The "Fáilte FM" thread

[Mike]

So Chucky FM in Belfast are going to get a licence to broadcast which theyre doing anyway and no doubt will continue to broadcast after the licence expires.

What is the point of this exactly and whatever happened to the rule that says anyone involved in pirate radio is barred from involvment in legal radio for five years ?

[021]

"to the rule that says anyone involved in pirate radio is barred from involvment in legal radio for five years ?"

the above rule probably applies to people who have been PROSECUTED for, not just involved with, pirate radio? and that those behind the application have not been?

BTW here in the South, Ray Burke and Michael O'Keeffe have in the past stated that people who have operated pirate radio stations since the 31/12/1988 automatically disqualify themselves from holding a licence in the future, and as far as I can see this still stands (even though it was never written in any law)

[Mike]

Didnt they say that pirates would be allowed apply for the 1999 round of licences in Dublin provided they werent actually on air at the time of application.

Hence Phantom and a couple of the dance stations applied

Oh wait.................

[Mosfet]

Ronnie Neil and the R.A must be getting brown letters to!!!!!!!!!!!!11111

[Original Tyrone Gobshite!]

I'd say it has to do with political pressure that Faltié FM has been given an RSL licence. The last thing that the DTI and RA want to do is raid a radio station which has Sinn Fein as it's backers with all the political fallout that there is here at the moment - somehow the sight of 200 + PSNI officers raiding the station would end up being perfect political ammunition and start a debate on the airwaves being used for political purposes with Sinn Fein claiming that the British government is "denying Irish speakers the right to be heard over the airwaves"

I can see this whole situation ending up in a stalemate for some time to come unless one of two things happen - one being that the station starts broadcasting unofficial party political broadcasts or that when the licence kicks in that they run above 25W which is surely the case at the moment as they can be received a fair bit outside the city (which isn't usually the case for RSL stations in Belfast) and would give the DTI & RA a legitimate excuse for raiding/closing the station.

[Mike]

They are certainly running more than 25w at the moment. Along a sizebale streach of the Falls Road one can here little else above 102MHz because of desensitisation. They can even be heard in the background when listening to BBC R Ulster on 94.5 (given that the Falls Rd is in line of sight of Divis thats quite a feat)