Dread Broadcasting Corporation

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Dread Broadcasting Corporation (DBC) was a West London pirate radio station established in 1981.^[1] Also known as DBC Rebel Radio, it began partly as an attempt to brighten up boring Sunday afternoons, but also to increase the exposure of Reggae music.

Its founder, DJ Lepke, having acquired a medium wave transmitter, broadcast from his Neasden back garden, but the weak signal only reached far enough to create a buzz in the vicinity. When an FM transmitter was finally placed into service the range broadened and regular transmissions began weekly on Fridays.

DBC has been credited as Britain's first black music radio station, ^[2] and eventually featured DJs like Neneh Cherry,^[3] LDR Dr.Watt and Ranking Miss P^[1] (Lepke's sister, now with BBC Radio). It provided an important outlet for reggae and showed the media establishment that community and specialist music could be at the heart of broadcasting.

Following more than one arrest, DBC ceased broadcasting in 1984.

The DBC style was distinct enough that Trojan Records in the UK in 2004 released a compilation based on the station's playlist, and including many of the original jingles. ^[4]