Editorial

Stations acting responsibly could find less DTI attention

Welcome along to another edition of Radio Today.

I thought this time I'd kick off the magazine with a few comments about some radio topics that have been in the news recently.

You can't have failed to notice stories on TV and in the press about violence in the pirate radio world. Although they've made out that this is a far bigger problem than it really is, the few incidents that do occur have far more potential for killing off the pirates than any action by the DTI.

For proof of this you've only got to look back to the sixties. The press, eager as ever for any dirt to pin on something popular, began to print stories of dubious deals, payola and violent incidents. Outside the law and with some stations commanding massive audiences it was inevitable that a few people only interested in making a fast buck would be attracted.

At first people dismissed the stories, but when they culminated in the shooting of the boss of one pirate by a director of another they began to say 'Hey, maybe there's something in this after all'. Finally able to get sufficient public opinion behind them, the Government brought in laws to close the pirates down for good.

If the pirates in 1988 want to stop the same thing happening to them then they have to be whiter than white. Stories which are less than complementary about the stations are bound to be picked up by the media. The only way they won't is if they don't happen.

Closing down the pirates isn't a priority for the Government — yet. It isn't worth the effort as many of them could be on the air legally in a couple of years. Douglas Hurd even admitted that he hoped they would apply for licenses. However, stories of violence and corruption in the pirate radio world could make the Government change their mind. Let's face it, the DTI are pretty ineffective at ridding the airwaves of unlicensed stations. If the Government backed a real effort then very few would last.

On the other hand, stations acting responsibly could find themselves facing less attention from the DTI in the run up to licensing. This already happens — though of course you'll never get anyone at the DTI to admit it. Surely this is the better choice?

Steve Hamley