Pirates Washed Up

hackney gazette 29 February 2008

PIRATE radio stations operating in Hackney have been taken off air.

Four illegal stations were targeted as part of a swoop across London by the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, and the police.

Officers stormed addresses across Hackney, as well as in Haringey,
Islington and Tower Hamlets during the 10-day operation, seizing
transmitters, masts and aerials and disconnecting phones.

The stations taken off air were Attitude 107.4 FM, Kasapa 104.0 FM,
Takeover 107.7FM and True 100.2FM.

Ofcom sent warning letters to nightclubs across the East End that
advertise on pirate radio. The watchdog estimates that more than 150
illegal stations broadcast in the UK, with more than half based in
London.

Robert Thelen-Bartholomew, Ofcom's director of field operations,
said: "Illegal broadcasters can cause serious interference to
emergency services, as well as legitimate radio stations.

"We will take swift and firm action to remove these illegal stations
from the air. We work closely with local authorities to ensure that
this problem is tackled at source for the benefit of the whole
community."

Hackney has long been known as a hotspot for illegal broadcasting. An
Ofcom report last year showed that one in four residents regularly
listens to pirate stations.

Many of those quizzed did not realise the harm caused by the rogue
frequencies.

Pirates often install unsafe aerials on the top of tower blocks and
dangerously tap into high-voltage power supplies from communal lifts.

The stations' DJs have even been known to use grappling hooks to
climb up the side of buildings late at night.

Hackney Homes, which runs the borough's council housing stock, has a
zero-tolerance policy towards pirates.

Last year, alongside Ofcom and the police, it carried out 75
operations on pirate radio stations.

Susmita Noonan, the housing director, said illegal broadcasting
caused "severe damage" to estates.