Capital Radio Cafe Closedown

  I remember the flourish with which Capital Radio in Leicester Sq opened the Internet cafe under its offices. Evidently, it wasn't to last. I wandered in to the entrance Friday morning. "No, there hasn't been a Capital cafe or shop on these premises for at least six years, mate." barked the security guard inside the entrance with a strange smile on this face. "We proudly closed it down. Now, unless you have business with GCAP, please leave sir." I didn't and did. I sense serious "interface problems with the public" there.

Many stations in the UK and USA have hired external security firms who have no interest in the broadcast business and probably present the worst business card of that station to the outside world. They must get thse guys from nightclubs. The worst I ever experienced was the security at Radio Marti in Washington DC, who refused to let me bring a tape recorder into their building to interview Ernesto Betancourt, the director at the time. The reason? They had never heard of him and were too lazy to pick up the phone to check.