Good news from Stephen Dunifer: “BLR is back on the air. Transmissions resumed on late Sunday afternoon.” Less than a week of downtime is pretty damn impressive!
While the FCC has conducted at least three enforcement actions within the last three weeks, the good news is at least three new microradio stations have signed on around the country during the same time. With BLR back on the air, the net gain is one for the good guys….
Category: FCC
Update #2 – More Details on BLR Raid
Looks like yesterday’s raid of Berkeley Liberation Radio was pretty severe; the government hard at work, making the world safer for us all. Cap’n Fred sent a note about the incident:
“The FCC had an arrest warrant for the equipment. They knocked on the door and slid the warrant under. The dj in the studio at the time looked at it and decided he’d better let them in. They then proceeded to tear down our antenna and confiscate all the electronic equipment in the room. They left our scratchy old records, tapes and cd’s.” Continue reading “Update #2 – More Details on BLR Raid”
FCC Washes Hands of LPFM?
The FCC removed its online LPFM Channel Finder program from the agency’s website on Monday, December 9. The Channel Finder was a tool prospective LPFM applicants could use to find out whether there were any open frequencies for LPFM stations in their area.
According to the FCC’s announcement:
“Rather than generate studies now that may not result in an acceptable application during the next application filing window (no application filing windows are expected in the near future), we have suspended use of the LPFM Channel Finder for an indefinite period.” Continue reading “FCC Washes Hands of LPFM?”
Berkeley Liberation Radio Busted
Word just crossed the email that Berkeley Liberation Radio was raided by Federal Marshals and the FCC this morning. Apparently almost everything connected to the station was taken, save for microphones and headphones. The FCC isn’t commenting….Cap’n Fred, are you out there?
BLR is the outgrowth of the old Free Radio Berkeley, founded by Stephen Dunifer. While Dunifer was enjoined from broadcasting ever again after losing a long battle in court with the feds, the rest of the station was free to move on. They did…until today. Continue reading “Berkeley Liberation Radio Busted”
Don Imus Ranch Gets Visit From FCC
Saw word circulating today that Don Imus’ ranch in New Mexico got a friendly visit from the FCC recently about some pirate broadcasting going on there.
Apparently Imus had installed a low-power FM transmitter so his ranch-hands could listen to his radio show, which originates in New York and is not carried locally in New Mexico. It’s not clear just how much wattage “Free Radio Imus” was running, but Don claims it couldn’t be heard off ranch property (his spread encompasses several square miles). Continue reading “Don Imus Ranch Gets Visit From FCC”
Big-Ups to FCC Goons
It’s about time the folks at gatekeeper.fcc.gov showed up for a look-see; they took in 14 pages late last week.
There’s plenty of unresolved numerical IPs that hit this site, and many government agencies contract out their telecommunications services (like internet access), especially at field offices. But it sure is nice to finally get hits from the HQ, so to speak. Continue reading “Big-Ups to FCC Goons”
FCC Gives Entercom "Bonus" AM Station in Kansas City: A Sign of Things to Come?
In a little-publicized ruling on November 20, The FCC gave Entercom a special waiver involving its expanded AM band radio station in Kansas City. The waiver is disturbing on several levels. But first, some history:
The AM broadcast band used to span from 540 to 1600 kHz. In 1997, the FCC adopted a rulemaking expanding the upper end of the AM band to 1705 kHz. Over the years leading up to this, the FCC had gradually relaxed interference and channel spacing rules for AM stations, leading to lots of interference, especially at night, when some AM stations must reduce power levels or sign off completely. Continue reading “FCC Gives Entercom "Bonus" AM Station in Kansas City: A Sign of Things to Come?”
Once on the Short List for FCC Commissioner, Now Clear Channel Lobbyist
Andrew Levin, currently the top adviser to the ranking Democrat congresscritter on the House Energy and Commerce Committee (the body with the most power over media regulation), is leaving government service to work for Clear Channel Communications.
Levin was once considered a front-runner for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission as one of its two Democrats. Instead, he’ll be opening up a Clear Channel lobbying office in Washington, where he’ll serve as “Senior Vice President for Government Relations.” Continue reading “Once on the Short List for FCC Commissioner, Now Clear Channel Lobbyist”
Bad Spin Alert: Feds Raid Michigan Militia Microradio Station
Mark Koernke, a member of the Michigan militia, has been in prison for two years after leading police on a high-speed chase. While he’s been out of circulation, someone has been running an unlicensed microradio station from his home in the village of Dexter. The station can apparently only be heard for a couple of miles and mostly runs information sympathetic to the militia.
It’s an undisputed fact that people involved with militias love weaponry. So, when federal marshals went to raid the station on Wednesday, they should not have been shocked to find a shitload of it on the Koernke property.
Seeing the stuff apparently sent the FCC men and their badge-carrying chaperones into some sort of fit, as they called in the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms and any other police they could find in the surrounding several square miles. Continue reading “Bad Spin Alert: Feds Raid Michigan Militia Microradio Station”
FCC To Public on Media Review: Screw Your Interest
Last month, a coalition of consumer advocacy, labor and professional performance groups banded together to petition the Federal Communications Commission to extend the time for the public to comment on a massive rulemaking that threatens to let today’s large media conglomerates get even bigger.
The coalition sought an additional three to six months to collect public input on the proposed hyper-consolidation effort and also requested access to the data the FCC used to produce a dozen reports which are (surprise!) mostly in favor of allowing more media consolidation. Continue reading “FCC To Public on Media Review: Screw Your Interest”