Fybush: Hot 97 (87.7) raided, shut down

[dumber than a box of hair]

WOW !!! HOT 97 Boston was more popular than I thought . Look at this thread and how many times it was read . Just like Howard Stern, Love them or Hate them, People did listen to them . I hope 97 come back on the Legal side ( maybe take 1090 off Crappy One hands or a 24 hour legal signal ).

So, let's see if we have this right: Since lots of people posted on this thread, lots of people listened to Hot 97.

I'd like some of whatever it is you're smoking.

 

[WNTIRadio]

A board full of industry people and radio geeks isn't a good measure of an audience. We all tend to listen to everything if there's a transmitter hooked up to send it out.

 

[N.E. Streetz]

WOW !!! HOT 97 Boston was more popular than I thought . Look at this thread and how many times it was read . Just like Howard Stern, Love them or Hate them, People did listen to them . I hope 97 come back on the Legal side ( maybe take 1090 off Crappy One hands or a 24 hour legal signal ).

So, let's see if we have this right: Since lots of people posted on this thread, lots of people listened to Hot 97.

I'd like some of whatever it is you're smoking.

So Let's see if we have this right : Illegal Radio Station is Bad, Smoking whatever is good . ??? Sorry I dont smoke .

 

[N.E. Streetz]

Why is Touch 106.1 still on the air?

No legal Radio Stations complain about Touch FM . That's my guess .

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

So Let's see if we have this right : Illegal Radio Station is Bad, Smoking whatever is good . ??? Sorry I dont smoke .

Wow. The jokes just write themselves.

 

[WNTIRadio]

I know legal radio stations do complain about Touch. The reason it stays is that it's lower power, and the aforementioned community issues. Touch does do some real community service. Still, they could LMA an AM, such as WILD and do the same legally and reach a broader area. I'm sure Radio One would rather rent to an African American community group than the Chinese govt.

 

[MickeyD]

I somehow have my doubts that this was an FCC raid. There must be a reason that they decided not to go back on the air and just maintain an internet presence.

Scott Fybush is a journalist who has sources for information like this. What are your sources?

I didn't see any of his sources listed did you? We will have to see when they unseal the indictment. They were shutdown twice and Touch 106 still keeps on rockin and rolling.

 

[MR. JAROME_CALVIN]

Don't know why Touch 106.1 is still on the air. I do know Mayor Menino, and Gov Deval Patrick was on there few times.

Big city 101.3 is still on the air, as well as 105.3 to name a few. There's also Choice 102.9. All can be heard in and around Dorchester, Mattapan, and parts of Roxbury areas.
If you have computers, I believe all broadcast LIVE online

 

[nd2023]

Hot 87.7 ran a lot of power! It could be heard 30 miles from Boston. I even DXed it all the way from New Jersey a few times, and someone heard it via e skip in Georgia!

Touch 106.1 seems to have a lot of political connections

 

[raccoonradio]

Fybush's column today at http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html mentions the "high-powered pirate"
at 87.7 that got an FCC raid 2 weeks ago (Raid! I always think of the cartoon ads for a certain bug spray when I hear that word. Raid kills bugs dead; FCC kills unauthorized signals). He says the station
told the Jamaica Star that due to their "tremendous success" they were able to simulcast their
"digital Internet radio" on terrestrial radio, but now they're sticking to the Net. Of course if they
had a license they'd still be offering their programming on terrestrial radio as well. Putting a shine
on a sneaker!

Search is my friend:
http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20120319/ent/ent1.html
>>As most independent radio stations in America which operate on terrestrial radio have come to realize Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations are designed to make it almost impossible for independent broadcasters to succeed....As a result, independent radio is all but non-existent on terrestrial radio.

(Other than a bunch of college stations, etc.)

 

[RadioPhillyFan]

Obviously, the office in Boston doesn't do much about pirates.

In Philly, we only had a 92.9 and a 99.9 this year (that one was somewhat high-powered, went about 15 miles)

They both got shut-down within a week (or just went off-air)

 

[MR. JAROME_CALVIN]

Like I said on another post in another section. The MBTA Bus Advertise Magic 106.7. Hear me out before you all start with me. Ok? Back in the day, Magic 106.7 played a lot of Urban AC/and Old Urban AC, they used to play Smokey Robinson, Hi Five, Luther Vandros, a lot of Lionel Richie, Johnny Gill and Freddy Jackson.
Last time I heard Freddy Jackson on there "You Are My Lady" was around ?? 2002. Haven't heard it since. Not even Rick Astley, nor Michael Bolton.
So look,
Hear me out here.
MBTA advertise Magic 106.7 on almost all MBTA Buses. A lot of those Buses travel through some of Boston's Urban Neighborhoods such as Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury. Since they're advertising their station on MBTA Buses, and those buses travel in those neighborhood, shouldn't they consider playing some NEW/Recent/Old Urban AC. I'm not saying change their format. I'm just saying play some Urban AC since they're advertising in those neighborhoods.

 

[raccoonradio]

E-mail Greater Media with your suggestion. As always they have consultants (and sometimes
even ask for feedback from their audience on their site, facebook, etc.) guiding what they play
and if it works they stay with it. But who knows, put a "bug in their ear" and maybe they'll
consider it.

http://www.magic1067.com/contact-us/

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Obviously, the office in Boston doesn't do much about pirates.

Speaking as someone who has had some contact with the FCC over the years: It's not that they don't want to. The problems with this type of enforcement are several:

--They must do things by the book. Verify that the station is unlicensed, send warning notices, followed by in-person visits, followed by in-rem equipment seizure, followed by arrests and trials. At each step of the way, they must conform to the correct laws and regulations and fully document each step, and in the case of equipment seizure and arrests they must obtain warrants (i.e., convince a judge, who has many other things on his/her plate) and enlist US marshalls. Pirates, of course, don't need to do any of that.
--The FCC's budget is continually being cut by Congress, so the available funds to do the type of enforcement they really should be doing in highly pirate-infested areas are a fraction of what they really need, and the manpower is similarly limited.
--That limited manpower must also continue monitoring and enforcement efforts across all areas in which the FCC has jurisdiction, including (but not limited to) cable TV, common carriers, cell phone systems, two-way radios, licensed broadcasters, etc. They don't have the time to focus on just pirates.

One thing that will get their attention very fast: Immediate danger to lives and property. For example, the pirate who parked his spur-infested transmitter at the upper end of the FM band in Florida, and was spitting interference onto the approach frequency at Miami International Airport, such that incoming flights couldn't hear the ATCs to get their landing clearance. They took that one down in a biiiiiiig hurry.

 

[fccman]

Touch is on the air because the FCC has been told to BACKKK OFFFF !!!
By someone in a white building.

 

[raccoonradio]

It is true about the FCC and pirates. They have to, as dumberthanaboxofhair put it, get warrants, do it by the book, and U.S. marshalls can be busy with other responsibilities.

The 99.7 pirate was taken down in part due to aircraft radio interference.

 

[mdovell]

I'm not saying I was a fan of the content but this one was weird

1) Local government ads and non profit ads were on it..so to argue that others knew..heck the local government knew

2) It's at 87.7...yeah it is still illegal but what specific interference is being levied given where it is...? 87.7 was channel 6 back when analog tv had the fm channel..it was nice actually.. this is one reason why this took so long

I could see it if they were having bad content advocating for violence or swears but that didn't happen.

 

[WNTIRadio]

It's not about content, it's about the law. If I nicely drove without a license, with no ill intent other than to get to work, I would still be an illegal driver.

Those PSA's can be downloaded by anyone, especially the ad council ones and the govt. ones. That's not a true indicator that they knew of the station. I think they were using them to fill out "commercial" breaks and sound "professional".

And again, it's not always about interference. Also, let's remember the fact they were running a couple of kW from a treetop in a neighborhood. I do this for a living, and deal with the RFR exposure limits all the time. There is no way they were within the uncontrolled/public access limits at that power and height, especially using the antenna they had. Not designed to limit downward radiation. Also, radiating into the closely spaced houses upper floors nearby.

The reason it took so long was because of the neighborhood and format of the station. The guy playing oldies on 87.9 with 100w in Boxford was shut down real fast.

Touch keeps going because of the Governor and Mumbles Menino appearing on the station and giving it protection.

 

[RadioPhillyFan]

Maybe Touch 106 complained to the city (seeing that they have links) and the city did something?

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Touch keeps going because of the Governor and Mumbles Menino appearing on the station and giving it protection.

The Governor and Mumbles don't have that kind of authority.

Don't be so quick to assume that Touch will never be taken down. As I stated above, the wheels of the FCC grind slowly.