[cr-india] Pirate Radio Station News

[Nischint Sohal]

Hi all,

I had got in touch with Frederick regarding running a pirate radio station 
and replied to his email. He suggested that I copy the email onto this 
mailing list, as I am now doing.

Lemme tell you a bit about myself. My name is Nischint Sohal and I'm 21, 22 
in November. For the last 6 years, I have been a writer, editorial 
co-ordinator and sub-editor for Channel Y (the youth mag of the Indian 
Express, Bombay) and for JLT (the youth mag by TOI). Right now, I freelancer 
for a lot of TOI publications like JLT, Thane Plus, IAGT and Femina Girl. 
Hoping to do more freelance soon. It's the best way to get paid, while 
sitting at home.

Below is the copy of the mail I had sent Frederick and Subramaniam.

xxx,
Nischint Sohal,
http://www.jamlikethat.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think I have all this sorted out. What Vikas did was to use his radio
transmitter to provide valuable information to farmers within a particular 
region. As such, since it aids the farmers, no legal action can taken 
against, especially when what he is doing is basically helping out the 
government by doing for free what the govt. would have to normally pay for.

The laws regarding pirate radio stations are very stringent as of now. So it 
is impossible to own one and transmit on any frequency. However, the 
erstwhile(?) Sushma Swaraj is pushing for a community college radio scheme, 
whereby certain universities and colleges are allowed to transmit within 
their own premises. Hopefully, this will extend to a few more kilometres.

The only way to own and run a pirate radio station is quite an expensive 
proposition. Find a deserted patch of land or beached tanker or any other 
piece of stable ground, about 12 nautical miles off the coast of India. With 
a high powered transmitter and a LOT of power, you can run a pirate radio 
channel on any frequency you wish. And no one can touch. All borders of any 
country surrounded by the ocean extend to only 12 nautical miles, beyond 
which it is deemed international waters where no criminal charges can be 
held.

You can pretty much transmit anything you want from this radio station but 
there should be no form of contact or connection with any mainland under the 
jurisdiction of India. This includes a post box for receiving listener 
requests or ad charges. You can however, thanks to the power of the 
internet, have an email account on an non-Indian website from where you can 
receive and send emails to listeners or ad agencies. Any money that is to be 
delivered can be done via credit card accounts preferably abroad but you 
cannot receive checks and cash by the postal service to any address in 
India.

One more thing. Your identity must remain a secret. You can have a radio 
persona if you want but any connection with the pirate radio station and you 
(an Indian citizen) and you could be arrested. Of course, this probably 
means sneaking from and into the mainland by sea. Kinda risky but it's gotta 
be worth the rush.

The saddest state of affairs is the amount of control that the govt wants 
over radio content. It cuts off current affairs discussions, news, weather 
and other stuff. Which is why all the radio stations currently support only 
music and perhaps a little on traffic reports. Which is all fine and dandy, 
but it doesn't appeal to my "free speech" policy. Plus those faceless 
corporate bastards get to me sometimes. They obviously don't realize that 
they can make radio really cool and interesting, without playing only music. 
Case and point, the Howard Stern Show. No music, no news, no current 
affairs. Just interviews with people that border on disgusting, sexual and 
investigative, to some sick extent.

Hopefully, you can send this mail to all and any pirate radio discussion 
groups you know.

I would like to initiate a small battle, if you will. I believe that by
pooling in our resources and invesments, a group of people can run a pirate 
radio station off the coast of India. If you gather about 100 odd people, 
from differents parts of the country, doing just one really large pirate 
radio station, I will feel that we've not only won the battle but shoved the 
sword of free speech into the candy bottoms of the govt.

I personally believe in one thing and one thing alone. Freedom and free 
speech are things only spoken of, but never EVER practiced in any democracy.

This government or any other will never allow that freedom to be expressed 
or shown.

Look what happened to Tehelka when they did it.

xxx,
Nischint.
http://www.jamlikethat.com

_________________________________________________________________
Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. 
http://www.hotmail.com