Plans to close 'illegal' pirate radio stations

After years of debating the issue the Government has now agreed to take action to deal with the estimated 3,000 ‘pirate’ radio stations in operation throughout Spain. In certain areas the number of illegal stations is more than double that of the legal stations, who claim that their advertising revenue is being unfairly and harshly curtailed.

The Government has now agreed to implement up a map of Spanish radio which will then allow regulation of the FM band and to take swift action against those broadcasters who do not have the correct permissions and licenses.

A new Government backed body - The State Radio Communications Agency - has already been created and tasked with the job of controlling the airwaves. It’s creation is part of the new LGGA legislation, the new General Law for Audiovisual Communication, which was approved in both the congress and senate eaarlier on in the year.

The AERC, Spanish Association of Commercial Radio, is made up of the operators, SER, Onda Cero, Cope, Punto Radio and others, and they have already presented a list of radio stations that they consider to be operating outside the law. Their list showed 482 on the Canaries, 387 in Andalucía, 338 in the Valencia region, 183 in Cataluña, 144 in Madrid and 143 in the Basque Country. In addition there are many so-called Municipal Radios which are breaking the law as they are run by companies and not by Ayuntamientos.

The 'illegal' broadcasters counter this by claiming that no new concessions for licences have been made available.