Mbanna Kantako has been running one of the longest lived unlicensed radio stations in the US, Human Rights Radio in Springfield, IL. He served as the inspiration for Stephen Dunifer and other microradio activists who used unlicensed broadcasting as a means for civil disobedience in the 1990s. While Kantako has had several run-ins with the […]
Tag Archives | FCC
New York State makes pirate broadcasting a misdemeanor
Last week New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that makes broadcasting on the AM or FM dials a class A misdemeanor, which is punishable with up to a year in prison. Like similar laws in New Jersey and Florida, the legislation was pushed by broadcasters in the state who cheered its passage. The original […]
USF Granted Request to Limit Scope of FCC Inquiry into Pending KUSF Sale
University of San Francisco (USF) and Classical Public Radio Network (CPRN) are probably in the midst of scrambling to pull together documents for the FCC regarding the proposed sale of college radio station KUSF and the currently-in-place “Public Service Operating Agreement” (PSOA) which is allowing CPRN to air classical music station KDFC over the KUSF […]
Host of KUSF’s “Folk Law” Pursues Legal and FCC Actions to Halt KUSF Sale
It can be challenging to stay on top of every detail, protest, or FCC action related to the pending sale of University of San Francisco’s college radio station KUSF to Classical Public Radio Network, as there’s been a busy and active fight led primarily by Save KUSF ever since the FM station was shut down […]
FCC proposes action for more LPFM community radio stations
As expected, at today’s open FCC meeting the Commission released a Third Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making which lays out a plan of action to both clear out the queue of pending translator station applications and to begin taking new applications for low-power FM community radio stations. An application window for new LPFM stations […]
Motion to Dismiss Filed with FCC Regarding Pending KUSF Sale
The contentious pending sale of college radio station KUSF to Classical Public Radio Network continues to keep the lawyers busy, as a Motion to Dismiss the entire application was filed with the FCC just before the July 4th holiday. At the same time that the FCC was sending out its Letter of Inquiry to University […]
Appeals Court rejects weakened radio ownership rules
Thursday the Third Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a 2007 FCC decision that loosened rules restricting the co-ownership of newspapers and broadcast stations, known as the cross-ownership ban. At the end of that year the Kevin Martin-led FCC rushed through that last minute decision to erode the rule which generally prevented one company from […]
FCC Issues Letter of Inquiry into Proposed KUSF Sale
The fight over the future of University of San Francisco’s college radio station KUSF took an interesting turn yesterday when the FCC issued a “letter of inquiry” (PDF) about the proposed sale of the station to Classical Public Radio Network (CPRN). The letter dated June 28, 2011 asks University of San Francisco and CPRN to […]
The Past Week In Radio
Catch up on stories you might have missed from the past week in radio. Dirty Money Talk radio’s biggest names are paid millions of dollars to “use a script, outline or set of talking points,” according to a new report. The Heritage Foundation pays roughly $2m for Rush Limbaugh and $1.3 for Sean Hannity. Glenn […]
Boston pirate bust is a lesson in the slow grind of bureaucracy
It’s been quite some time since I can recall the FCC imploring a U.S. Attorney to issue a warrant to shut down an unlicensed FM station. In fact, it’s quite a rare action, usually reserved for long-running stations that either have been utterly unresponsive to administrative notices or have operated for a long time out […]