Pirate Radio: Why do three of the biggest Indian language stations in Vancouver broadcast out of the U.S.?
By Tristin Hopper
National Post
Saturday October 4th, 204
SURREY, B.C. – In a second floor office buzzing with immaculately dressed Sikh men, its walls jammed with community awards, Maninder Gill vowed that when the CRTC comes for him, they will need to “drag him” from his desk.
Mr. Gill, the director of one of Vancouver’s most well-known pirate radio stations, will fight them all the way to the Supreme Court. If the regulator starts harassing his advertisers — as it has threatened — he’ll just drop his advertising rates.
Then he’ll call in his listeners. They are many.
“I can get 50,000 people easily, they can fill the roads, they can protest, if they come to shut us down,” said Mr. Gill.
Radio India — a provider of Indian-language programming to Metro Vancouver’s 250,000 Indo-Canadians — is what is politely known as a “crossborder” radio station. Although its studios are in Metro Vancouver, the station is broadcast via radio towers in Washington State.
The country’s most powerful politicians don’t seem to care that Radio India is an outlaw operation. Mr. Gill has been photographed with three B.C. premiers and future prime minister Stephen Harper, and he’s the proud owner of a Diamond Jubilee Medal. When Radio India opened its new headquarters in 2004, then-Deputy Prime Minister Sheila Copps cut the ribbon.
In a single one-hour period on Thursday, the station was visited by both NDP MLA Harry Bains and Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal — both of whom had dropped by to lend their voices to a Radio India telethon for a local charity.
“Tell them what Radio India does for the community,” Mr. Gill told the politicians as he led the National Post on a tour of his studios.
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So only radio india is allowed to break the law? Can I start up a gay radio station and it be ok?
The CRTC and FCC needs to do their job and shut these tyrants down.
“Tyrants” ?? Isn’t that a bit strong? ? hahaha
It’s illegal and shouldn’t happen… and you know what.. if you had thought of it first, you probably would have done the same…
It’s work it’s course.. until the masses follow (i.e. start copying) and then and either the CRTC or FCC will or won’t do something… ..
stop stressing.. no big deal…
Shut them down NOW! These people come to our country and abuse the system and they get a free ticket to do so or it’s “racism”.
As an Asian Canadian, I am personally offended by this monkey business, acting like gangsters, flaunting the laws of Canada, flashing their political contacts making veiled threats.
Just who the hell do they think they are !
They are a disgrace to all legitimate Asians here in Canada (and my parents moved here in 1956).