By Kelly Fiveash for The
Register.
This story has been reproduced with permission.
Some 40 per cent of listeners told Ofcom, the media watchdog
which conducted the study, that illegal radio broadcasts offered
more to the community than its commercial and BBC equivalents.
Radio pirates exploit the FM band to illegally broadcast shows,
often from make-shift studios.
Ofcom, which takes unlicenced stations off air, said it carried
out over one thousand operations that led to 63 convictions last
year.
It said that illegal broadcasts can cause havoc with emergency
service communication systems as well as interfering with
legitimate radio stations.
The research also found that two-thirds of people switch off
their radio, or tune in to a different station when interference
occurs.
The regulator's chief executive Ed Richards said: "Ofcom's field
force team works very hard to keep the radio spectrum free from
interference for licensed users.
"However, we recognise that there is demand for content provided
by illegal broadcasters in some areas of the country. This research
will help shape our thinking on how to tackle this serious issue in
the future."
© The Register
2007
