‘NET CLOSING’ CLAIM
31st Jan 2003.
Pirate radio broadcasters operating in Dudley have been warned the net is closing in as undercover officers get ready to swoop.
The Radio Communications Agency has its beady eye on a number of bogus stations broadcasting to the Black Country.
In December the agency successfully prosecuted 27-year-old Hayley Davies – she unwittingly gave an on air comment about the Baggies when a caller phoned in to Groove FM.
The discovery of the dodgy station led to a high profile two-year investigation, which was eventually traced to a studio in Porter Street, Dudley.
A raid on the three-storey block of bedsits has resulted in the agency pursing other prosecutions currently before the courts.
A spokesman said there were other pirate stations based in Dudley which were being monitored – he could not give specific details in case the investigations were jeopardised – and the message to the perpetrators was ‘watch out.’
He said: “There are pirate radio stations operating in all the major cities especially London and Birmingham and Dudley also features high on the list.
“Officers are investigating several stations in the Dudley area and prosecutions are in the pipeline.
“We are constantly working to crack down on this illegal activity.”
He said there were serious implications flowing from unauthorised broadcasts not least the interference people experience when listening to licensed stations.
And the pirate broadcasters escape the financial burden borne by legal companies as well as interfering with emergency equipment which could endanger life.