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Flava 105.5 Worcester

G

Gregg

Driving on I-295 into Worcester yesterday, I was losing WROR 105.7 within a few miles of downtown. That's odd, I thought. Then I adjusted the tuner and here's a station playing Urban hits from the 70s and 80s. And the cohosts have Carribean accents, calling the station Flava 105.5.

I guess it's a pirate. I didn't hear any spots, but I didn't listen that long. The cohosts were joking around about things going on in the studio, making me think, is this a college station? But then why would college students be playing such old R&B? I heard Do It 'Til You're Satisfied, a hit in 1974.

I don't understand pirates. They know they risk being closed down. They have to invest in broadcast and studio equipment. I don't know how this can be profitable. Why choose 105.5 when there's a major Boston station at 105.7 that's bound to call the FCC. And if you go through all that trouble, why don't you try to sound somewhat professional?
 
The station was finally shut down by the FCC a couple of years ago and then the day after it was shut down someone else picked up the frequency and started broadcasting. It's awful. I think it may take the FCC another 2 years to get their arses out to Worcester to shut it down again. I love listening to ROR but there is just too much interference from 105.5. The station is doing club appearances. So if the FCC really wants to shut them down, just show up to their station appearance.
 
The FCC has been there, they ignore the warnings/fines. There are pirates on 103.5 and at times 106.5 in Worcester also, on adjacents.
 
I think you meant I-395 north to I-290 east into Worcester (no I-295 until you're closer to Providence). :)

Here in New Britain, CT, there was a pirate one block south of me on 87.9 FM. The station was stepping all over WESU-FM 88.1 of Middletown (Wesleyan University). I e-mailed WESU-FM to let them know and (fairly certain) that I then went to the FCC website soon afterwards. The station was off about 3 weeks later or so.

As for 105.5 FM, I know you've already got that in Northampton and with WQGN-FM in Groton, CT (Q-105).
 
Gregg said:
I don't understand pirates.
Click to expand...

i don't understand licensed stations. they think siding with an officially-government-sanctioned artificial-scarcity cartel is a respectable practice. buying "protection" from the most powerful person in the room. how about just letting their good programming capture listeners and ad-dollars buy a bigger signal to squash competition, in a democratic capture-effect fashion. the barriers of entry to legal broadcasting are clearly a polarizing thing from the standpoint of a diverse set of voices.

keep driving, youve missed the entire hartford/springfield axis of west-indian pirates. some choices you may want to consider:

Jammy's Radio 101.5fm in Springfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jba4fqnxJz0
ENERGY RADIO 101.7FM HARTFORD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysZhu6DPlLI#t=444
Flava 105.5 FM Worcester MA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maZiW_KqtX4
 
I'll listen to a pirate station but have some polish to it. cripes. And have some respect to the other legal stations. Pick a frequency where you won't interfere with a popular station and you just might last with no complaints to the FCC.
 
jlehmann said:
The FCC has been there, they ignore the warnings/fines. There are pirates on 103.5 and at times 106.5 in Worcester also, on adjacents.
Click to expand...

I haven't heard any Worcester pirates at 103.5 but there is one that broadcasts from time to time on 102.9 that sounds like a religious foreign language broadcaster. As ponted out previously, Flava 105.5 completely obliterates 105.7 especially in DT Worcester. Speaking of Flava, I have even heard BBC World News updates on the station. Most people would believe it to be a legitmate broadcaster. :'(
 
carmen said:
Gregg said:
I don't understand pirates.
Click to expand...

i don't understand licensed stations. they think siding with an officially-government-sanctioned artificial-scarcity cartel is a respectable practice. buying "protection" from the most powerful person in the room. how about just letting their good programming capture listeners and ad-dollars buy a bigger signal to squash competition, in a democratic capture-effect fashion. the barriers of entry to legal broadcasting are clearly a polarizing thing from the standpoint of a diverse set of voices.

keep driving, youve missed the entire hartford/springfield axis of west-indian pirates. some choices you may want to consider:

Jammy's Radio 101.5fm in Springfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jba4fqnxJz0
ENERGY RADIO 101.7FM HARTFORD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysZhu6DPlLI#t=444
Flava 105.5 FM Worcester MA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maZiW_KqtX4
Click to expand...
Carmen, thanks for your refreshing point of view ;D. Private, free market behavior is becoming rare in 2013.
 
Carmen and cefgw,

No matter how you spin it, it's still ILLEGAL.
You both should be ashamed of yourselves.
 
Signals in the AM and FM bands are a limited commodity which is why there is licensing. Without licensing all we would hear is a bunch of noise with stations all stepping on each other (like those pirates are doing to 105.7).

The way to address the cartel aspect of it is to put stricter ownership caps back in place so the existing licenses are split up among more owners.
 
spt87 said:
Signals in the AM and FM bands are a limited commodity which is why there is licensing. Without licensing all we would hear is a bunch of noise with stations all stepping on each other (like those pirates are doing to 105.7).

The way to address the cartel aspect of it is to put stricter ownership caps back in place so the existing licenses are split up among more owners.
Click to expand...

That genie ain't going back in the bottle, ever.
 
carmen said:
Gregg said:
I don't understand pirates.
Click to expand...

i don't understand licensed stations. they think siding with an officially-government-sanctioned artificial-scarcity cartel is a respectable practice. buying "protection" from the most powerful person in the room. how about just letting their good programming capture listeners and ad-dollars buy a bigger signal to squash competition, in a democratic capture-effect fashion. the barriers of entry to legal broadcasting are clearly a polarizing thing from the standpoint of a diverse set of voices.

keep driving, youve missed the entire hartford/springfield axis of west-indian pirates. some choices you may want to consider:

Jammy's Radio 101.5fm in Springfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jba4fqnxJz0
ENERGY RADIO 101.7FM HARTFORD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysZhu6DPlLI#t=444
Flava 105.5 FM Worcester MA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maZiW_KqtX4
Click to expand...

What part of the word ILLEGAL don't you understand?
 
I wonder if Greater Media can sue the pirate, its advertisers, and anyone else involved for, say, a couple million dollars, citing damage to WROR's business from the interference to its signal?
Throw in the manufacturers of the equipment the pirate is using, and whomever he bought it from, for good measure.
 
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