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Feds battle pirates - in Hyde Park, arrr
By adamg on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 1:18pm
Scott Fybush reports that when a new pirate radio station went on the air last month, it promptly got a visit from FCC investigators, because its 97.5 frequency is right next to the frequency used by a legal station, Brockton's WKAF, at 97.7, which repeats the signal of WAAF.
Fybush reports the illegal station's offices are in the Westinghouse Plaza office park. The Bulletin - also located there - recently profiled the station.
The FCC visit apparently had as much effects as similar visits - and fines - have had on the similar Touch FM in Dorchester: None. As I type this, Hot FM is coming in just fine, in stereo, here in Roslindale (on the Hyde Park line, maybe a couple miles as the crow flies from Westinghouse Plaza). The WAAF repeater is also coming in fine, a notch up the dial.
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Comments
Pirate radio stations
(BTW, Touch FM has an actual website, which is much easier on the eyes than the MySpace.)
I've never understood what the deal is with the FCC allegedly regulating unregistered radio stations. I mean, if they really wanted the stations gone, couldn't they seize the broadcasting equipment or arrest the people or something? Just issuing fines seems to say that they don't actually care. So then why have regulation at all?
Also, Touch seems to do a lot of great stuff for the community, and it's affiliated with and supported by a lot of legitimate community organizations. So why are they not able to find the resources to become a legitimate station (even a NCE station if it's too cost-prohibitive to stay on their current part of the dial).
I don't know a whole hell of a lot about FCC regulations. I'm torn between whether I should view Touch and similar pirate stations as good-old civil disobedience or as trouble-causing law breakers.
http://1smootshort.blogspot.com
nasty specific absorption rate
One of the things the FCC is interested in is the EIRP (radiated power) and antenna radation pattern.
And on your subject of fines, here's hoping the FCC actually asks to eyeball the pirate's (arr) equipment, versus chucking a fine in the mail from far off Washington.
Re: even a NCE station
Is that the lower part of the dial, like the colleges and non-profits?
I Yearn For A "Pirate" On 96.7 Or 97.1
I yearn for a "pirate" FM station to start broadcasting on 96.7 or 97.1, abutting mostly right-leaning yakker WTKK-FM 96.9. Pouquoi? It wouldn't take long before such anti-government screamers Michael Graham and James Severino III (nom-de-bouche Jay Severin) would insist that the FCC corral the owners, hustle them off to jail like a Harvard Professor (but NOT drop the charges) and confiscate the equipment!
There is a reasonable
There is a reasonable argument to be made for allowing more mini-radio stations, but thanks to the people from Public Radio, among others, that option has been blocked. There is also a reasonable argument to be made against them. If a nice community-based station can be set up at any frequency they choose, then why not Mega-Maxi Corporation doing the same thing? Either the airwaves are regulated or they're not. A With-The-Approval-Of-eeka system just won't work very well. I'm all for more competition and local radio, but frequency squatting has serious implications, the doing stuff for the community seal of approval notwithstanding.
That makes sense
That's a good way of explaining it. While I can see that Touch might not have the funds to be legit, it would piss me off if Magic or Mix or something just stopped paying for their license, so I suppose I'm for regulating airwaves, even though it does seem to go against supporting community-minded nonprofits.
I wonder if a solution would be to have, say, 92FM-95FM be a free-for-all? The stations are free to do what they want (maybe below a certain wattage?) but also have no recourse if another station is interfering?
I suppose what I really wonder is why radio is even the place to be anymore. Why don't Touch and others just start internet radio stations? I know many families who are making in the four digits per year, and most everyone has internet access and a smart phone. Even older people who I'm kind of surprised to learn have such things. It seems to be a liberaler-than-thou myth that no one in the hood has access to technology.
http://1smootshort.blogspot.com
About fucking time
These stations are quite flagrant in flaunting their crimes, going so far as to sponsor floats in community parades. Good to see the FCC is finally getting off their asses and doing their jobs.
Thanks, Bulletin
Interesting that in the glowing profile of "Hot FM," The Bulletin doesn't once mention that the radio station is totally illegal. It's as if they profiled a "heroic community leader," stimulating the economy with hefty purchases and healthy employment, without ever mentioning that he got the money by breaking into houses and robbing banks.
What a load of shit
that article is. Do these criminals really think that they keep people out of trouble because of a record?