I love movies about radio. Here are some classics to give to your friends for the holidays. Pirate Radio (2009). The fictionalized story of Radio Caroline, “the boat that rocked” the British Isles from offshore in the 1960s. Fabulous performances by Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Nighy. My favorite Nighy line from the film: “Carl? […]
On the heels of the FCC and US Attorney shutting down unlicensed Rika FM in New York City, on Thursday three stations in the Boston area were taken off the air, as well. The most prominent of these stations is Touch 106.1 FM, which was a fixture in Dorchester’s African-American community. Like the Rika FM […]
On Monday the FCC announced [PDF] the unsealing of two complaints against unlicensed broadcasters operating in the New York City borough of The Bronx. The Commission and US Attorney’s Office also said that “on April 2, 2014, FCC agents and Deputy U.S. Marshals, pursuant to warrants, seized the radio transmission and production equipment identified in […]
March 27 is the 50th anniversary of the launch of Radio Caroline, the infamous pirate radio ship that brought rock n’ roll to the UK airwaves and sparked many a pirate radio fantasy thereafter. On that day in 1964 Radio Caroline began broadcasting with a test transmission. Broadcasts Aboard a ship In Liverpool the Mersey […]
Every week in our Radio Survivor Bulletin email newsletter we count down the top 5 stories of the week, along with alerting readers to other important radio stories. Now, here are our top 10 stories for February, as ranked by unique hits: My Chromecast Is an Internet Radio Remembering Philip Seymour Hoffman in Pirate Radio […]
There’s been quite a bit about unlicensed radio in the news lately. So it’s time for a pirate radio round-up: NY Times reports on Syrian opposition stations; Protest grow in Ireland over jailed peace and radio activist; FCC’s 2013 enforcement tallied up; When pirate radio ruled an English seaside town. NY Times Reports on Syrian […]
I talked with attorney Michael Couzens about the case of Pirate Cat Radio and his client, Daniel Roberts. This week the FCC released an order rejecting Roberts’ petition for reconsideration of a $10,000 fine the Commission levied against him for unlicensed broadcasting. Couzens brought to my attention a footnote (32) in the Commission’s order (PDF) […]
Today the FCC released an order upholding a $10,000 fine against Dan Roberts, former manager of Pirate Cat Radio, for unlicensed broadcasting. The fine was originally issued in 2011. Pirate Cat Radio began as an audacious and prominent unlicensed station operating out of a San Francisco cafe, headed up by charismatic leader Dan Roberts who […]
Like many folks, I’m still shocked and saddened about the death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman yesterday. He left us too soon. Writers across the web have been paying tribute by taking a look at some of his most iconic film roles. But as a long-time observer of the clandestine art of unlicensed radio, I […]
It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed what’s news in pirate radio. Here’s what’s up, including: 22 year-old N. London pirate stays true to drum & bass; Welsh nationalists were pirate radio pioneers in 1959; protest broadcasts in Minnesota, and more. Quietus writer John Doran pays a visit to long-running North London pirate station Rude […]
