Rinse FM Going Legit

S

Sick Boy

All about pride and egos
I've had a load of people today refer me to this "petition" they've now got going which is aimed at acquiring themselves a legitimate place on the FM dial.

Is it me or is this totally inimical to what Rinse FM is meant to be? i.e. a station that, entirely due to its illegitimacy, offers an uncompromising alternative to mainstream radio and its limitations by being answerable to nobody but its listeners.

I'm certainly not out to try to impede the success or commercial exposure of the artists that Rinse supports or the staff who keep the station running, but I will not be signing this petition. Rinse FM currently fill an important space that, if they went legal, would go either unoccupied, or at the very least, occupied unsatisfactorily.

Everyone else's thoughts?
 
computer_rock

computer_rock

Well-known member
I have no idea what comes with legitimate station status. I assumed rather crudely, and probably wrongly, that it simply gave them a legit frequency on the fm dial on which to broadcast, and for which there is some kind of rental fee.

I personally don't see why we couldn't have exactly the same radio show we have now but on a legitimate frequency, or am I missing out on something?

Here's the independent article from earlier in the year btw:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...tions-the-fight-for-pirate-radio-1648089.html

The problem is, apparently, there isn't enough space on the FM dial. If that's true then I don't see how a petition is gunna change it anyway.
 
john eden

john eden

male pale and stale
I think the issue is that the form dictates the content.

What seems to happen is that pirates go legit and the start worrying about advertising revenue and how many people are listening. Which leads inexorably to putting stuff on that a lot of people might listen to, so you can attract more advertisers.

the case in point being Kiss FM.

which I can't really knock because I only listen to rodigan on there anyway. But let's just say that when they were a pirate they were better.
 
M

mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
I quite like the idea of it going legit, because as John points out, it generally kills it.

Y'know, we've had a Rinsegemony for years and years - through no fault of its own, through it's own brilliance, it's ubiquitous - and I kindof welcome it becoming the new Kiss, so that something else can take its place. Just imagine, no more 'Big Up the big Flo Dan! Big up BBK!". No more 'Big Up Plastician! Big Up Geeneus!'

How great to see them confined to the annals of popularity and advertising revenue so that London can be free again.
 
owengriffiths

owengriffiths

Owen
To be frank if they only wanted a community licence then why didnt they say so years ago. Cos I've just assumed they were stupidly naive in seeking a proper one, when we all know that the ofcom rent could not be paid from the type of adverts it's current format attracts. But am I right in thinking that few of the UK's community radio stations are music focussed?
 
G

gumdrops

Well-known member
rinse is basically run like a legal station already though isnt it, from what ive heard/read, well as far as it can do. rinse doesnt pride itself on evading DTI or whoever, its desperate to go legit. obviously actually GOING legit would make things different, maybe more than even they consider, but its what theyve wanted for about 2-3 years now.

i dont see it as a bad thing at all really, would be nice to see the control they have over the scene fade a bit, although who else is there to take their place? i dont know of many similar pirates challenging their position at the mo. if i did, i wouldnt mind them trying to go legit as much.

this might be of interest - http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/futureradio/responses/RinseFM.pdf
 
powerpill

powerpill

Well-known member
Blackdown said:
i dont think it will change their musical policy, it'll just ensure their longevity...
Click to expand...

well, scratcha has just confirmed that on air :D

i think rinse have a good way of looking at where others have gone wrong and then doing their own thing and i trust them to keep it real. i dont think we will be seeing another kiss 100 scenario
 
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P

paolo

Mechanical phantoms
Do the police still advertise on Rinse? I remember they used to do anti-gun crime stuff, if you can call that advertising
 
A

alex

Do not read this.
paolo said:
Do the police still advertise on Rinse? I remember they used to do anti-gun crime stuff, if you can call that advertising
Click to expand...


yea I thought this helped them stay away from being under constand DTI attention
 
A

alex

Do not read this.
also guys I tried to sign this but everytime I bring the link up it just displays a blank page?
 
S

Sick Boy

All about pride and egos
john eden said:
I think the issue is that the form dictates the content.

What seems to happen is that pirates go legit and the start worrying about advertising revenue and how many people are listening. Which leads inexorably to putting stuff on that a lot of people might listen to, so you can attract more advertisers.

the case in point being Kiss FM.
Click to expand...

This. I think it is more than a little naive to believe that Rinse FM will remain exactly as it is in its musical policy the more commercial it goes. At the very least, it will be subject to censorship. Also, I've heard Geeneus is becoming very involved in the content of Rinse FM recently, telling funky DJs (Marcus Nasty specifically) off for playing harder styles during the daytime hours? If this is his attitude, I believe we'll have Kiss FM part 2 in no time.

But yeah, maybe that's a good thing, new blood and whatnot. That wouldn't worry me if there wasn't such an awful lack of infrastructure in a lot of the music they push. They have been its spine virtually since the beginning.
 
G

gumdrops

Well-known member
theyre bound to say that though arent they? and despite the best of intentions, like john eden says, once reality kicks in, and they become more ambitious as a station, its inevitable things will change. hopefully not too dramatically in a way that what makes rinse good starts to fade, but i wouldnt be surprised. though kiss was still good in its early legal days, so even if rinse does get its FM slot, weve got a while before we start to see signs of nasty commercialisation.

id like to think someone will step up to take its place on the pirates but youd think thered be some already nipping at its heels.
 
B

Blackdown

nexKeysound
i'm surprised at the level of scepticism on this thread. running a pirate is a thankless task, if the people doing it were looking to sell out, they'd have done something profitable years ago.
 
G

gumdrops

Well-known member
i dont think anyones saying theyre looking to sell out, just that when the reality of running a legal station, and trying to make it a success, kicks in, then they might have to change rinse in a way that even they arent that into.
 
G

gabriel

The Heatwave
Blackdown said:
i'm surprised at the level of scepticism on this thread. running a pirate is a thankless task, if the people doing it were looking to sell out, they'd have done something profitable years ago.
Click to expand...

i agree. i posted the petition on my facebook yesterday and my friend asked me if i wanted it to be legal. i said i hadn't really thought about whether or not i wanted it on a personal level, but if the station management want it to be legal then i'm gonna trust and back them cos it must be fucking hard running a business and it being constnatly under threat from the law.

i also don't quite get the pirate=not commercial / legal=commercial thing. it's already a commercial organisation, run for (though not solely) for profit
 
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