K-Love Asks For Shutdown of Pirate Station

[Barry]

The newsletter Taylor on Radio-Info has an article stating that EMF, which operates the local K-Love station on 96.7 has filed a complaint with the F.C.C. They requested that the agency, "Immediately take action to terminate Jamminz," an unlicensed station that is also transmitting at 96.7. The complaint gives the location of the reggae broadcaster, in East Orange NJ.
The article mentions that in NJ, local law authorities can also get involved, as a result of a state law. It will .be interesting to find out how long it takes for action to be brought on Jamminz.

Jamminz 96.7 Website: http://jamminzradio.com/?utm_source...gn=e0e19de39a-TRI_07-11-2011&utm_medium=email

 

[Tom Wells]

They are stupid to use a frequency in use, and should be shut down, but states simply have no authority in such matters.
All authority in rf matters is given to the FCC only; such state laws could be probably be challenged and struck down.

 

[w9wi]

They are stupid to use a frequency in use, and should be shut down, but states simply have no authority in such matters.
All authority in rf matters is given to the FCC only; such state laws could be probably be challenged and struck down.

Quite true.

I wonder, since K-Love apparently knows where these guys are, would there be a point to pursuing this through civil (not criminal) law?

I suppose the question being whether the amount of damage to K-Love's bottom line exceeds the legal fees required...

 

[JRZFM100]

WWJD - NYC Radio?

One must ask What Would Jesus Do in this situation? Well, it's very clear that He would never use coercive power to silence an opponent. NOT true for EMF, who believes they are actually serving New York City with this station. Lots and lots of money to grab. It's funny, really.

Hope the FCC sits on their hands and does nothing as per usual. Why should EMF receive any special attention from the Commission when so many complaints are ignored. What, are they special?

Bottom line, pirates are bad for business. And its all about the money. EMF should have known that going in to NY. FCC, please no special consideration for EMF! Conserve the taxpayer money. Perhaps the FCC should act in 4 to 5 years.

 

[yossefgershon]

The pirate near me(midwood brooklyn) moved to 96.5.WFAS 103.9 will have a pirate problem here should it move down to service the NY market as it originally planned to do.

 

[radioman148]

The newsletter Taylor on Radio-Info has an article stating that EMF, which operates the local K-Love station on 96.7 has filed a complaint with the F.C.C. They requested that the agency, "Immediately take action to terminate Jamminz," an unlicensed station that is also transmitting at 96.7. The complaint gives the location of the reggae broadcaster, in East Orange NJ.
The article mentions that in NJ, local law authorities can also get involved, as a result of a state law. It will .be interesting to find out how long it takes for action to be brought on Jamminz.

Jamminz 96.7 Website: http://jamminzradio.com/?utm_source...gn=e0e19de39a-TRI_07-11-2011&utm_medium=email

Imagine another FM pirate in the New York area. Hard to believe.

 

[JRZFM100]

Now there is an amazing idea. EMF should compensate (pay off) the pirate to power down and just consider it a regular recurring monthly business expense. Why not?

Perhaps EMF could also re-engineer the pirate to put them on a different and non interfering frequency. Jammin' could get new studios, tower, and an "EMF special" optimized antennae. It would be well worth their effort.

 

[luperm]

Maybe God will just zap the pirate's transmitter. No need for government intervention.

 

[WNTIRadio]

Sometimes I scratch my head here... EMF owns the license to a LICENSED radio station. Who cares what the format is?! Whether it's Christian, Rock, Rap, Jewish Disco, they own the right to broadcast on that frequency without interference. The pirate doesn't belong there. If he (the pirate) wants to play radio, either buy a station or set up on the internet like everyone else.

As far as EMF paying the pirate to stay off the air, what difference is that from paying the mob to allow you to keep your business open? C'mon people, use your heads here. That's the same as paying the robber not to knock over your bank.

It really is THAT simple. The pirate should be shut down. What happened to the days of Alan Weiner getting arrested while running RNI (and he wasn't really causing interference to anyone)?

 

[Ryan Williams]

One must ask What Would Jesus Do in this situation? Well, it's very clear that He would never use coercive power to silence an opponent.

There is so much wrong with your comment.

Here are some initial thoughts:

1. It is not accurate to say that the pirate is necessarily K-Love's opponent.

2. EMF is not using coercive power to silence anyone. They are only requesting that the authorities enforce the law.

3. I reject your statement that "it's very clear that He [Jesus] would never use coercive power to silence an opponent". On what authority can you make that statement? Where are you getting that theology from?

If you want to go down the WWJD road, you should also...

1. Consider the commands from God to follow the laws of the land.

2. Consider God's desire for justice. The just thing in this case is for the lawbreaker to shut off their illegal broadcast that is harming a legal, authorized broadcaster.

 

[luperm]

Unfortunately for EMF, this is not a new problem for this frequency (or many other ones in the area, for that matter).

All kidding aside, the FCC does not have a legacy of strong and swift enforcement of pirate broadcasters. There are a couple of shut downs here and there, but by and large, this is a pervasive problem that shows no sign of stopping. Even if the FCC shut down this Jamminz guy in NJ, he (or someone else) will just pop up again. It's the old Whack a Mole carnival game.

 

[BJSteigner]

Educational Media Foundation is being a crybaby over the fact they paid too much money to Cox Media.

They knew all too well that the signal was moving to Port Chester, NY. Now they are bellyaching they can't get their "Catholic Audience" in NJ.

JAMMINZ RADIO WAS THERE FIRST!!! LIVE WITH IT EMF OR SELL THE STATION!

 

[WNTIRadio]

Okay BJ, there's a lot wrong with your comments.

#1 - 96.7 has been licensed for a LONG time, pre-1963. So no, Jamminz and also hip hop for that matter, weren't there at all when the station signed on.

#2 - They, 96.7, have a license, "Jamminz" doesn't. So tell me why EMF or any other broadcaster must live with it. Let's try an experiment: Every time you try to make a cell phone call, I'll pop on and start my own conversation instead of yours over your phone. Then I'll call you a "crybaby" because you paid too much for your monthly cellular service.

#3 - EMF is hardly Catholic.

 

[JRZFM100]

Folks....

The bottom line here is that EMF did overpay for the Class A facility in question. Very clear in light of Merlin's ability to purchase NY & Chicago top-10 market stations at ~ $36 million a piece. The Class A in question (at $15.5 million) is NOT a NYC station, and never will be. It was way too expensive. Finally, EMF knew that there is rampant pirate activity in the vicinity. The pirate they are complaining about is notorious. So, EMF should have anticipated this interference. If the Commission is not interested in actively enforcing the rules for everybody, everyday, why does EMF deserve ANY special treatment? And, ask yourself did this pirate interfere with the revenue generating activity of the Class A when it was owned and operated LOCALLY by Cox? Did Cox need FCC assistance? NO. Cox did not have a dream about serving the entire NY TSA with the 3kw station.

As for paying off the pirate, EMF has plenty of cash on hand and has a long history of paying off other operators to move around or downgrade to effect EMF's desired signal expansion plan. This is EMF's normal M/O. So, if you want to serve the entire NY TSA with a little class A, then paying other operators fits the bill. Perhaps they will payoff co-channel stations to go away.

Lastly, EMF wants to be interference free down to a 30 dBu contour because they believe that people in the 30 can and will tune in. This is a fantasy.

Don't think you can serve the NY TSA with a little 3kw pea shooter!

Heck, EMF should have purchased Camping's Newark station instead...

 

[WNTIRadio]

I don't care if they paid 15 bucks or 15 billion bucks for the signal. I also don't care if the pirate was there already. They have every right to ask the commission to do it's job. In fact, every broadcaster and the almost useless NAB should do the same and put some pressure on the NAB to protect their interests.

For some reason, people get bent out of whack when it's a religious broadcaster. Last time I checked, this IS America and they have the same right to broadcast that you do. Do I listen to them? Nope, not a big fan of Jesus rock... find it a little weird. But I will defend EMF's right to the frequency that they hold a license for.

Doesn't matter if it's a 3kW signal from New Rochelle or 6kW off the Empire State Building. It's the point that the pirate doesn't belong, and radio has degenerated into the next CB band because of the lack of enforcement.

 

[Tom Wells]

And once again, how stupid does this pirate have to be, to think he is going to be successful
using a an occupied frequency. It really IS essential to find something in the clear.
Anyone who would continue in the case where there truly is no clear frequency is
an OBNOXIOUS pirate that really should be shut down >mostly< for the stupidity.

A "pirate" who essentially does an engineering study, finds a clear frequency considering adjacents , and then operates
in a circumspect and proper rf fashion, is barely a pirate at all. This is more of an "undocumented station",
and may or may not be beneficial to the community depending on whether someone likes the content.

 

[davideduardo]

The bottom line here is that EMF did overpay for the Class A facility in question. Very clear in light of Merlin's ability to purchase NY & Chicago top-10 market stations at ~ $36 million a piece.

Let's start with the real bottom line: the total price for the three stations was about $190 million. $130 million cash, a $28 million equity position. Emmis retains a 20% interest in the stations, so that's $158 million for 80% or about $198 million as a value for 100%. That would likely be about $90 for NY, and about $50 each for the Chicago stations.

The Class A, with a 60 dbu coverage of about 3 million persons, could be considered well worth $15 million, particularly since entry to New York is likely important to EMF.

The Class A in question (at $15.5 million) is NOT a NYC station, and never will be.

It's well inside the New York MSA, and, for an A, covers a looooot of people.

Of course, prices were higher then, but 600 watt WCAA was purchased for over $110 million... and a pair of A's in LA went for $75 million. So, even today, a metro A like WFAS is worth that price. If more financing were readily available, the price would have been higher, I think.

Finally, EMF knew that there is rampant pirate activity in the vicinity. The pirate they are complaining about is notorious. So, EMF should have anticipated this interference.

But, until they owned a station being interfered with by a pirate, they had far less weight in complaining. Now they have their own ox being gored and can proceed with much more weight.

[/quote] And, ask yourself did this pirate interfere with the revenue generating activity of the Class A when it was owned and operated LOCALLY by Cox? Did Cox need FCC assistance? NO. Cox did not have a dream about serving the entire NY TSA with the 3kw station.[/quote]

Cox had not been running the station from the CP site... they were not affected.

In PPM, NY has no TSA. Just MSA, and WFAS is well inside the MSA.

As for paying off the pirate, EMF has plenty of cash on hand and has a long history of paying off other operators to move around or downgrade to effect EMF's desired signal expansion plan. This is EMF's normal M/O. So, if you want to serve the entire NY TSA with a little class A, then paying other operators fits the bill. Perhaps they will payoff co-channel stations to go away.

EMF does not pay off criminals, and the operators of the pirate are criminals. One thing is to juggle, legally, allocations for everyone's benefit, but another is to reward a bunch of thugs for committing a crime.

Lastly, EMF wants to be interference free down to a 30 dBu contour because they believe that people in the 30 can and will tune in. This is a fantasy.

It does not matter what EMF thinks about needed signal strength... the FCC establishes protected contours. But the main point is that a pirate is illegal.

Don't think you can serve the NY TSA with a little 3kw pea shooter!

A station that puts a 60 dbu over 3 million people is just as useful as a 100 kw Class C that covers Seattle...

 

[nd2023]

Pulse 87 did the same to try to get rid of 87.9 in Newark. The pirate station outlives Pulse and is still on today.

The 96.7 pirate in East Orange really wreaks havoc with K-Love south of Newark. The pirate can even be heard in parts of Manhattan. Brooklyn has a different pirate on 96.7. In Elizabeth, the pirate and K-Love are equal strength, so they are on top of each other. Without the pirate, K-Love would have a good signal there.
I was in Verona after Coast went off the air and before K-Love signed on. The pirate station was so strong there I thought it was broadcasting from Verona, not 2 towns away. I could hear the pirate up to South Brunswick before K-Love signed on on days with no tropo.
K-Love is better off sending its engineer to the pirate station and changing its frequency than complaining to the FCC. I completely understand why K-Love is furious about this pirate, they lose a lot of their coverage in NJ because of the pirate. If WKLV 96.7 were a dance station I would be furious at the pirate and I'd probably go there and rip their antenna down.
Perhaps WKLV can do something similar to what Thunder 106.3 did when the translator signed on: an interference petition on the website. But it's much easier to shut down a licensed broadcaster than a pirate, since all the FCC needs to do is yank their license and they'll shut off.

 

[d21ofnj]

A "pirate" who essentially does an engineering study, finds a clear frequency considering adjacents , and then operates
in a circumspect and proper rf fashion, is barely a pirate at all. This is more of an "undocumented station",
and may or may not be beneficial to the community depending on whether someone likes the content.

Unfortunately, these operators don't seem to care. I found pirates on 94.5, 95.3, 96.1, 97.7, 100.1, 102.5, 104.1, 105.7, and 106.5 all within Bloomfield/Montclair. I can imagine the amounts in Brooklyn and the Bronx. The best frequency at most is the Compact FM pirate on 87.9, and one was on 87.5 a couple years ago.

 

[ansky212]

The 96.7 pirate in East Orange really wreaks havoc with K-Love south of Newark.

The 96.7 pirate is strong in all directions. I heard them loud and clear along Route 46 in the Wayne/Totowa area, and I've heard them as far west as parts of Morris county.