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No Rail Services Between London, St. Pancras & Luton (01st & 02nd March 2025)
Saturday 01st March 2025
Signals From The Edge
- a land-based 'pirate' radio conference -
Venue: The University of Bedfordshire Post-Graduate Centre, Luton, LU1 3HZ, UK.
NEARBY PARKING INFORMATION: (Vicarage Street Car Park & Luton Point Multi-storrey....) Open here:
NEARBY PARKING INFORMATION: (Vicarage Street Car Park & Luton Point Multi-storrey....) Open here:
There are two car parks very close to the event
Vicarage Street (Council): Car park with 218 spaces. POST CODE = LU1 3HZ
£2.70 for up to nine hours (OR £4.70 for up to 23 hours)
For Luton Council web-site parking information - please click here follow this link....Luton Point - Market (shopping mall): Car park with 747 spaces. POST CODE = LU1 2JX
£7.70 for up to nine hours (OR £10.60 for up to 23 hours)
For Luton Point web-site parking information - please click here / follow this link....
Signals from the Edge is a unique one day land-based ‘pirate’ radio conference. With a variety of contributors, it takes place on Saturday the 1st of March 2025, at the University of Bedfordshire's Post Graduate Centre on the Park Square Campus in central Luton. This full-day event will include a variety of talks and panel presentations, but with plenty of opportunities for networking. Refreshments and lunch are included along with video presentations.
The conference will examine the history, politics and impacts of land-based ‘pirate’ radio, with a particular focus on the formative years of the 1970s and 1980s. Music, technologies and the documenting and archiving of (often elusive), unlicensed broadcasting will also be discussed.
Contributions are expected not only from the UK and Ireland, but also from further afield, and there will be opportunities to access archive materials, including audio recordings. The university’s Community Radio station, RadioLaB, will be open on the day, recording interviews with some of the contributors and other attendees.
Let us know if you'll be attending!
Let us know if you'll be attending!
History
History
The history of unlicensed radio broadcasting dates as far back as at least the ealry 1930s. In fact it's quite reasonable to argue that the early practitioners of radio telephony and, later, broadcasting quite often operated outside the laws of the day.
In the UK, land-based 'pirate' radio really took off in the early 1970's following the UK Government's attempts to silence the offshore radio broadacsters that had been so popular during the mid 1960s in particular.
Much has changed over the years, but unlicenced broadcasting remains a feature of radio today....
In the UK, land-based 'pirate' radio really took off in the early 1970's following the UK Government's attempts to silence the offshore radio broadacsters that had been so popular during the mid 1960s in particular.
Much has changed over the years, but unlicenced broadcasting remains a feature of radio today....
Technology
Technology
Land-based unlicenced broadcasting benefited hugely from technological advanced in the latter years of the 20th Century. Early practitioners used valve-based equipment often with old-fachioned 'rotary convertors' to operate from field and woodland sites on AM (Medium and Short Wave) frequencies.
By the late 1970's transistorised transmitters were increasingly available, and, together with the growing popularity of FM (Band II VHF) broadcasting meant that unlicensed radio stations could take advantage of lighter, more portable (and less expensive) transmitters.
By the late 1970's transistorised transmitters were increasingly available, and, together with the growing popularity of FM (Band II VHF) broadcasting meant that unlicensed radio stations could take advantage of lighter, more portable (and less expensive) transmitters.
Impacts
Impacts
If offshore radio broadcasting lead to the creation of BBC Radio 1 and BBC local radio, there is little doubt that land-based 'pirate' radio helped drive the development of local commercial radio and, later, Community Radio.
Such impacts occured not just in the UK, but across many other countries around the world, Ireland, France and Itlay are examples close to home, but the combination of unlicensed broadcasting and political campaigning has been an effective strategy, breaking state and commercial monopolies around the world.
Such impacts occured not just in the UK, but across many other countries around the world, Ireland, France and Itlay are examples close to home, but the combination of unlicensed broadcasting and political campaigning has been an effective strategy, breaking state and commercial monopolies around the world.
This event has been organised for broadcasters and academics alike, with the kind support of the University of Bedfordshire, The university's Research Institute for Media, Art and Performance (RIMAP), and the MeCCSA Radio & Audio Studies Network. The original idea for this event came out of discussions on the 'Land Based Pirate Radio of the 70s & 80s' Facebook Group....
This event has been organised for broadcasters and academics alike, with the kind support of the University of Bedfordshire, The university's Research Institute for Media, Art and Performance (RIMAP), and the MeCCSA Radio & Audio Studies Network. The original idea for this event came out of discussions on the 'Land Based Pirate Radio of the 70s & 80s' Facebook Group....
![[Radio Today]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TT9vsXi0cQf6RSurj7hUBjpIIenuDA67u8_emTpBuHM3qoJK59HtYHRWRfxMwZAOwHpo9jdPAu5_U2su0bx3MIVJHygyqv8kBfXq3QycGJS63YgEwKIm6e9GiZxM3_eaJw5ZWsSQ8q7FGtFQxUGo1WrbmGOuYcUsh25hRzwaiHm0AWL3ygRj=w1280)
We are grateful for the support of Radio Today, which will be covering this event.
Event Organisers
Event Organisers
Dr. Lawrie Hallett
Dr. Lawrie Hallett
... is a "poacher turned gamekeeper" - a radio 'pirate' who became a legit broadcaster, station owner, regulator and academic. Writing, researching and consulting on broadcast radio since the 1990s, he has worked at UoB since 2012. He is currently researching Small Scale DAB, both in the UK and Internationally.
Mark Wakely
Mark Wakely
... got into the pirate scene in the 1970s, involved with various stations before starting Radio Comsat in 1981. He setup the Land Based Pirate Facebook group after a chance conversation with Mark Dezzani and the rest is, as they say, now history. He runs a podcast production company, “1386 Audio”, in Shropshire.
Mark Dezzani
Mark Dezzani
...is a broadcaster, producer, director, journalist and all round media-head. He owes it all to his roots, publishing a free radio fanzine and operating several landbased pirate radio stations during his misspent youth.
MeCCSA RASN
MeCCSA RASN
The organisers are grateful for the various invaluable help and support provided by members of the MeCCSA Radio and Audio Studies Network in support of this event.
Our Venue
Our Venue
The University of Bedfordshire, Post Graduate Centre,
The University of Bedfordshire, Post Graduate Centre,
Luton, LU1 3HZ, UK.
Luton, LU1 3HZ, UK.
The University of Bedfordshire, Post Graduate Centre is located on the university's Luton Campus. It's in the centre of the town, next to St. Mary's Church and ten minutes walk from the mainline railway station.
The University of Bedfordshire, Post Graduate Centre is located on the university's Luton Campus. It's in the centre of the town, next to St. Mary's Church and ten minutes walk from the mainline railway station.
![[UoB Luton Post-Graduate Centre]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XjwQQNuX0Hi9aFPq8WxCf_eKS1bEXz_L_NrVOaqIH2ONwz7KlpYNKPvjT9GU34ARzUyndwZRu2-g7GJWTI7MH_dnUeRIbkhc5KYPJm8FSHmqzU9RnsBDwPt19NYgZc9fRnaluCPVrTZDVddUDg2mu7YCTsddBmWpYSrqnKsHgtF6ICzfCjepAQ=w1280)
Let us know if you'll be attending!
Let us know if you'll be attending!
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