Vicar Defends Radio Rebels

Storm over pirates' use of church Vicar defends radio rebels    By PHIL PARKIN (Dec86) A BIRMINGHAM vicar yesterday defended his decision to give santury to pirate pop broadcasters in his church tower.    Rev. Richard Bashford was at the centre of a storm earlier in the week when it was discovered the rebel radio station PCRL was using his Winson Green church.   "I gave them that place to give them a little breathing space," he said, The bottom line isn't weathers this is legal or illigal.   "Here's a group of people stuggling without hardly any remuneration for themselves to give a voice to the people in the inner city area that have not got one.
"They are being chassed and harrased by the Department of trade and Inductry. PCRL - The Peoples' Community Radio Line - has been raided more than 120 times by the Department Of Trade and Industry officials attempting to drive them from the airways.     The pirates, safe from raids for three weeks their transmitter kept being removed, so now it's safe	from the church on Monday after discussions with Rev. Bashford.  "I came under formal pressure from Archdeacon John Duncan who said he couldn't condone illigality but understoot the motives," he said. He accused Birmingham's independent radio station, BRMB of staging a dirty tricks campaign to oust PCRL from the airways.	But BRMB managing director Ian Rufus described the allegations as "rubbish"  He said "BRMB supported the efforts of DTI officials to stop the pirate broadcasters.    The station's popularity showed they were meeting the needs of the people," he said.  PCRL is now off the air but a spokesperson for the station vowed last night they would return