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97.1 FM in Central Mass??

L

labjr

Hi Folks! This my first post. I registered because I am puzzled by a radio station I hear in my car.

I hear music on 97.1 FM in Worcester Mass. Seems like Christian Contemporary at night and African or some unfamiliar language music during the day, I never hear station ID breaks.

I'm thinking it's a translator because it's fairly weak. But it comes and goes everywhere I drive in the area.

I can't find it in the FCC database. I've searched all the local stations I can find to see if they list 97.1 as a translator.

When I Shazam the music at night, only about half of it is recognized. During the day almost none of it is. I've tried comparing songs "Now playing" with other Christian stations web sites and nothing matches.

I'd appreciate any advice on how to figure out where this music is coming from.

Thanks!
 
There are a number of known pirate stations operating in the Boston suburbs and Metro West area....NOT SAYING what you're hearing is one of them!!
The only station I'm familiar with in that area is (or WAS.....) WSRS at 96.1.....last time I listened to them they were "Beautiful Music"....
Lord knows WHAT they're programming NOW!!
 
Oldie919 said:
There are a number of known pirate stations operating in the Boston suburbs and Metro West area....NOT SAYING what you're hearing is one of them!!
The only station I'm familiar with in that area is (or WAS.....) WSRS at 96.1.....last time I listened to them they were "Beautiful Music"....
Lord knows WHAT they're programming NOW!!
Click to expand...

I'm a licensed Ham Radio operator, but it never occurred to me that there are FM radio pirates. Last night after starting this thread, I realized that's exactly what's going on. A local pirate who was fined by the FCC two years ago, is back on a new frequency. Evidently it's quite a problem from what I'm reading. The FCC has their hands full. The guy received several warnings over a few years and only then was fined $15,000 because he refused to shut down. That's nothing!

I contacted the FCC today and they were pretty dismissive about it?? In the end they said I could fill out a form on their web site if I chose! No wonder it exists! They need to set a precedent and arrest, jail then deport these clowns, because they'll keep coming back if they slap them on the wrist. Allowing it to continue is bad and can wreak havoc on legitimate broadcasters and emergency communications, military, aircraft etc.

The audio on 97.1 is the same as this web site which still lists 102.3 as their broadcast frequency. No call sign whatsoever??

http://www.rockfmonline.com/

http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2017/01/fcc_fines_worcester_man_15k_fo.html
 
labjr said:
They need to set a precedent and arrest, jail then deport these clowns, because they'll keep coming back if they slap them on the wrist.
Click to expand...

Deporting American citizens would be an unfortunate precedent, indeed. Arresting and jailing are things the FCC can't do.
 
labjr said:
They need to set a precedent and arrest, jail then deport these clowns, because they'll keep coming back if they slap them on the wrist. Allowing it to continue is bad and can wreak havoc on legitimate broadcasters and emergency communications, military, aircraft etc.
Click to expand...

How do you know that pirate operators are not legally in the US?

Assuming to the contrary is biased and not grounded in any facts.
 
labjr said:
The audio on 97.1 is the same as this web site which still lists 102.3 as their broadcast frequency. No call sign whatsoever??

http://www.rockfmonline.com/

http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2017/01/fcc_fines_worcester_man_15k_fo.html
Click to expand...

I have been listening. Very good selection of highlife and Afrobeat songs!

I put a link on my desktop.

If you look at the statistics, a high, high percentage of African immigrants in Worcester County have refugee status, so they are here legally. If they are running a pirate radio operation, then they can be fined or whatever for that, but operating a pirate station is not grounds for deportation.
 
DavidEduardo said:


How do you know that pirate operators are not legally in the US?

Assuming to the contrary is biased and not grounded in any facts.
Click to expand...

I'm not assuming anything. The guy is African. Doesn't matter if they're here legally. Follow the laws of this country. Everyone else has to. This guy has been doing this for years with total disregard for the law. Obviously current penalties are not a deterrent.

I guess because you like the music so it's no big deal?
 
labjr said:
I'm not assuming anything. The guy is African. Doesn't matter if they're here legally. Follow the laws of this country. Everyone else has to. This guy has been doing this for years with total disregard for the law. Obviously current penalties are not a deterrent.

I guess because you like the music so it's no big deal?
Click to expand...

I like the music, so if the guy has no license he should continue to stream it. Whether he is from some nation in Africa or not is irrelevant.

Most of the pirates I have been involved with have been run by US citizens. The justification given is generally "the other stations won't play this music" or "no station will let our church broadcast live" or something similar. It has nothing to do with nationality.

A favorite excuse for pirates in quite a few markets has been that "corporate stations censor most hip hop". So a hip hop pirate broadcasts the cruder lyrics, the nasty language and the extreme misogynistic songs that licensed stations will not touch. Again, generally born US citizens but a lack of respect for both decency and a number of laws.

I'm a strong opponent of pirate radio going back to several incidents: First was a case in Miami of a pirate that sold advertising and told clients that if they did not buy ads, they'd send in a crew to "disrupt" the place. Second, above Miami, I was on a landing 777 which abruptly and violently aborted a landing just short of the outer marker because a pirate was interfering with the radio communication with the tower. Pirates tend to be technically dangerous and, socially, not good members of the community.
 
Oldie919 said:
The only station I'm familiar with in that area is (or WAS.....) WSRS at 96.1.....last time I listened to them they were "Beautiful Music"....
Lord knows WHAT they're programming NOW!!
Click to expand...


WSRS hasn't been Beautiful Music since the mid to late 90s.
 
97.1 was loud & clear tonight playing nonstop English language Christmas music without breaks. I picked it up while scanning the FM dial in Millbury at the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley.

I listened to a strong signal from there through downtown to my home in the north end of Worcester. No IDs.

There’s also what seems to be pirate stations at 93.5, 103.5 & 103.9 in Worcester.
 
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