"SHOCKED BUT NOT SHAKEN"
UCB Europe responds to a decision by European Court of Human Rights to not
accept their submission that the British government is restricting religious
bodies in applying for, and being granted national broadcasting licenses

By Dan Wooding

STOKE-ON-TRENT, UK (January 21, 2001) - Gareth Littler, who had spearheaded
UCB Europe's legal battle against the British government at the European
Court of Human Rights, says he is "shocked but not shaken" with their
decision that has supported the government's policy.

"This is brewing up to become an issue amongst UK Christians ahead of our
next election some time this year," said Littler.

He was responding to the Court who believed the UK Governments submission
that "the restriction extends only to the ownership of national radio
licenses" so the Court concluded that in the UK "there is no restriction on religious
bodies applying for and being granted licenses for local radio
broadcasting."

However, Gareth Littler said, "This is not true. The Court decision followed
the banning of the UCB Christian music station from the local digital radio
license application forms for Northern Ireland. It coincided with the
advertising of the local digital radio license application process for
London -- from which UCB is also banned."

He pointed out that the UK Radio Authority has confirmed in writing that UCB
are disqualified from holding "digital radio multiplex licenses," "digital
radio programme service licenses" and "national analogue licenses."

"The UK Government submission appears to have 'technically confused' the
Court into thinking that the UK is reduced from three national analogue
radio services to only 1 national digital radio service," said Littler "This is
not true! Digital broadcasting offers a huge increase rather than a reduction in
the radio services that can broadcast across the UK. Shortage of UK
frequency does not ban anybody else from license application forms.

"As well as the three UK national analogue radio services, 10 additional
national independent digital radio services had already been launched at the
time of the Court decision. In addition the BBC had already launched 5
national digital radio services and plan a further 5 national digital radio
services."

COURT IGNORED MOTION SIGNED BY 53 MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

Littler added that the Court also ignored the Motion signed by 53 Members of
the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly calling upon the UK Government
not to exclude religious organizations from the digital broadcasting system
and to allow United Christian Broadcasters to use radio frequencies released
by the Russian Federation for UCB's use in the UK. (The UCB frequency was
tendered out commercially by the British authorities for £43million and UCB
complained to the Assembly on behalf of their 291,000 supporters).

He said that the UK Government submission argued against allowing Christians
to broadcast across the UK (like Vatican Radio or Frequence
Protestante/Catholique in France or EO in Holland) on grounds of pluralistic
religion, comparison with a political party and the "enforcement of
pluralism."

Said Littler, "This is not the true reason for the ban. In 1990, UCB's
competitors at the BBC Religious Department lobbied successfully for
introduction of the ban that protected their monopoly of UK national
religious broadcasting.

"The Court concluded a new form of censorship from the Atlantic to the Urals
allowing a State to refuse national license application forms from any part
of the media, which a State does not like, at the outset of an application."

UCB Europe is part of UCB (United Christian Broadcasters) International, a
worldwide family of Christian radio stations headquartered in Auckland, New
Zealand.

For further information on UCB Europe write to UCB Europe, P.O. Box 255,
Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8YY, UK, or telephone 44 (0) 1782 642000. UCB Europe's
website can be found at www.ucb.co.uk.
______________________________________________________

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