This blog has recently covered two stories about the Islamic radio station based in Sheffield, Imam FM. The station lost its community radio licence after the spectrum regulator Ofcom received complaints that the station had broadcast 25 hours of an Al Qaida preacher calling for Muslims to take up arms against non Muslims. Initially Imam FM had it’s transmission rights suspended pending an inquiry but later the suspension was made permanent by Ofcom.
Following the complaints about the station’s output, the station’s management told a string of outrageous lies to Ofcom including that they had no idea who the ranting hate preacher was (yeah, right) and that broadcasting 25 hours of this hate preacher was a mere ‘mistake’ (yeah right again. Pull the other one it’s got bells on). Thankfully Ofcom chose not to pander to these Muslim liars who were using the radio frequency spectrum to promote al Qaida hate preachers and rescinded their broadcasting licence.
However an interesting snippet of information has emerged about the broadcasting and community radio scene in Sheffield. This information may give rise to suspicions that Imam FM were, because the station was Islamic in character and therefore ticked various ‘diversity’ boxes, favoured by Ofcom over other potential users of the 101.3 MHz frequency. Whilst searching for something else radio-related I came across a bulletin board post on the Radionecks board. In a conversation that users of the board were having about Imam FM one poster spoke about the community radio scene in Sheffield and how there were other, probably more worthy users who could have had the use of the frequency that was allocated to Imam FM.
One of the users of the board was counselling against getting involved in any ‘coax cutting’ actions against the station both for legal reasons and because it was an action that was not worth it, a sentiment that I agree with. One poster mentioned that there was no point in any of this as the station was already off the air. The poster, Pirateaddict, said:
The transmitter was switched off a couple of days ago so that’s them done with! Maybe ofcom should have given the license to Sheffield Community Radio instead! Scr missed out in the last round of licence bidding to this station that’s proven they can’t run a station without breaking broadcasting standards. There’s enough radio for Muslims in Sheffield anyway we don’t need anymore.. What we need is a black music station with reggae, dnb and all the dance genres just like SCR was when they was tx’ing from Tower blocks back int day..
That is a very interesting comment from ‘Pirateaddict’ and one that elicits questions that maybe Ofcom should be answering? Firstly there is an established community radio outfit, Sheffield Community Radio, seemingly made up of ex-pirate radio operators and who came ready equipped with a plan to serve audiences in the area that may be poorly served by other broadcasters. Although I’m not personally into dnb or the similar dance music genres that Pirateaddict mentioned, I can see that if this music is not being put out by other broadcasters then SCR would have been ideal to occupy the 101.3MHz slot. But, and this is where I wonder whether Imam FM were favoured by Ofcom because they are Muslims, the frequency was given to Imam FM despite there being allegedly ‘enough’ radio aimed at Muslims in Sheffield already.
I find it to be an inexplicable decision on the part of Ofcom to allocate the 101.3 MHz frequency to a community that is already well served by other Muslim radio stations. Imam FM was not serving a neglected community as there are various digital radio and satellite and cable channels that pump out Islamic propaganda 24/7. Imam FM was plainly not needed according to what some in the local area say.
The big question for me is why did Ofcom ignore an established community radio organisation, one that plainly met the requirements for a community radio station in that it was to serve neglected audiences in favour of Imam FM? The question is particularly pertinent when you consider that the Muslim community of Sheffield is apparently well served by broadcast services and Imam FM was surplus to requirements. Ofcom should come clean and say whether the grant of a broadcast licence to Imam FM in 2014 was unduly influenced by ‘diversity’ considerations and also whether a culture of pandering to Islamic groups who wish to run community radio stations exists within the organisation?
As there is now a free space on the VHF FM spectrum in the Sheffield area caused by the removal of Imam FM then maybe Ofcom should rectify their mistake in granting Imam FM broadcasting rights by giving the frequency to a group like Sheffield Community Radio? Imam FM have proven that they are not fit and proper people to operate a community radio station by broadcasting 25 hours of a well known Islamic hate preacher. This frequency resource that is now available in Sheffield should be allocated to different organisation whether SCR or another group, that is probably far more deserving than the bunch of Muslim liars and jihad promoters who previously occupied the 101.3MHz slot?
Links
Previous articles from Fahrenheit211 about the Imam FM community radio station’s
Imam FM have licence suspended
Imam FM have licence revoked
The ‘Radionecks’ bulletin board
http://www.radionecks.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1732
Ofcom’s statement about the licence revocation of Imam FM in which they say that the output of Imam FM was likely to lead to the ‘commission of crime or to lead to disorder’
