Boston pirates shut down, accept punishment

[raccoonradio]

https://radioink.com/2020/07/02/boston-pirates-agree-to-shut-down/

Two Boston area pirate radio operators have agreed to shut down, pay a fine, not broadcast for 20 years, and surrender equipment

 

[freqlost]

What frequencies were these stations on ?

 

[EnterCommunicator]

What frequencies were these stations on ?

93.7 and 98.5

 

[CTListener]

93.7 and 98.5

Seriously? Right on top of WEEI-FM and WBZ-FM? Not the sharpest tools in the shed, were they? How far did their signals get out before being smothered by those two co-channel powerhouses?

Just curious about the "settlement." It mentions nothing about any advertising revenue the operators may have taken in during their pirate years. Is there no way for the government to retrieve that, or is it gone and buried forever because the transactions were likely under the table and not documented?

 

[davideduardo]

Just curious about the "settlement." It mentions nothing about any advertising revenue the operators may have taken in during their pirate years. Is there no way for the government to retrieve that, or is it gone and buried forever because the transactions were likely under the table and not documented?

That's like trying to tax a drug trafficer.

Same situation, different product.

(Of course, the FCC does not tax and I don't believe they even exchange data with the IRS)

 

[Deleted User]

https://radioink.com/2020/07/02/boston-pirates-agree-to-shut-down/

Two Boston area pirate radio operators have agreed to shut down, pay a fine, not broadcast for 20 years, and surrender equipment

Wow, great work, Radio Concorde was on the air for over 25 years... at this rate they will solve the pirate problem sometime in 2525

 

[Eli Polonsky]

93.7 and 98.5

Seriously? Right on top of WEEI-FM and WBZ-FM? Not the sharpest tools in the shed, were they? How far did their signals get out before being smothered by those two co-channel powerhouses?

That looks like a humor attempt by EnterCommunicator at the expense of the sports stations. There's no way they were on those frequencies, even at the highest power that most pirates use which usually tops out around 1000 watts, most are a lot less, they wouldn't cover more than a few city blocks on the frequencies of those full-power stations.

From what I can find online, Radio Concorde may have been on 106.3 FM and 1580 AM, and Radio TeleBoston may have been on both 90.1 FM and 92.1 FM, and I believe I've heard them all on those frequencies over the past few years, though those may not be their most recent squats.

 

[raccoonradio]

Those freqs sound about right.
For awhile there's been a site, DIYMedia.net
that had an FCC Enforcement Database.Guy who runs it said to be a defender of pirates, community radio etc. At some point he stopped updating the list of NOUOs, etc Names like Gerlens and Caesar popped up multiple times.

One pirate actually tried to operate on 93.9 in Bos and Entercom complained.

When WJIB's FM translator at 101.3 turned on I went to a park near the station's studios and antenna to record them. Pirate BigCity on same freq was interfering with them even up to a couple miles away.But in the end Big City went to a different freq (they tried 100.5! Now at 87.7 I believe)...because the LEGAL FM translator Bittner put on was blowing their signal away.
(Some Big City fans wondered why they
were suddenly hearing standards.)

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Those freqs sound about right.

When WJIB's FM translator at 101.3 turned on I went to a park near the station's studios and antenna to record them. Pirate BigCity on same freq was interfering with them even up to a couple miles away.But in the end Big City went to a different freq (they tried 100.5! Now at 87.7 I believe)...because the LEGAL FM translator Bittner put on was blowing their signal away.
(Some Big City fans wondered why they
were suddenly hearing standards.)

Big City has ended up currently on 88.5.

87.7 is "B-87", the one that used to call themselves "Hot 87", or something like that. Those two seem to be Boston's strongest pirates.

 

[CTListener]

Big City has ended up currently on 88.5.

87.7 is "B-87", the one that used to call themselves "Hot 87", or something like that. Those two seem to be Boston's strongest pirates.

Once The Touch was busted, you'd think Big City would become the main focus of enforcement efforts. The elimination of two relative minnows on the pirate scene is nice, but how has the big fish, Big City, managed to avoid being found out and shut down for so long? Friends in high places?

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Once The Touch was busted, you'd think Big City would become the main focus of enforcement efforts. The elimination of two relative minnows on the pirate scene is nice, but how has the big fish, Big City, managed to avoid being found out and shut down for so long? Friends in high places?

Big City has been fined at least once, and a few years ago they were raided and their equipment confiscated. They were back on the air with new equipment within a few days!

 

[radiohits]

anyone know how big the coverage was?

 

[MarcB]

Boston isn't too far from Hartford, so why can't the FCC come to Hartford? There's one called Busy 92.9 that's been on for just over a year, but originally was on 103.3 for over a decade until Full Power Radio lit up a translator for 1360 AM WDRC on 103.3 FM.

 

[jlehmann]

Until they shut down the biggest offenders for more than a couple days (87.7 and 88.5) I don’t think it means much. There are still plenty of other pirates on the air in Boston and Brockton.

 

[kf4rca]

There is a pirate here who has been operating for years.

http://www.insideradio.com/free/fcc...cle_1c7a3e9a-57df-11e9-bc40-efcf4fcb6b08.html

What I've discovered is that if the pirate is a minority interest, they go slowly shutting them down. Probably afraid of the negative press they'll receive from the SJW's out there.

 

[CTListener]

There is a pirate here who has been operating for years.

http://www.insideradio.com/free/fcc...cle_1c7a3e9a-57df-11e9-bc40-efcf4fcb6b08.html

What I've discovered is that if the pirate is a minority interest, they go slowly shutting them down. Probably afraid of the negative press they'll receive from the SJW's out there.

Sounds like the cozy relationship the operator of The Touch in Boston had with Mayor Menino, who even did interviews on the station. Kid gloves treatment all the way.

 

[davideduardo]

Sounds like the cozy relationship the operator of The Touch in Boston had with Mayor Menino, who even did interviews on the station. Kid gloves treatment all the way.

I really don't think that today's politicians have any idea if a station is licensed or not. They look at the image it will give to appear or not on a station, and act on that.