RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

even the reintroductlon of licenses fог car rađios was adopted . (Peacock 1985: 139) Though Thatcher wants to extend her political control over the corporation and she dislikes it as a symbo) of non-market economics, the government is still skirting around the BBC rather than challenging it head-on. Тће other half of the 'duopolv' is the Independent Broadcasting Authority l IBA ) , which is the regulatory body and transmitting сотрапу for commercial radio . The stations which it licenses аге known as Independent Local Radios (iLR).The legalization of commercial radio came over a decade after the introduction of commerCial television . Since the interwar periođ, the BBC had faced Some commercial competition from overseas stations , notabiy Radio Luxemburg . In the 19305, upto 80of the population tuned into commercial stations to avoid the BBC's Sunday diet of religion anđ morality. (Eckersley 1946: 163-4) But t|iere was little pressure to license commercial stations within Britain until the 19605. It was the impact of the offshore pirate radio stations which changed the situation . These were commercial stations broadcasting from ships in the North Sea. They gained large audiences , especlally among young people , because they soon adopted a format of continuous pop music . Despite Britain being one of the centres of the 'Swinging Sikties', the BBC bureaucracy found it difficult to adapt both to the new culture and technologies . No longer did the audiences want BBC dance bands performing cover versions of the latest hits , they wanted to hear the original artists оп recorđ. (Chapman 1988) The pirates were a contradictory phenomenon. On the one hand, they were promoting rock'n'roll when the music was the soundtrack for the youth revolution . But, on the other hand, the pirates were premature Thatcherites . They were unregulated as their boats were outside British territorial waters . They were openly commercial, with тапу of them financed by British anđ American big business . (LRW 1983: 7-12) They received support from the extreme right of the Conservative Party. (LRW 1983; 12-7) Their major argument for tolerance of licensing was giving greater choice to the listener through a competitive market in radio broadcasting. (Thomas 1965 ) Finally , they aiso showed the less savoury sides of free-market capitalism with their inter-pirate conflicts . These disputes resulted in the murder of one station owner . (Harris 1968: 75-96) Whatever their faults , the pirates gamed a large audience from those đissatisfied with the BBC's elitism . This led to great pressures for the licensing of pop music stations . The 1964-70 Labor government adopted a policy which combineđ repression with co-option. The 1968 Manne Broadcasting Offences Act outlawed advertismg on or supplymg the pirate ships , while the BBC was simultaneous!y authorized to set up its own pop