Danger Man'' entitled "Not So Jolly Roger" was set aboard an offshore pirate radio station. *In 1966, Season 2 episode 5 of Thunderbirds (TV series), ''Thunderbirds'' featured a pirate radio station orbiting the earth that later begins to crash back to Earth. *The 1967 album ''The Who Sell Out'' by rock band The Who has jingles from pirate radio station Wonderful Radio London. *In a 1970 episode of their BBC TV series ''The Goodies (TV series), The Goodies'', the British comedy trio ran a pirate radio station named Radio Goodies. *In 1987, ''The Lenny Henry Show'' featured a pirate station called the Brixton Broadcasting Corporation (a spoof of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
) run from a café. *In 1994, the ITV Police procedural, police drama ''The Bill'' featured an episode on a pirate radio station named Krush FM that was interfering with police radios. *In 1994, the ITV fire brigade drama ''London's Burning (TV series), London's Burning'' featured an episode on a pirate radio station that was interfering with emergency fire service radios. *The soap opera ''EastEnders'' featured a pirate radio station broadcasting from Albert Square in 1997. *In the BBC TV series Ideal (TV series), ''Ideal'' (2005–2011), the brother of Moz, Troy, runs a pirate radio station named Troy FM. *The 2009 film ''The Boat That Rocked'' (retitled ''Pirate Radio'' in North America) is about UK pirate radio and loosely based on
Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...
. *The BBC Three TV mockumentary ''People Just Do Nothing'' (2014-2018) is based around a Brentford pirate station, Kurupt FM. Documentaries featuring UK pirate radio: *In 1982, Channel 4 broadcast a feature on pirate radio on its ''Whatever You Want'' programme, featuring Dread Broadcasting Corporation, DBC and Breakfast Pirate Radio. *Also in 1982, London Weekend Television's ''The London Programme'' featured Radio Invicta (London), Radio Invicta and Dread Broadcasting Corporation, DBC. *In 1987, Channel 4 broadcast The Black & White Pirate Show, featuring 1980s black pirates Dread Broadcasting Corporation, DBC, JBC, and PCRL. *In 1993,
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
broadcast the documentary ''Pirates'' directed by Nigel Finch as part of Arena (British TV series), ''Arena'''s ''Radio Night''. This featured London's Rush FM. *In 1994, Anglia Television broadcast ''Rockin' the Boat'', a documentary about offshore radio featuring
Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...
, and Radio City (pirate radio station), Radio City. *In 1996, BBC South East broadcast the documentary ''Radio Renegades'' as part of the ''First Sight'' current affairs series. This featured London's Kool FM and Dream FM (London), Dream FM. *In 1999, the Discovery Channel broadcast ''Making Waves'', featuring Rude FM. *In 2000,
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
broadcast ''Last Caller Ring Back'', featuring 1980s and 1990s radio. *The BBC Three documentary ''Tower Block Dreams'' (2004) follows rivalry between stations in Southend. *In 2010, Wilderness Productions released the Michael Chandler documentary ''Stay Sailing'' on Vimeo, featuring Buzz FM and Itch FM. *In 2017, BBC Four first broadcast the documentary ''The Last Pirates: Britain's Rebel DJs'', presented by Rodney P and featuring 1980s radio especially Kiss 100 FM, Kiss FM and
London Weekend Radio London Weekend Radio also known as LWR was a pirate radio station active in London in the 1980s. History LWR first broadcast on 1 January 1983, originally playing contemporary pop music during the day, with more specialist music shows in the ...
.


See also

* Offshore radio * Community radio in the United Kingdom * Radio in the United Kingdom


References


Further reading

*John Hind & Steve Mosco, Rebel Radio: Full Story of British Pirate Radio, 1987 Pluto Press *Keith Skues, Pop Went the Pirates: History of Offshore Radio Stations, 1994 Lambs Meadow Publications *Paul Harris, When Pirates Ruled The Waves, 2001 Kennedy & Boyd *Stephen Hebditch, London's Pirates Pioneers, 2015 TX Publications


External links


AM/FM / TX Magazine / Radio Today - the eighties London pirate radio site

The Pirate Archive


{{Media in the United Kingdom, radio Radio in the United Kingdom Pirate radio, United Kingdom Youth culture in the United Kingdom Crime in the United Kingdom