There is trouble brewing across the UK as several community radio stations are at risk of losing their Ofcom license or being raided by Police and DTI officers determined to quash voices promoting pride in African history and culture.
Last week, Afiwestation widely known in the Pan African community as Galaxy FM was raided leading to the seizure of broadcasting equipment and the arrest of two presenters, one possibly under the charge of incitement to cause racial hatred. The incident which led to a gathering outside Walworth police station in protest was not the first.
In Birmingham the dedicated volunteers of New Style Radio 98.7FM protested outside their former base after being locked out of the Afro Caribbean Millennium Centre (ACMC) where the station is located in Dudley Road, Winson Green, Birmingham. The authorisation behind the controversial lockout action is not clear as station director Denzil Williams told police officers at the scene - “no lockout policy had been agreed by the board.”
However it has become clear that management of the station and the charity trust that runs the ACMC are calling for the New Style to be run for profit despite the likelihood of this act diluting the stations cultural character. Tensions have been brewing ever since they took the decision to make redundant - key radio staff including volunteers, in order to save money.
A similar process took place several years ago when Choice FM in London was sold out against the wishes of the community by its’ founding directors, Patrick Berry and Neil Kenlock. Within months the station became ‘urban’ and despite complaints to media regulator Ofcom, its output was stripped of all dedicated conscious programming which shared empowering information about African history and culture.
In 2003, Graham Bryce, managing director of Capital Radio, the new owners of Choice FM said;
“Our vision is to build Choice into London’s leading urban music station, becoming the number one choice for young urban Londoners”
In many respects Bryce was successful as his rival the BBC’s 1Xtra failed to connect with African listeners and remained ‘uncool’ within the community. However in urbanising Choice FM, the station never regained its street credibility leading to its vacuous cosmopolitan content now being seen by many as an embarrassment.
Today, stations like the BBC’s Asian network also face the axe for appealing to a non european audience. Again, cost savings are being used to justify the cultural purging of diverse voices on the airwaves.
When Ofcom launched its community radio licenses it was in response to strong community activism to the oppression of minority voices by major broadcasters. The regulator said the licenses were ‘for small-scale, not-for-profit radio stations operated for the good of members of the public, or of particular communities, and in order to deliver social gain.’
Applying as a charitable entity, New Style was one of the many stations to benefit from this bold new initiative. Its’ wide range of social empowerment programming attracted thousands of listeners each week despite solid competition from other broadcasters in the area.
Now all this is under threat.
In order to secure funding, stations like New Style now face a silent but growing deadly pressure to abandon their community roots in order to promote denigratory urban content attractive to the regions ethnic majority tastes. Ironically many ‘pirate’ stations are making cash from endless advertisements for meat market styled ‘dances’ whilst voluntarily transmitting the same urban drivel as mainstream broadcasters devoid of any political talk programs or empowering community information.
Tragically for the unlicensed stations with a social remit the situation does not fare much better. The current British ConDem government is opposed to freedom of speech critical of British policy and has enabled their agents alongside national police forces to raid community stations under pretences ranging from protecting the emergency services, preventing interference with aircraft, fighting criminal gangs and improving social cohesion.
Whilst traditionally they would only raid the transmitter, the state authorities are now hitting the studio and arresting presenters after recording their output for use as possible evidence in court. As a result the UK’s entire community radio could be removed or worst yet neutered into spreading urban banality until the FM broadcasts are shut off to make way for a mandatory switch over to the prohibitively expensive digital radio broadcasting system.
Fortunately stations such as the DAB accessible Colourful, manage to straddle a precarious balance between urban and community content within an unlicensed yet wholly legal framework of music and chat. But for the others, unless our community organises in unity of purpose, the installation of an anti-human rights Tory led government can only lead to dead air on the community FM band.
Lots of it.
External Links
Media as an occasion for protest – and vice versaChoice FM R.I.P.: the birth and near death of licensed black music radio in LondonCapital Radio takes control of London station Choice FM
Last week, Afiwestation widely known in the Pan African community as Galaxy FM was raided leading to the seizure of broadcasting equipment and the arrest of two presenters, one possibly under the charge of incitement to cause racial hatred. The incident which led to a gathering outside Walworth police station in protest was not the first.
In Birmingham the dedicated volunteers of New Style Radio 98.7FM protested outside their former base after being locked out of the Afro Caribbean Millennium Centre (ACMC) where the station is located in Dudley Road, Winson Green, Birmingham. The authorisation behind the controversial lockout action is not clear as station director Denzil Williams told police officers at the scene - “no lockout policy had been agreed by the board.”
However it has become clear that management of the station and the charity trust that runs the ACMC are calling for the New Style to be run for profit despite the likelihood of this act diluting the stations cultural character. Tensions have been brewing ever since they took the decision to make redundant - key radio staff including volunteers, in order to save money.
A similar process took place several years ago when Choice FM in London was sold out against the wishes of the community by its’ founding directors, Patrick Berry and Neil Kenlock. Within months the station became ‘urban’ and despite complaints to media regulator Ofcom, its output was stripped of all dedicated conscious programming which shared empowering information about African history and culture.
In 2003, Graham Bryce, managing director of Capital Radio, the new owners of Choice FM said;
“Our vision is to build Choice into London’s leading urban music station, becoming the number one choice for young urban Londoners”
In many respects Bryce was successful as his rival the BBC’s 1Xtra failed to connect with African listeners and remained ‘uncool’ within the community. However in urbanising Choice FM, the station never regained its street credibility leading to its vacuous cosmopolitan content now being seen by many as an embarrassment.
Today, stations like the BBC’s Asian network also face the axe for appealing to a non european audience. Again, cost savings are being used to justify the cultural purging of diverse voices on the airwaves.
Newstlye radio supporters outside the Afro Caribbean Millennium Centre
Freedom of Expression
When Ofcom launched its community radio licenses it was in response to strong community activism to the oppression of minority voices by major broadcasters. The regulator said the licenses were ‘for small-scale, not-for-profit radio stations operated for the good of members of the public, or of particular communities, and in order to deliver social gain.’Applying as a charitable entity, New Style was one of the many stations to benefit from this bold new initiative. Its’ wide range of social empowerment programming attracted thousands of listeners each week despite solid competition from other broadcasters in the area.
Now all this is under threat.
In order to secure funding, stations like New Style now face a silent but growing deadly pressure to abandon their community roots in order to promote denigratory urban content attractive to the regions ethnic majority tastes. Ironically many ‘pirate’ stations are making cash from endless advertisements for meat market styled ‘dances’ whilst voluntarily transmitting the same urban drivel as mainstream broadcasters devoid of any political talk programs or empowering community information.
Tragically for the unlicensed stations with a social remit the situation does not fare much better. The current British ConDem government is opposed to freedom of speech critical of British policy and has enabled their agents alongside national police forces to raid community stations under pretences ranging from protecting the emergency services, preventing interference with aircraft, fighting criminal gangs and improving social cohesion.
Whilst traditionally they would only raid the transmitter, the state authorities are now hitting the studio and arresting presenters after recording their output for use as possible evidence in court. As a result the UK’s entire community radio could be removed or worst yet neutered into spreading urban banality until the FM broadcasts are shut off to make way for a mandatory switch over to the prohibitively expensive digital radio broadcasting system.
Fortunately stations such as the DAB accessible Colourful, manage to straddle a precarious balance between urban and community content within an unlicensed yet wholly legal framework of music and chat. But for the others, unless our community organises in unity of purpose, the installation of an anti-human rights Tory led government can only lead to dead air on the community FM band.
Lots of it.
Galaxy radio supporters at Walworth police station
External Links
Media as an occasion for protest – and vice versaChoice FM R.I.P.: the birth and near death of licensed black music radio in LondonCapital Radio takes control of London station Choice FM
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Click here to speak out and share your perspective on this article.In order to secure funding, stations now face growing pressure to abandon their community roots in order to promote the same denigratory urban drivel as mainstream broadcasters devoid of any political talk programs or empowering community information.
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