Dear Readers,
Things in the world pirate radio get interesting whenever the FCC goes on one of their enforcement binges. Free Radio Santa Cruz, Berkeley Liberation Radio, FCCFree Radio and many other stations have recently received letters from the authorities. The meek will comply, the stubborn will forge on. They do their job and we do ours. In these times, the need for micro-power radio is very important to us all. Perhaps some day we will get our freedom of speech restored and the media conglomerates will fade into obscurity. Until that day, we will still be “pirates”.
-Paul Griffin (for the AMPB)
Santa Cruz Pirate Radio Walks Plank ... Again
By CURTIS CARTIER
In a secret broadcasting studio somewhere in Santa Cruz, a ponytailed 62-year-old DJ is speaking crisply into a large, spongy microphone. “That was ‘Heart Full of Soul’ by the Yardbirds,1965, and before that ‘Indifference’ by Moby Grape,” he says. “I’m Uncle Dennis right here at Free Radio Santa Cruz, 101.1 FM and triple-w dot freak radio dot org.” Around him, the walls are covered in faded layers of posters and scribbled graffiti featuring images of the Brown Berets and Mumia Abu-Jamal and phrases like “Is this freedom?” and “Who laughs last?” Above an old Dell computer is a printed, single-sided piece of white paper with a banner reading, “FRSC Transmitter Evicted!” It’s not the first time the anonymous DJs and staff of Free Radio Santa Cruz have been told they’ll need to find a new home for the station’s transmission antenna. As an unlicensed (and therefore illegal) “pirate radio” station, FRSC all but expects that every few years, pressure from the FCC will spook either the tenants or the landlord of whatever property the big four-pronged transmitter is resident at for the moment, and the station will have to find a new set of hosts willing to defy the federal government. “Basically, we got a call saying the landlord had received a notice from the FCC saying a illegal transmitter was found and that he would be fined if he didn’t get rid of it,” explains Uncle Dennis, a veteran FRSC DJ and the current host of “From the Cream to the Dregs.” “This is a typical tactic they use to deal with unlicensed broadcasters.” It’s not a particularly successful tactic from the FCC’s perspective. In the 15 years since FRSC broadcast its first show from the bedroom of local activist Kim Argula, the transmitter, studio equipment or both have been forced to move seven times, according to station co-founder Skidmark Bob. Except for a month-long hiatus following a 2004 raid in which U.S. Department of Justice agents confiscated all the equipment in the studio, the station has managed to keep broadcasting nearly uninterrupted. The staff has also learned to keep its studio gear in one location and its transmitter in another, so if DOJ agents show up again at the signal source, they’ll find only an antenna, not a costly soundboard and microphone system. At the FCC, pirate radio stations are dealt with regularly, although full-scale raids like the 2004 incident are rare. One man who knows the routine of fighting the FCC better than perhaps any is Stephen Dunifer. The founder of Free Radio Berkeley and the man sometimes described as the “Godfather of Pirate Radio,” Dunifer was part of two landmark court cases in 1995 and 1997 in which U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken found that fines levied by the FCC against him for broadcasting without a license were unconstitutional. Besides vehemently denouncing the FCC’s action against FRSC he offers some advice to the unlicensed broadcasters in Santa Cruz and anyone who might be willing to mount an illegal transmitter in the backyard. “You need to understand that the FCC is full of shit,” he says. “They will target the landlords with letters, but a landlord is not criminally or civilly responsible for their tenants. They just need to find a landlord who is willing to tell the FCC to kiss their Bill of Rights.”
San Francisco’s Newest Radio Pirate: Radio Valencia
by Jennifer Waits
Of course I’m biased, but San Francisco seems to have always been ground zero for radio innovators, back from the early days of pioneering technologists, to the freeform FM era, to punk and new wave stalwarts in college and commercial radio in the 1980s, to pirate radio champions like Free Radio Berkeley in the 1990s, to the web radio entrepreneurs of the 2000s and beyond. Although the lure of Internet-only radio is turning the focus away from terrestrial radio for many; there are compelling reasons why radio enthusiasts continue to launch licensed and unlicensed AM and FM stations in 2010. In San Francisco, a brand new unlicensed community radio station, Radio Valencia, is about to get off the ground, with a hoped-for launch date of early July. Housed in artist/musician/activist/former San Francisco mayoral candidate Chicken John’s warehouse “Chez Poulet” in the Mission District, it’s being envisioned as not only an underground radio station, but also as part of a larger non-profit community resource. When I visited the station last Thursday, I got to see the beginning stages of the studio that had been built by Chicken John in a week’s time. One of the founding members of the station, John Hell, talked to me about the collective vision for Radio Valencia and how it will be different from his numerous other radio endeavors. Ironically, it was just about a year ago that John Hell chatted with me about his then-new radio project, FCCFree Radio. Although enthusiastic about the possibilities of that particular station at the time, John Hell recently parted ways with FCCFree Radio after having philosophical differences with the station owner. Because of his strong passion for and commitment to radio, it was clear that it wouldn’t be long before he landed at another radio start-up. John Hell is no stranger to radio, having worked at college stations KCSM and KFJC, pirate stations San Francisco Liberation Radio, Pirate Cat Radio, and FCCFree Radio, as well as on the crew that founded the LPFM station Radio Free Burning Man that operated out in the Nevada desert during the annual arts festival from 1994 to 2008. When John Hell was approached by his long-time friend Chicken John, the initial idea was to start up an Internet radio station. As they discussed things further, the concept for Radio Valencia developed even more and the hope is that eventually it will be a community center with an open-door policy and a full schedule of events. Chicken John, John Hell, and other early participants presented the idea of this new station to other like-minded folks in their social networks and reached out to former college and pirate radio DJs and friends with deep connections in various arts and culture scenes in San Francisco. John Hell said that he’s been amazed by the response and told me that he already has 30 DJs committed to hosting a total of 24 different shows at Radio Valencia. When I asked him how this station will be different from others in the area, he said that it will be much more community-based, community-oriented, and community-run with “no central leadership.” He pointed out that they will not have mandatory meetings and will shy away from having too many rules at the station. Although Radio Valencia will officially be Internet-only, they are “expecting” to also broadcast at 89.9FM in San Francisco, although they won’t be hosting that signal themselves. With so many people listening to radio online, I asked John Hell why it was important for Radio Valencia to be on FM as well. He said, “radio is only really radio when it’s terrestrial radio.” He pointed out that a lot of people can’t afford high speed Internet connections, so for them terrestrial radio is crucial, saying, “Radio is vital for a community.” John Hell said that unfortunately the “LPFM Act made it very hard for urban locations to get a license,” adding that big broadcast groups have lobbied hard to “push out low power stations” in their areas. Although he’s not personally up for the paperwork, he said, “I would be fine if we filed for a LPFM.” He added that in the absence of that, “I believe that the air does belong to the people and the people who really deserve the opportunity to do radio” aren’t able to get access. Although he wasn’t sure how many people might wander in off the street into Radio Valencia, John Hell was excited about the possibilities.
Rinse FM awarded broadcasting license
Sean Michaels
London's biggest "pirate" radio station is going legit. Rinse FM has been awarded an FM broadcasting licence, giving it further opportunity to bring dubstep, UK funky and other new urban sounds into the mainstream. Founded in 1994, Rinse FM played a pivotal role in introducing London listeners to grime, garage and other homegrown sounds, when mainstream radio was still mostly concerned with Take That and S Club 7. More recently, Rinse FM has showcased dubstep producers such as Kode9 and Plastician. Initially an unlicensed radio broadcaster, Rinse has been available as an online stream since 2006. Rinse FM hasn't always had a satisfactory relationship with Ofcom, the body that oversees radio licensing. In 2005, regulators cracked down on illegal broadcasters, disconnecting one of the station's transmitters and landing DJ Slimzee with an Asbo. The station's fans have included the late BBC DJ John Peel, EMI Publishing's Guy Moot, and Dizzee Rascal, who called Rinse FM "inspirational and influential". Feargal Sharkey, CEO of industry lobbyists UK Music, praised Ofcom's decision. "I am hugely impressed with Rinse FM and their groundbreaking work," he said. "With a community licence in place, we believe the station can take that role forward – engaging with a young, dynamic audience and nurturing the next generation of inner-city talent." Rinse has been petitioning for an FM licence since 2007, organising an international petition. According to Spoonfed, the push for legitimacy may have also affected the station's music programming, moving toward to the "more radio-friendly" genre of UK funky. But Rinse FM has no intention to dilute its music. "The [FM] licence will allow us to continue our mission," said a spokesperson, "broadcasting in the pirate format that we and our listeners know and love."
AMPB LINKS ON THE WEB
Avandia Heart Risks Buried by Drug Company: Report
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/diabetes/articles/2010/07/13/avandia-heart-risks-buried-by-drug-company-report.html
RIAA Accounting: Why Even Major Label Musicians Rarely Make Money From Album Sales
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100712/23482610186.shtml
RIAA forks out $64 million to catch music pirates, recovers just $1.3 million in 3 years
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/07/14/riaa-forks-out-64-million-to-catch-music-pirates-recovers-just-1-million/
What’s Wrong With Music Biz, per Ultimate Insider
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/07/tom-silverman-proposes-radically-transparent-music-business/
Double whammy: The music tax based on deep packet inspection
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/14/prs_music_levy_dpi/
Biggest Defaulters on Mortgages Are the Rich
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/business/economy/09rich.html
Arlo Guthrie Endorses Ron Paul
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/01/29/group-w-grad-endorses-ron-paul/
FCCFree Radio goes quiet
http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/07/06/fccfree-radio-pirates-no-more/
A copyright ruling no one can like
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20010428-261.html
How our laws in California are really made
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15452125?nclick_check=1
FCC Issues $10,000 Fine to Florida Pirate
http://www.radioworld.com/article/103328
Over 800 thousand security workers?
http://www.topsecretamerica.com
CAPTAIN FRED’S WORLD CRUISE #97
(download from archive.org or radio4all.net)
Glitter Freeze - Gorillaz
Africa - K'naan with Amadou & Mariam
Malagasy Shock - Ozomatli
Brasil Em Brasa - Roge
Contact - Telepath
Aloha Hokeo - Kupaoa
Fiesta en el barrio - Heriberto Gonazalez
Nkosi - Blk Sonshine
Sonata for Violin and Turntables, Part 1 - Daniel Bernard Roumain
Long Hard Road - Sade
On Coming from a Broken Home, Pt. 2 - Gil Scott-Heron
I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama - Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Ladyfingers - Charbel Rouhana
Salamalama Aby - Razia
Panacea for the Poison - Flobots
Galway Girl - The Elders
Pariwo - Tony Allen
Don't Shoot (I'm A Man) - Devo
Don't Pull Me Over - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Sinister Kid - The Black Keys
Cedar Smoke - Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra
AMPB RECORD CHART FOR THE WEEK ENDING: 7/17/10
# TITLE - ARTIST - LABEL
1 SECRET AGENT TONY ALLEN WORLD CIRCUIT
2 PLASTIC BEACH GORILLAZ EMI
3 RISE & SHINE SIERRA LEONE'S REFUGEE ALL STARS CUMBANCHA
4 BROTHERS THE BLACK KEYS NONESUCH
5 THAT'S ALL I NEED ANDRE WILLIAMS BLOODSHOT
6 SCRATCH MY BACK PETER GABRIEL REAL WORLD
7 SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY DEVO WARNER BROS.
8 ROUGH GUIDE TO WORLD MUSIC FOR CHILDREN WORLD MUSIC NET
9 PUTUMAYO PRESENTS SOUTH AFRICA PUTUMAYO
10 AL DOBLAR SL ESQUINA TITO GONZALEZ (SELF PRODUCED)
11 MOJO TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS REPRISE
12 PETALS ON THE PATH OTTMAR LIEBERT SPIRAL SUBWAVE
13 POWER UP THE PLANET VARIOUS ARTISTS PLANETWIZE
14 FIRE AWAY OZOMATLI MERCER STREET
15 KARAM KIMI DJABATE CUMBANCHA
16 THE ROUGH GUIDE TO ARABIC LOUNGE WORLD MUSIC NET
17 WOODBOX BEATS & BALLADRY D. B. ROUMAIN THIRSTY EAR
18 BURN AND RISE MAD SIN PEOPLE LIKE YOU
19 VOCABULARIES BOBBY MCFERRIN UNIVERSAL
20 ONE STEP AHEAD WOODLEG ODD WOODLEG ODD
21 WE WALK THE ROAD ROBERT RANDOLPH WARNER BROS.
22 PUTUMAYO PRESENTS LATIN PARTY PUTUMAYO
23 ARVO PART - PORTRAIT ANGELE DUBEAU ANALEKTA
24 SEA OF COWARDS THE DEAD WEATHER THIRD MAN
25 SUITE KEVIN BURKE/CAL SCOTT LOFTUS
26 LERO LERO LUISA MAITA CUMBANCHA
27 SOLDIER OF LOVE SADE SONY
28 ON APPROACH EVEREST VAPOR
29 LIVE SEARSON (SELF PRODUCED)
30 I'M NEW HERE GIL SCOTT-HERON XL
31 LIFE GOES ON THE ADICTS PEOPLE LIKE YOU
32 COMING BACK FOR YOU PRESSURE RYMSHOT
33 30 YEARS OUTSIDE THE BOX YO-YO MA SONY
34 SURVIVAL STORY FLOBOTS UNIVERSAL
35 HANK WILLIAMS DIED... JOE SWANK & THE ZEN PIRATES (INDY)
36 TRIBUTE TO A REGGAE LEGEND VARIOUS ARTISTS PUTUMAYO
37 REVELATION VALERIE MILOT ANALEKTA
38 ZEBU NATION RAZIA CUMBANCHA
39 BONNY PRINCE BARLEY BARLEYJUICE RYF RECORDS
40 PROVENANCE MAYA BEISER INNOVA
AMPB REPORT
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