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100.3 Urban AC Pirate

While I don't support pirate radio, people who spout the following ad nauseum know full well that due to consolidation and the heavy monetary backing of large radio groups, there is a snowball's chance in hell of an individual starting a license from scratch in Boston or any other major or even small market.

LPFM is the only chance for your challenge to rapking to happen, and you know it. Strawman argument. "Why don't you do the impossible?"

NSPUNX said:
Thats what I thought RAPKING. You are not willing to stand up for what you beleive in, You are not willing to do anything constructive to change things, You are not willing to take a financial risk to do what you think is right, You are not willing to work hard to serve the community, You are unwiliing to put your money where your mouth is. Thats fine. Just as long as everyone sees you for what you are.
Click to expand...
 
First off:

I'm working, legally, for community radio. In numerous forms. I do not condone violation of FCC policies.

HOWEVER. My point to the previous poster about 100.3 is that CC is licensed to operate ON a frequency, not to own it. The ownership of the airwaves is not CC, Citadel, etc.

These organizations/businesses are licensed in the (theoretical) concept of the public interest. I never at any point said that authorizes someone to just put up an antenna.

However, if you're going to hold that CC and other companies have been good stewards of the public's airwaves or their interests, I will most certainly state that they have not. And their business practices and legislative pushes have resulted in fewer opportunities for independent or noncommercial voices on the airwaves.

Facts are facts.
 
>Do you condone people driving without a license? Even if they have good >intentions/ethos?
>
Here's the difference between the roadways and the airwaves - and it goes right to the problem.

The licensing system for drivers is structured to allow the masses to gain entry. Anyone who is at least 16 years of age, can read English and pay a very moderate fee can get a license to drive an automobile. Getting a broadcast license is very different, to say the least. And that's no accident; it is structured to allow only a small elite group to be able to operate radio stations.

There really is no good reason why the licensing of a radio station should be so expensive, so complicated and so completely out of the reach of the average citizen - except of course that it's a matter of controlling information - who controls it and how it is disseminated.

Think about it; if it were just a matter of playing the latest hits and selling advertising, why is a "license" needed at all? Are DJ's such geniouses? Are conservative talk-slammers such wisdom-keepers?

For better or worse, this small elite group are pledged to operate in the interest of the masses. But what are the masses to do when the licensee fails to live up to his pledge - and in fact when the government which issues the license even stops asking for that pledge altogether? This is exactly what's happening these days. If you don't know what is "required" for renewal of a license, look it up.

If a license can keep the airwaves from falling into total chaos, then fine. But the Great Unwashed of American Citizen has the right to react when those who are entrusted to operate in their interest fail to do so. And if that reaction comes in the form of broadcast piracy, the fault lies with the FCC, and the current batch of radio operators.
 
Sorry JJ - you present no facts at all - you are either misinformed, or hopelessly naive.
While a legal, licensed station does not OWN a frequency, by virtue of being properly licensed,
they are granted exclusive use of it within a certain geographic area.
If you believe that a given station is not a fit licensee - then challenge their license.
Go to that station, and ask to see their public file. Challenge them on the facts,
not rhetoric or your personal beliefs. These are the rules of the game - if you don't want
to play by the rules (i.e. - pirates) THEN DON'T PLAY! This IS the "level playing field"

There are ways to get a program on the air. They have been mentioned before - I'm not going
back over old ground... They do, hoever, require putting your own money where your mouth is.
A small group of misfits, malcontents, and wannabes will not influence that for-profit businesses
make business decisions. Never gonna happen...

"Community radio" is a wonderful concept: a small signal, that covers a small area, and plays
to a niche audience, and does not need to turn a profit to survive. A service to a select few, yes.
A business? No.

I would suggest that you take a course in Broadcast History. Emerson College, for example, offers one.
You would then see that it was large corporations who began the entire broadcast industry. They alone
had the capital and distribution to make it happen in ther first place. Remember also that if the large corporation is a publicly traded company, their primary obligation is to their stockholders - those everyday people who share in the fortunes of that company, either good or bad. Remember also that those corporations are made up of people, who earn salaries to support their familes, and the overall economy,
and who pay taxes. Pirates do not...
 
You ignore the fact WHEB isn't licensed to serve Boston. It serves the Portsmouth market. The illegal transmissions at 100.3 in Boston shouldn't be legal or illegal based on interfering with "Clear Channel's frequency." Because it isn't owned by them.

Pirate radio is illegal yes, but to act as though it's somehow horrible simply because it steps on CC's toes isn't acknowledging the broader issues of the licensing process. Is it fair? Is the spectrum well managed and is the entry process reasonable considering radio's limited spectrum. The playing field is NOT level, there's corporate money and muscle that has interfered with independent and non-commercial operators, and that needs to be addressed.

WLYNGM, defend it all you want, but the hands of corporate broadcasters are far from clean and simply suggest to me they fear competition. The fact is, the playing field is not level and the FCC and Congress have NOT protected local radio.
 
Funny, how there is no such station as "WNYX" listed
in any FCC database! Another wannabe! Big surprise! ::)
Sorry Jimbo - you've got diddly on your side...Nada. Bubkus. Zero. Zilch.
So much for your credilbility...

When you have some actual proof of wrongdoing, illegal, or
unethical behavior on the part of any real, actual radio station,
be sure to let us know! Until that happens, (and it never will...)
learn these valuable phrases:
-- is that for here, or to go?
-- do you want fries with that?
-- shall I supersize that for you?
 
WLYN:

Your hostility in tone is unproductive. As a broadcaster, I work to provide service and programming that benefits my communities in a positive way. I believe in and welcome competition from dedicated people who want to do a great job and serve the public. As such, I'm interested in the system being as fair, democratic and reasonable as it can possibly be for those who seek to become licensed broadcasters.

If you're ignorant of the cultural reference in my profile quote, or wish to presume that I'm not employed in radio, that's your call. But it's also an ignorant person that makes baseless assumptions about another poster in a messageboard thread. Considering I'm quite happily employed and not at a drivethrough, either.

I presume, since your emphasis is legality, you'd be perfectly happy if Touch FM and the like were able to get LPFM licenses for the 100.3 frequency in Boston?
 
FPB said:
The licensing system for drivers is structured to allow the masses to gain entry. Anyone who is at least 16 years of age, can read English and pay a very moderate fee can get a license to drive an automobile.
Click to expand...

Yes, but there are restrictions...and you agree to those when you are licensed.

You can't drive over a certain speed, must have liability insurance, have a safety inspection for your vehicle.

Can you imagine someone saying, "Hey, I have a right to drive faster than the speed limit because I am delivering meals on wheels?"

Can you imagine asking others to pull over so you can drive?

There are rules......rules is rules.
 
JimmyJames said:
...there is a snowball's chance in hell of an individual starting a license from scratch in Boston or any other major or even small market.
Click to expand...

Yes, but since when are we guaranteed the right to all start our own stations?
 
Your ignorance of the system and disrespect of the rule of law is unproductive. Hardly the mark of an "industry professional" Pirates will never be granted licenses - nor should they EVER be granted licenses. If you are such a professional, as you claim to be - I'm sure
that you would agree. Step into the light Jimbo - identify yourself publicly.
Dazzle us all with your many years of experience, running profitable, successful radio stations!
Back up, with facts ,your allegations of wrongdoing. I'm betting your proof
is with the Easter Bunny, watching over all of those weapons of mass destruction!

Playing outside of the law may fly at the non-existent "WNYX" - not in the real
world, dude. Sorry. The system is, indeed, fair. Maybe not to those of you feasting on
sour grapes, however. I've seen your posts. You presume to tell the entire country
what to do. You are an expert on everything. More like a legend in your own mind....
 
WLYNgm said:
Sorry JJ - you present no facts at all - you are either misinformed, or hopelessly naive.
While a legal, licensed station does not OWN a frequency, by virtue of being properly licensed,
they are granted exclusive use of it within a certain geographic area.
If you believe that a given station is not a fit licensee - then challenge their license.
Go to that station, and ask to see their public file. Challenge them on the facts,
not rhetoric or your personal beliefs. These are the rules of the game - if you don't want
to play by the rules (i.e. - pirates) THEN DON'T PLAY! This IS the "level playing field"

There are ways to get a program on the air. They have been mentioned before - I'm not going
back over old ground... They do, hoever, require putting your own money where your mouth is.
A small group of misfits, malcontents, and wannabes will not influence that for-profit businesses
make business decisions. Never gonna happen...

"Community radio" is a wonderful concept: a small signal, that covers a small area, and plays
to a niche audience, and does not need to turn a profit to survive. A service to a select few, yes.
A business? No.

I would suggest that you take a course in Broadcast History. Emerson College, for example, offers one.
You would then see that it was large corporations who began the entire broadcast industry. They alone
had the capital and distribution to make it happen in ther first place. Remember also that if the large corporation is a publicly traded company, their primary obligation is to their stockholders - those everyday people who share in the fortunes of that company, either good or bad. Remember also that those corporations are made up of people, who earn salaries to support their familes, and the overall economy,
and who pay taxes. Pirates do not...
Click to expand...

Umm, excuse me, Frank Conrad was a guy in the "garage, basement or spare room" who was putting on radio broadcasts to almost nobody.
A local radio shop was involved in selling recevers, it got in the newspapers.
Westinghouse got interested like a lot of people.

In the early days every drugstore and bait shop could and did put up a community AM station.

It was not until the great upheaveal of 1927 that the airwaves were foisted away from anyone who knew how to make radio, to be
replaced by those who had passed the public service/license requirement.
Minimum power levels and antenna efficiencies precluded many of the early operators, who DID NOT expect to make money on the radio,
but usually enjoyed maximum commercial exposure of the parent company.

When I operated a pirate in Chicago in 1991 on shortwave, my logic was, people in Chicago and other large metros have colleges
with challenging radio stations. WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE IN LOGANSPORT?
So I was on 7.415 to serve them.

What gives some stations a right to burst forth illegally is that some of them invest their whole soul(s) into it, plus "day jobs",
keenly recognizing the lack of "some-thing" they know a "business" cannot provide, while recognizing they must present a product missing from
the choices. Some fail, while others like WHOT are amazing beyond beleif.

The best "radio" operates in total oblivious ignorance of "costs".

Art and business are the very extreme ends of a continuum along which radio tries to make a living.

Do not hate your neighbor, but turn them in if their engineering practices are atrocious, or they invade a frequency.
 
>Yes, but there are restrictions...and you agree to those when you are licensed.
>You can't drive over a certain speed, must have liability insurance, have a safety inspection for your >vehicle.
>
Right. These are rules that we all agree to. They are the rules that all operators of motor vehicles agree to. Did you catch what I said? WE agree; all motor vehicle operators agree. All motor vehicle operators are WE. A motor vehicle operator is not among a small elite, by any means.

Are all radio broadcast operators "WE", or is that an increasingly small club?

As you say; rules is rules. The rules concerning the operation of a radio station is that the station owner promises to operate in the public interest. When the station owner - and, as I said the FCC - no longer take that promise seriously, who is breaking the rules?

If the rules are being broken (or more accurately, either ignored in some cases, or in other cases watered-down to be meaningless) by those in whom WE have placed our trust, should we not find remedy to the situation?

If the answer is Yes, then what do we do? Some will demand that station owners once again operate in the public interest. Others who have lost all faith in the current batch of station owners will do more, and take the pirate route.

Rules is rules. But when the stucture breaks down, the rules break down.
 
WLYN:

We've got the best system.

That money can buy. You come across as someone who would defend the Telcom Act of 96 as being good for radio. Your entire premise rests on the concept that I'm not for legal change.

Again, what is your take on LPFM? Do you support the concept of allowing groups such as Touch FM to apply for an LPFM license?

My bet is, you'd be the first one yelling "interference" for WHEB, a Portsmouth station and would prefer them and the interests of Clear Channel over the local Boston audience having a choice for Urban AC music and community announcements.

Sour grapes? WLYN, not at all. A desire to see a fairer, more equitable system where the voices of Clear Channel and the like do not drown out the voices of the rest of us. And where those who desire to serve niche audiences and formats can do so more reasonably and legally, within responsible transmission parameters.

My question is, what do you fear? Do you fear someone actually listens to these stations?
 
FPB said:
>Yes, but there are restrictions...and you agree to those when you are licensed.
>You can't drive over a certain speed, must have liability insurance, have a safety inspection for your >vehicle.

Right. These are rules that we all agree to. They are the rules that all operators of motor vehicles agree to. Did you catch what I said? WE agree; all motor vehicle operators agree. All motor vehicle operators are WE. A motor vehicle operator is not among a small elite, by any means.

Are all radio broadcast operators "WE", or is that an increasingly small club?
Click to expand...

No, even the non-licensed non-motor vehicle operators are WE.

In case you still don't get it....the "We" that is being referred to is the WE that respect laws.

The WE that vote for our representatives.

The WE that isn't self-centered and believe the world owes us everything we want without working or paying for it.

And in case you were unaware, under Massachusetts law, the right to drive is a 'privlege'....not a 'right'. That's the way the law is written.
 
FPB said:
If the rules are being broken (or more accurately, either ignored in some cases, or in other cases watered-down to be meaningless) by those in whom WE have placed our trust, should we not find remedy to the situation?
Click to expand...

As someone pointed out....this is a very self-centered approach...and it's all about you.

So, if *I* decide that a local station or stations are not serving *my* interests...then *I* have the right to ignore the laws and whatever authority is in place to monitor and maintain order and fire up my own transmitter and program the way *I* see fit?

One of the ways to judge ethics is to ask "what if everyone did this?" Can you imagine 100 pirates? Can you imagine pirates trying to interfere with WBZ (or any other station) cuz they don't feel Dan Rea is serving the interest of the community? What is someone in Cambridge is upset that Bob Bitner doesn't do enough (any?) news/public affairs programming and decides it's ok to interfere with his license because they feel he is not serving the public playing Patti Page?

Again, anything is possible and there are no limits when you sets yourself up as the authority on whats good/bad, right/wrong....and take into your own hands how to remedy it.

We live in a representative democracy. The answer is never anarchy. The answer is never taking what doesn't belong to you.
 
First of all, I work for a privately owned company. We are owned by
a family, not a big corporation. There is no board of directors, there are no
stockholders to satisfy. This is a whole different equation...

LPFM? In concept, sure. If it is truly low power, and if there is frequency
space available, sure. Unfortunately, you will not find space available in the
Manchester-Boston-Providence corridor. It is just too congested in this area.
There are too many markets that overlap each other in terms of
broadcast signals. Pirates have already shown their disrespect for the law,
and will never, and should never be granted a broadcast license.
Whatever it takes: fines, garnished wages, foreclosure, deportation, jail time -
they deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

There are ways to get a program on the air, quickly, and for short money. If you
can't make a single specialty program work, an entire format of the same certainly
will not work. Due to a possible conflict of interest, I will not use this board to suggest those ways,
but they are there - right now - not someday in the distant future. It can be done -
but it does require your own hard work, capital, and perseverance. In short, you have
to put yourself out, not just just throw up a transmitter and do what you feel like doing.

On a recent visit back to my hometown over Memorial Day, I heard about
a legal, local "community station", that was on the extended AM band. I did not
have the opportunity to listen to it while I was there. This is the place for "community radio"...
 
JimmyJames said:
Do you support the concept of allowing groups such as Touch FM to apply for an LPFM license?
Click to expand...

It's been determined by the FCC that there's no space available on the dial in metro-Boston (or near most major cities) for any LPFM applications.

If the FCC changes those standards to allow some LPFM's in the cities to apply for legitimate licenses, I'd say they should go for it, I'd love to see more programming choices offered legally, but they would have to stop taking money for commercials. Legitimate LPFM's must be non-commercial by legal definition.

Do you think Touch and other pirates would be willing to give up the luxury of commercial income for a legitimate LPFM license? Do you think they would buckle down and raise their funds the way that non-comms do, with underwriting announcements that fall within certain guidelines, raising money from the community with pledge drives, acquiring non-profit grants, sponsoring public events within specific guidelines that avoid conflict of interest?

Also, some of the pirates, such as "Big City FM", would probably have to lower their power if it was possible for them to get an LPFM license. LPFM is limited to under 100 watts, and if a new classification is ever allowed for new LPFM's in the cities, it may have an even lower power maximum. It sounds like "Big City" puts out more than 100 watts. "Choice 102.9" (when it's on) too.
 
should we not find remedy to the situation?
Click to expand...

Yes we should. We do this by electing our representatives in the house and senate and petitioning them to introduce bills to change the laws we want to change... Cue the 1970's "How a bill becomes a law" cartoon... We cannot take it upon ourselves to break whatever laws we don't like we must use the democratic process and our elected representatives to change the laws. If you don't like the way the FCC is operating then write a bill to change the rules or ask your congressman too. If enough people feel the way you do the bill will get passed and signed into law.
 
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