92.7 Pirate Station Playing Uncensored Hip-Hop

[nd2023]

This morning while checking for DX, I heard a pirate station at home on 92.7. It was playing hip hop music. I thought it was a DX station, so I waited for an ID. There was no ID for 2 songs in a row. Then, I heard a song with the F word still intact, so I knew that this couldn't be a licensed station. I could only get this pirate when I nulled out WOBM and WXTU. WMGS 92.9 from Hazleton was coming in stronger than the pirate. I don't think anyone in the local area would be using a Part 15 FM transmitter on 92.7 because 92.7 has WOBM on it and 92.5 WXTU right next to it, and 92.9 is clear. Has anyone else heard it or does anyone have information on it?<P ID="signature">______________
17-year-old radio geek
Location: Princeton Junction, NJ
AIM: KewlDude471</P>

 

[neo11]

I don't have any info on this particular station, however, I was wondering about two other stations I heard the other day driving south on the Garden State Parkway, close to the junction with the Turnpike. The first one was a station in mono on 89.3 FM, with ethnic Indian programming (and sweepers resembling those of a Top 40 station!). The other station was on 102.3 FM in stereo...the first time I heard it, it was playing something that sounded like morse code transmissions for as long as I was listening...the next day, I heard spanish music on there.

 

[nd2023]

> I don't have any info on this particular station, however, I
> was wondering about two other stations I heard the other day
> driving south on the Garden State Parkway, close to the
> junction with the Turnpike. The first one was a station in
> mono on 89.3 FM, with ethnic Indian programming (and
> sweepers resembling those of a Top 40 station!). The other
> station was on 102.3 FM in stereo...the first time I heard
> it, it was playing something that sounded like morse code
> transmissions for as long as I was listening...the next day,
> I heard spanish music on there.
>
The 89.3 with the Indian music is WDDM. The 102.3 with Spanish is WUPC-LP. Both of those are licensed.<P ID="signature">______________
17-year-old radio geek
Location: Princeton Junction, NJ
AIM: KewlDude471</P>

 

[mdamico23]

> > The 89.3 with the Indian music is WDDM.

As mentioned, 89.3 is WDDM (licensed to my hometown of Hazlet, NJ). How 'DDM's 8 watts is being (legally) sent up north near the GSP-NJ Turnpike interchange is beyond me. But, I believe it, as a few weeks ago, I was in Imlaystown and Cream Ridge, and got a very listenable signal out of WDDM there, which is at least 30 miles south of Hazlet.

Here is a question- can someone challenge WDDM's license when it comes time for renewal based upon quesitonable engineering and the fact that the station does not really serve its community of license?

-Mike

 

[westlife]

Re: 89.3 Pirate Station Playing Uncensored Indian Music

> As mentioned, 89.3 is WDDM (licensed to my hometown of
> Hazlet, NJ). How 'DDM's 8 watts is being (legally) sent up
> north near the GSP-NJ Turnpike interchange is beyond me.
> But, I believe it, as a few weeks ago, I was in Imlaystown
> and Cream Ridge, and got a very listenable signal out of
> WDDM there, which is at least 30 miles south of Hazlet.

Besides the power level, WDDM (say it fast and it sounds the same as their main competitor, WTTM) is seriously overmodulating... they are louder than any other station on the dial, except for that Channel 6 LPTV station in NYC that is masquerading as "87.7 FM" and is pumping out horribly overmodulated audio.

The bottom line is, 89.3 WCNJ/WDDM has been flagrantly violating FCC rules for years. Once in a while they get caught, such as when they moved their studios and increased their antenna height without informing the FCC first, but most of the time they get away with it. Even their engineer admits that although he sets up WDDM's equipment to be FCC-legal when he's there, once he leaves, the owner of the station likes to sneak in and crank up the power level so they can get that kind of 30-mile coverage radius.

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[edbeckdotcom]

Mike,
WDDM does serve its community. There are only 250,000 South Asians in Central Jersey and no other station serves this community. In India, it is illegal to do News and public affairs programs. This station is the only connection between a huge number of American citizens and their families.

-ed<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by edbeckdotcom on 06/13/05 11:21 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[edbeckdotcom]

Re: 89.3 Pirate Station Playing Uncensored Indian Music

The owner is not allowed to do such a thing! No one is even allowed to enter
the area of the transmitter as you prescribe. How do you know what the owner likes to do and what he doesn't. Your slanderous speech will be notated once again in the WDDM public file.

 

[cawasinnj]

Re: 89.3 Pirate Station Playing Uncensored Indian Music

> The owner is not allowed to do such a thing!

It's against the rules to up the power past the licensed limit. Whether or not that happens is a different matter entirely. If you're going to break a big rule, do you think it matters nearly as much whether you break a little rule first?


> No one is even allowed to enter the area of the transmitter as you
> prescribe.

Cite please.


> How do you know what the owner likes to do and what he doesn't. Your
> slanderous speech will be notated once again in the WDDM
> public file.

Yes, an anonymous comment by someone on an internet message board is going to carry a LOT of weight with the FCC. (sarcasm_off)

The satellite uplink to the Art Bell show is down the hall to the left past the water cooler. Can't miss it.

 

[westlife]

> Mike,
> WDDM does serve its community. There are only 250,000 South
> Asians in Central Jersey and no other station serves this
> community. In India, it is illegal to do News and public
> affairs programs. This station is the only connection
> between a huge number of American citizens and their
> families.
>
> -ed

Ummmm.... have you never heard of the most powerful South Asian station in the USA, 1680 WTTM???

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[edbeckdotcom]

> > I would tell you NO, but members of their airstaff call and email me
weekly telling me that they're looking for a job, or want out of there. It
can't be that bad, I'm sure they are running a finely tuned operation. They
even run my commercials over there. At least there's :60 seconds of good programming guaranteed every day.

-ed

 

[edbeckdotcom]

Re: 89.3 Pirate Station Playing Uncensored Indian Music

It is amazing that you even have the guts to demand proof from ME as to whether
the station is operating illegally when I have all the proof I need, and the individuals I need to prove it TO.

You, on the other hand, need to prove to ME why you think the station is operating at more than the legal limit. Any photos or letters from Art Bell for me? Nope, you people have nothing to go on.

Secondly, If you attempt to gain access to the transmitter location, you will be arrested. In this post 9-11 world, no one is allowed to just 'go to the transmitter' and turn up anything. Besides, you know very well what the transmitter is capable of outputting, so let's not pretend you know something when you don't.

I can retreive any name I need from any screenname from AOL to YAHOO for legal purposes. Slander is a serious crime, the FCC has nothing to do with that, silly.

 

[edbeckdotcom]

> > > Your hometown of Hazlet...hmmm. If you remember, in the mid-90's, the station was told to beat-it. No one in Hazlet or Keyport, or Middletown wanted the station on the air. They didn't feel a need for it, and did not financially support the station. Therefore the station has decided since, to not program anything for those neighborhoods. The station was embraced by the south asian population in Edison and has since been supported exclusively by them. If you want a mission in life, then tell your neighbors they let a good station slip away and can get it back with a healthy donation to the station.

-ed

 

[mdamico23]

> > > > Your hometown of Hazlet...hmmm. If you remember, in
> the mid-90's, the station was told to beat-it. No one in
> Hazlet or Keyport, or Middletown wanted the station on the
> air. They didn't feel a need for it, and did not financially
> support the station. Therefore the station has decided
> since, to not program anything for those neighborhoods. The
> station was embraced by the south asian population in Edison
> and has since been supported exclusively by them. If you
> want a mission in life, then tell your neighbors they let a
> good station slip away and can get it back with a healthy
> donation to the station.
>
> -ed
>

Ed- I realize that this is true. It is hard to be a little station (especially noncommercial) in Hazlet when you are competing against the NYC, Jersey Shore, Trenton, Philadelphia stations etc. I remember those days in the mid 90s when the towns in the Bayshore area did not support the station. The same thing happened when the much larger (if compared to WCNJ/WDDM) WZVU/107.1 was sold to out of town owners (Big City Radio) and was made a simulcast of a Westchester, NY station, targetting NYC. There was generally disinterest by most of the people in the area and the city government of Long Branch about losing "their" radio station to a simulcast of an out of market operation. Of course, this has now been rectified, as 107.1 is now targetting its home area as the Breeze.

Getting back to the topic at hand, you had mentioned that WDDM will eventually shift to another spot on the dial. Does that include the COL as well? If 'DDM attempts to leave Hazlet, isn't there an FCC reg that requires another frequency to be substituted for Hazlet? Not sure how that works for Class D stations. And, I am not sure another frequency CAN be substituted for Hazlet.

I am not an engineer and I am sure not going to accuse you of going outside the FCC limits for power or height. I am just amazed how far the 89.3 signal carries, but if you are operating as you say, your antenna is located in a very good location as many stations more powerful than WDDM cover less territory in that area.

-Mike

 

[westlife]

Re: 89.3 Pirate Station Playing Uncensored Indian Music

> I can retreive any name I need from any screenname from AOL
> to YAHOO for legal purposes.

Try me.

> Slander is a serious crime, the FCC has nothing to do with that, silly.

It should be an even more serious crime to not know the difference between slander and libel.

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[westlife]

> > > I would tell you NO, but members of their airstaff call
> and email me
> weekly telling me that they're looking for a job, or want
> out of there. It
> can't be that bad, I'm sure they are running a finely tuned
> operation. They
> even run my commercials over there. At least there's :60
> seconds of good programming guaranteed every day.

Most of the DJs on WTTM are volunteers, so if they're unhappy there, then all they have to do is walk out.

And I wouldn't brag about your commercials, considering that WCNJ/WDDM just got slapped with a hefty fine for airing commercials on a station that is licensed as non-commercial.

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[edbeckdotcom]

To answer your question, back in 1996-1997, WCNJ was offered, according to FCC regulations, to 'move' from 89.3 to 104.7. It may not be possible to move to the same frequency upon the next license renewal. However, the FCC suggested to Mr. Liadis in the mid 90's that the FCC would like to see 89.3 abandon that frequency due to its proximity to 89.5. The FCC had stated that when the license was granted to WVRM in 1979, that it 'might' have been too close to 89.5. The only consideration for any kind of interference was for UN's 89.1 in New York. WVRM operated through the years until later in the mid-90's, Mr. Coppola was able to find new tower space on Telegraph Hill. The paperwork
was filed then, and WCNJ got a great signal across most of Central Jersey. There are few intrusions on the dial except for 89.5 the 8 or so watts, sometimes 10, carries across the terrain, and even better during winter months.

Could 89.3 move to a new frequency one day? The rules allow for it to happen, so
it could come about, wait til renewal time. The FCC might be relieved that we'd like to 'not' interfere with WSOU. Would you strike a deal like that if you were awarded the opportunity ?

 

[mdamico23]

Ed- thanks for your response. I am surprised that the FCC offered 104.7 to WCNJ due to spacing concerns with 104.5 in Philadelphia, 104.9 in Egg Harbor City and 104.7 in Poughkeepsie, NY and Long Island, and even 104.3 in New York City. (I do not know offhand what the minimum mileages are for separation). One question- if your station does move to the "commerical" FM band, can WDDM then be reallocated to a "commerical" station and be able to sell commericals?

-Mike

 

[westlife]

Re: 104.7 FM

> To answer your question, back in 1996-1997, WCNJ was
> offered, according to FCC regulations, to 'move' from 89.3
> to 104.7.

And in August 1997, the late Sal Anthony jumped the gun by printing his own fake license for a station on 104.7 FM in Howell, naming it "Oldies 104.7" with the call letters "WZVU", in tribute of the recently-departed Oldies 107.1 in Long Branch. He operated "Oldies 104.7" as a full-fledged commercial radio station, with live DJs around the clock and billboards advertising the station... until the FCC shut him down a few weeks later.

These days, however, 104.7 FM in central NJ is not the clear frequency it used to be, due to constant IBOC digital sideband hiss from 104.5 WSNI in Philly. This would cause severe interference to any station operating -- legally or illegally -- on 104.7 FM anywhere within a 60 mile radius of Philadelphia.

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[PirateJim]

Re: 104.7 FM

>
> These days, however, 104.7 FM in central NJ is not the clear
> frequency it used to be, due to constant IBOC digital
> sideband hiss from 104.5 WSNI in Philly. This would cause
> severe interference to any station operating -- legally or
> illegally -- on 104.7 FM anywhere within a 60 mile radius of
> Philadelphia.
>

Interesting to note that there is a CP for an LPFM station on 104.7 in Brick Township ...
Should be interesting to see what coverage they get when they sign on ...
<P ID="signature">______________


New Jersey Radio Board moderator
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[cawasinnj]

Re: 89.3 Pirate Station Playing Uncensored Indian Music

> It is amazing that you even have the guts to demand proof
> from ME as to whether
> the station is operating illegally when I have all the proof
> I need, and the individuals I need to prove it TO.

I never asked for any such proof. You wanna restate that?


> You, on the other hand, need to prove to ME why you think
> the station is operating at more than the legal limit. Any
> photos or letters from Art Bell for me? Nope, you people
> have nothing to go on.

Ditto. I never said whether the station was or was not. Read closer.


> Secondly, If you attempt to gain access to the transmitter
> location, you will be arrested. In this post 9-11 world, no
> one is allowed to just 'go to the transmitter' and turn up
> anything. Besides, you know very well what the transmitter
> is capable of outputting, so let's not pretend you know
> something when you don't.

Uh, wrong again Ed. I know nothing of the kind. Exactly who do you think I am?


> I can retreive any name I need from any screenname from AOL
> to YAHOO for legal purposes.

With the proper subpoena, sure. Getting a judge to issue one would be most amusing in this case.


> Slander is a serious crime, the
> FCC has nothing to do with that, silly.

Who slandered? Exactly what case do you think you have? Again, back up your allegations with FACTS. (And yes, I did notice you failed to do so in your reply.)