400 pirate radio stations in Valencia

I spotted this article in the latest edition of "Communication," the British DX Club's monthly magazine, and managed to track it down online. It looks at the pirate radio situation in Spain, in particular Valencia where the article on the El Pais website says there are 400 stations broadcasting without a licence.

But that it not the country's biggest pirate hotspot. According to the Spanish Commercial Radio Broadcasting Authority there are even more unlicensed stations in the Canary Islands and Andalusia.

Obviously the commercial stations are very unhappy with the situation and want the authorities to take action.

Here is part of the article on the English language website of El Pais.
"A mixing console, a computer, an antenna and a small transmitter worth a total of €1,500 is all that you need to take control of a radio frequency. This is the equipment used by a thirtysomething who broadcasts dance music sessions out of Jávea, a popular resort on the Mediterranean coast.

“I don’t do this for profit,” he replies via email. Yet his website offers ad space, mobile disco services and even t-shirts. Juan (an assumed name) juggles his dexterity at the mic with a day job as a Civil Guard officer, according to the local businessman who has filed a complaint with the Spanish military police about the amateur DJ's activities.

Pirates have taken the Valencian airwaves by storm. More than 400 unlicensed stations are broadcasting across the region with near complete impunity, sometimes even pushing out the legal stations by interfering with their frequencies.

The government’s sluggishness when it comes to issuing fines for this activity, coupled with the technical complexity involved in catching wrongdoers, has created a breeding ground for a movement that has been growing since 2007.

The outlaw broadcasters are also contributing to the flow of layoffs and shutdowns at the 125 legal stations operating in the country, and whose advertising revenues have been slashed by half, according to industry figures."

To read the whole article go to: http://elpais.com/m/elpais/2014/05/01/inenglish/1398940943_100116.html