Radio pirates land legal slot

DJ Trevor Nelson got his break at Kiss 100

London radio station Kiss 100 is offering the prize of their own show to pirate broadcasters.

The offer has not been approved by the government, but has to follow Radio Authority guidelines so it does not break the law.

The dance station will let four pirate DJs play on the station for two hours each in the first week of September between 2300 and 0100.

They will then meet on 5 September for a "sound clash" to decide the winner. The victor, decided through a public vote, will be given a three-month contract for their own show on the station.

The broadcaster begins its search this month, with a panel of experts listening through tapes the public send.

The station has been warned it cannot identify the frequencies of the pirate stations the DJs belong to.

Under current Radio Authority rules, commercial radio stations cannot employ people who have had a conviction for illegal broadcasting for a period of five years.

'Legitimate'

A Kiss spokeswoman said: "It's completely a Kiss 100 initiative but we have checked with the Radio Authority to make sure it is OK.

"This is a good way to give a bandstand for pirates and allow them to become legitimate."

The spokeswoman said the competition's rules stated that anyone with a current conviction for illegal broadcasting was not allowed to enter.

A spokeswoman said penalties for the station breaking the rules could include fines or its licence being revoked.

Kiss began life as a pirate station in 1985, before going off air three years later to apply to for a licence.

It won, and Kiss began broadcasting legally in 1990.

The station is now part of media conglomerate Emap and has an audience of 1.5 million listeners a week in the capital, and another one million nationally through digital transmissions.

BBC Radio 1 DJs who have worked for Kiss include Trevor Nelson, Pete Tong, Danny Rampling and Gilles Peterson.