PCRL
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PCRL 103.5 was an unlicensed pirate radio station which began in the early 1980s and ceased transmissions on 103.5 during February 2004. PCRL was founded by Cecil Morris and the station broadcast from his premises in the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. The PCRL call letters have been interpreted as Peoples' Community Radio Line and Peoples' Community Radio Link, but the usual on air identification was "PCRL 103.5".
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[edit] Origins
The history of PCRL has been documented by a long series of court cases, the most recent being in February 2004. It was that case which finally resulted in the station closing.
The station was created by Morris to cater for the music needs of an otherwise forgotten part of the West Midlands community and he was usually the target of all legal action taken against it. In the end Morris faced not only the possibility of serving time in prison, but large fines imposed by the broadcasting regulators (who alleged the stations transmissions interfered with fire brigade communications, although this claim was widely disputed) and huge punative damages for lost advertising sought by competing licensed radio stations. It was this last legal chapter that finally forced PCRL off 103.5.
[edit] PCRL and the Black community
PCRL was primarily the voice of emigrants who came from the area of the former British West Indies. Although the station was always illegal, it also served local law enforcement by helping to restore order to its broadcast area in the wake of the Handsworth riots of 1985. PCRL operated from its own shop. It sold station merchandise, which included a record on the PCRL Records label by Skibbu and called The One I Adore. During the early years PCRL carried programs that attempted to focus US media attention on the problems faced by PCRL and the West Indian community in Handsworth.
[edit] Format
The music format was mainly Reggae, but the station also had D.J.s that played Ragga, Soul, Hip Hop and at one time Rave Music. The station also carried daily Black educational programs and a weekly call-in show known as Talk-back. That program was hosted for many years by the station's Program Controller (Program Director), who was known by his on air name of 'Pilot or D.P. and Daddy Pilot.)
