The movies portray pirate radio as revolutionaries fighting against conformity, but the reality of pirate radio is that it is more harmful than good, no matter how noble the “cause”. Pirates transmit illegally, which is costly for the stations that transmit legally on the same frequency and first adjacent channel stations, heard during cell phone calls, interferes with the legal transmission, can interfere with both aviation and public safety radio services, or even run the chance of endangering the general public. Additionally, most pirates do not pay music licenses and taxes, violate building codes, fail to identify sponsors, and dismiss employment regulation. It is common for the pirates to not be concerned with safety – just like the pirates …show more content…
In some states there are additional laws against pirate radio stations and can be prosecuted, but this is not the case in other states. Over the course of many days, the owners tracked down the transmitting locations of the four pirates. The first pirate, a hobbyist in East Orange, NJ, was accommodating enough to cease transmitting after sending them a letter. The second pirate, Super KQ 97.5, was a major New York City pirate located in Bayonne, NJ, operated by a well-known broadcaster. W238CG caused enough interference with his operation that he changed frequencies once the translator began broadcasting. The third pirate, “WBLR”, was a commercial operation in Patterson, NJ. The transmitter location was discovered and reported to the FCC and town building officials, with pictures, coordinates, and street address. The FCC wrote a letter to the landlord and “WBLR” moved the transmitter location. The new site was located and reported. Patterson officials cited the new building owner. While the new landlord of the transmitter site was responding to the letter, the studio was located and that landlord was informed of the illegal operations. (As of the1/20/16 “WBLR” is silent.) (Pic …show more content…
Initially, was a cluster of several high power pirate stations with transmitters in the same building. The authorities and landlord were informed and the transmitter was relocated. An addition hunt, was found only a few blocks away from the building officer’s office. The building officer was alerted to the situation and his eyes lit up with glee as he promised to hand deliver a citation the next day. It is believed that the studio site has been located, but has not been confirmed at the time of this printing. Working with the FCC can be challenging to any legally operating station. Treasure hunt to find where to report it on the site – if room. Pirate stations are reported to the FCC via their web site (which is not compatible with Firefox) and there is no feedback that the information has been read or even received. It was only after involving the state senator that the FCC gave feedback that a letter had been sent to the original landlord for the Patterson pirate. Local police have little interest or time to investigate pirate radio stations in their jurisdiction. Despite the state laws making pirate broadcasting a fourth degree crime, with possible jail time, the police are over taxes and see it as a victimless crime. Additionally, they are not motivated to prosecute because local government officials are sometimes guests on the pirate