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Touch FM shut down by Feds

And if he's trying indeed to get an LPFM license...don't know if he can. Aren't those busted for running pirate stations disqualified?
 
The shutdown is politically motivated.

Prosecution, on the other hand, presents some problems. Sure, the FCC can send those "NALs" and fines and "please stop operating and play nice."

But the problems with prosecutions are more complicated than you might think.

1) If you are PROSECUTED -- charged with a crime. Guess what? You have the RIGHT to a trial - in an open court - and to be judged by a jury of your peers. Not an administrative law judge.

2) If he is acquitted, he wins.

3) If he is found guilty, he loses round 1, **BUT** he has -- ("Gulp", the man at the FCC says) -- the right to APPEAL. And in his appeal, he might raise issues that the FCC rules as they now stand, which effectively keep him off the air if he plays by the rules, contradict the intentions and spirit behind the Communications Act of 1934.

And who knows how an appeals court judge will rule? Do you? Does the FCC? Do the other broadcasters?

Stay tuned, because this WILL be interesting.

As they used to say on the Mickey Mouse Club - "It's Anything can Happen Day". Up to now, Clemons was probably left alone, because while the feds may have wanted to send notice in the past that they didn't like this, they may have been afraid to go down the legal path and through the court system.
 
As I said on another board I'll bet you dollars to donuts that it'll be back on before the end of the month.

He can make a deal with any of several AM's in town that broker time. That's what Bloomberg, ESPN, and the Chinese government did.

There are also things the Governor could do for him, I suspect. But if Clemons goes back on illegally, I hope he goes to jail.
 
He can make a deal with any of several AM's in town that broker time. That's what Bloomberg, ESPN, and the Chinese government did.


In his youtube informal press conference, he mentioned that "the community" had an AM station...with static and all.

He doesn't want an AM...he wants the beachfront property.
 
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/04/pols_back_dot_radio_station

>>“That station is an institution,” said Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley. “Myself and other elected officials of color are working collaboratively to apply pressure to lobby the FCC and find out what recourse exists.”

Ortiz defended the crackdown in a statement.“It is a public safety hazard for illegal radio stations to broadcast, potentially interfering with critical radio communications,” Ortiz said.When asked why Touch 106.1 FM did not get a license, Clemons said, “We couldn’t. The FCC has shut it down so no one could apply for a license for 15 years. It’s not fair.”

Ortiz said stations like Clemons’ “could have applied for low power radio licenses and operated their stations in compliance with the law.”

----
Touch's site mentioned the shutdown and has an announcement running saying that normal programming continues via streaming.
 
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btw it's being said Clemons etc wants to get on as an LPFM. If so I believe he can't run commercials. In his illegally run station he may have...

As I understand it, LPFMs must be non-commercial and have call letters like "WLLO-LP" (102.9 Londonderry NH, Londonderry Public Schools)...while a translator relays another station and cannot originate programming. There's that Tatnuck station on 94.9 that relays a commercial station, WTAG 580...and there are stations that relay religious stations like Family Radio (relaying KEAR I think), things like 89.3 in Burlington VT. Whether they run ads or not, they are translators and cannot originate programming.

So an LPFM would mean Clemons IF he got one would have to pledge drives and such....some pirates like a recently busted one in the Bronx were not just on illegally but ran ads. (I remember Radio Free Vermont 96.5 in Center Rutland VT...played swing music, ran PSAs, and ran ads like one for "Airport (Golf) Driving Range in Clarendon..."
 
and all the local pols are lining up in support

yawn

lets face it, there isn't a open frequency in Boston to be had, the spectrum is full, Clemons and the others should have been shut down years ago, the Feds don't have a problem nailing a legal licensed station for the smallest infraction (where is your political file? we don't care that you have never had a request for political ads or equal time, show us a labeled empty folder or pay up!

I am sick of this topic (pirate radio in Boston being ignored by the Feds), when some public safety frequency is compromised and someone gets hurt, then maybe something will be done nation wide about this issue. The FCC daily digest has several examples of pirates screwing up the radios at airports (Logan was one effected) and other public safety radio services
 
http://www.enterprisenews.com/x1905499940/Pirate-radio-station-in-Brockton-flagged-for-interference

>>Firefighters driving to work at the Pleasant Street station on the edge of downtown started reporting interference on their car radios this week.
Then on Wednesday, music started playing over the speakers in the station used for dispatching fire engines and garbling emergency communications.
“In the station, those speakers are used to alert firefighter to an incident, and that’s how we get the type of call and location,” said Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Galligan. “Any interference is a serious issue.”
...They discovered a satellite dish and an FM antenna on a radio mast directly across the street from Fire Station 1 at 69 Pleasant St..
The antenna extended nearly 60 feet in the air and an unlicensed station was broadcasting on 88.9 MHz, right next to WERS in Boston, DeNapoli said.
 
106.1 Not The Only One!

You can't make this excrement up: Gov Patrick criticizes feds for doing their job.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...h9AFVgbZPoLBRpKYJ/story.html?s_campaign=sm_tw
US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz’s office said on Wednesday and Thursday it seized radio equipment from Touch and two other stations, 88.7 FM in Brockton and 100.1 FM, which had signals in Everett, Dorchester, Brockton, and Mattapan.

For the past couple of weeks, “Vibe 105.3” seemed suddenly stronger in places, up here on the North Shore (either increased power or moved antenna?).
Now, for the past day or so (since Touch got raided), they seemed to have either disappeared or reverted to their previous power/location—?
 
Jeff...Jeff...Jeff...Jeff...Jeff...Jeff...

As a Boston resident for many years. I had little use for Menino on several levels. Turning a blind eye towards pirates was but one issue I had with his administration. This Clemons guy is one major piece of work. Let him make big rocks into little rocks for a few years, behind bars. Throw the book at him. This politically correct nonsense needs to go away. Now.


You seem to have a problem with someone who has been elected to sixteen plus years of public service in the City of Boston. Just because you're a negative neddy doesn't mean that others didn't like Menino. He made the City a better place. I wish I could have ten thousand and one Meninos compared to ten thousand Jeff Klines. Boston would certainly be less racist City.

Jeff, are you someone who has been cheering on the Bundy Ranchers and their crusade against the feds? I'll bet that you have a major issue with the feds there. It shows how much of a right wing hypocrite you are. And that's just me being nice. I want to make it unequivocally that after meeting you, and getting to know you for five minutes and for someone who has worked for many years in radio, I can say that you are one of the most nastiest, hypocritical, narcissistic "professionals" out there. Your arrogance shows that you want people to respect you on your terms. If you were such a true radio pro, you wouldn't be at your small AM multilingual station.


I also want to make it unequivocally clear that I do NOT support pirates. I hope that the pirates get theirs and I think that they will. The law is the law and they will soon find out the hard way. But I also don't spend every waking hour harping on pirates. Jeff, when it comes to pirates, you're like FOX News whenever Obama posts a selfie, or CNN with the Malaysian Plane. You need to get a life bub.

I'm a proud registered Democrat and a radio professional. But I also have this wonderful character trait called empathy. I'm also well aware of the fact that a). there's no "one" way of doing something and b) it's not always about a greedy, cheap dollar in this business. Maybe one day, when you look back and you look at all of the bridges that you've burned, maybe you'll realize that you could have been someone if you had not been so pompous.

Oh, and you're welcome...
 
Should consider

Now, who's going to play Alexander O'neil music?, great oldschool disco music! Certainly not hot 96.9 that's for sure. you can write them and ask them to play that until your blue in the face and they still don't care.
since entercom changed w i l d to w k a f,
Seeing what happened to "touch 106.1, what entercom should consider is to change 97.7 to "the touch" cumulus media network. Reason I say this is because most stations around here use voicetrack to save money, or just have music, liners, sweepers and commercials (with no talent), rather than operate like that; they should just get "the touch" and put it on 97.7.
If they do that
hot 96.9 will be forced to change formats because "the touch" is 100% better
 
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