87.9 near Cosby TN

[Mid West Clubber]

If they arent causing interference or saying anything nasty leave em be....

[Radioceo]

If I can identify a person who has committed a murder and the victim wasn't someone I know, then I should care less and just ignore it?  That's just plain asinine.

Legit, licensed facilities pay dearly for the right to attempt to make a living in the radio business.

These pirates are violating the law and your own opinions as to whether those laws should or should not be on the books is irrelevant.

[aaronsnet]

If I can identify a person who has committed a murder and the victim wasn't someone I know, then I should care less and just ignore it?  That's just plain asinine.

Legit, licensed facilities pay dearly for the right to attempt to make a living in the radio business.

These pirates are violating the law and your own opinions as to whether those laws should or should not be on the books is irrelevant.

Murder and pirate radio do fall in the same category, eh? Besides skipping the bureaucracy that licensed stations go through, what other harmful things do respectable pirate stations (those that do not interfere with licensed stations, do not curse, etc.) do? NOTHING! I can understand reporting a pirate whom infringes on another station's signal, promotes hate, curses, etc. But a station that sounds legitimate? Corporate radio wants to keep a stronghold on the public's airwaves with highly paid persuasive political personalities and music fueled by the record industry. I personally think that those in radio that do report respectable pirates do so because of the threat to their already dwindling audience.

One interesting thing to note is that this station runs quite a bit of libertarian programming. Should you really get the FCC to shut them down, the owner/audience will not perceive the shutdown as the end. They will merely look at it as more government intrusion and quickly reorganize. By even starting this discussion, you have given them more reason to keep going and even expand.

Since you seem to want to enforce any law that is written on the books, perhaps you should take notice to some of the additional laws that Tennessee still has on the books. Be sure to call 911 if you see any of the following take place:

1. More than 8 women may not live in the same house because that would constitute a brothel.
2. It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish.
3. Hollow logs may not be sold.
4. It is legal to gather and consume roadkill.
5. Stealing a horse is punishible by hanging.
6. Driving is not to be done while asleep.
7. You can't shoot any game other than whales from a moving automobile.

[Mid West Clubber]

comaring pirate radio to murder.... sheesh.....   Give em a break unless they cause interference or use curse words or political or hate speech.....  they are freedom fighters, fighting for their right to inform and entertain the public...... and dont even compare them to Terrorist, that is totally different.   If it was an Arab talk station, I may report them, but obliously they are just taking advantage of an open frequency and spreading good word,, like the 80s guy at 98.1, I hope they both stay around.   It would be different if they were next door on 100.1,,, 97.3,,,, 102.3 etc.   im not about to list all the knox area stations, thats a different ball game...   leave em be, they are harmless, its not like they are selling drugs on air.

[Radioceo]

Your honor...........I don't agree with that law.....therefore, I'm not guilty.

[aaronsnet]

Here is a reply from the station owner relayed to me (posted with his permission).

I want to address some of things that were said. My spelling was never good,so please over look that weakness in me. We are not a licensed station, neither do we want to. Licenses in the Blacks Law dictionary is definer as "a revocable permission to commit some act that would otherwise be unlawful" .How is it unlawful to marry, travel, hunt, fish, preach, or speak to the public as long as we do not harm another human being or the property of a human being. The license turns our God given rights into privileges. Since mainstream communications are controlled by a few cooperation's that also control all government's around the world, and decide what the public will hear,I wanted to have a station that tells the truth and is not controlled by the cooperation's. Washington D C is a cooperation "THE UNITED STATES INC." and is controlling all other cooperation's. I was working for a licensed station in Texas and I know first hand the control. Our forefathers gave us a constitutional republic, and we are loosening it. According to the constitution We the People are the Government, and as long as we set on our butts and do nothing, we will be turned into a communist Police state controlled by the cooperation's. Take a look around you at what is happening to our God given rights. The issue of the flag being misrepresented. Our country is using the Military flag to represent our country. The military flag represents a country at war. The flag on our site represents we the people at peace, and flies over the treasure dept. in DC. The military flag with a gold border represents Admilty law, and that is the law of cooperation's instead of our common law that our forefathers gave their lives to give to us. That is why the courts ignores our rights. I do play the real country music because mainstream has dropped it, and there are many of us that still want to hear it. The issue of making money with the station, We don't sell advertisement. We exist on donations that are few. I usually have to use my social security check to keep it running. Concerning the power, we are running [a few] watts. The coverage is pretty good due to our antennas that boost the signal. I could boost it even more if I had the funds to purchase another antenna.

*His opinions do not necessarily represent my own.

[Radioceo]

I am a strong advocate of individual rights.  I fully detest government intrusion where it has no business. [EDIT-off topic]  Now, having said that, the electromagnetic spectrum is not unlimited.  There MUST be some regulation on how it is used, else there will be no listenable over the air radio signals.  If this guy is not shut down, then others will likely follow suit and there will be utter chaos. 

There's an entirely different perspective on this matter from the point of view of the legal operator who has paid or is paying DEARLY for the their use of the spectrum vs this guy's operation, but I won't go there since a common sense argument seems to be falling on deaf ears. 

[MickeyD]

If they arent causing interference or saying anything nasty leave em be....

Both 87.9 and 87.7 are pirate frequencies across the country. Boston has a couple and they run about 1500 watts and get a 30 mile range.

[abccbsnbcfox]

SchlitzBeer is right.  It doesn't matter if 87.9 is interfering with anybody, whether they pay their taxes, whether they bother anybody, what audience they reach, whether they believe in God..

If they don't have a broadcast license for that frequency, then they are VIOLATING the law and need to be..strike that...HAVE TO BE shut down, and their pirate equipment confiscated.  Every other broadcaster has to pay for a license.  The good folks in Cocke County are not exceptions, neither are the dudes in Idaho, Wyoming, that parish in Louisiana, and all the other places who think they're above the law.

Forget this 'as long as they're not bothering anybody' crap.  Great Scott people..do you think the Highway Patrol is going to stop writing tickets because everybody is doing 85 on the freeways instead of 70?
No, they're not going to stop writing tickets.  Why?...... because there's a law against speeding.  Just because everybody is doing it, doesn't make it legal.

Shut down the radio pirates and prosecute 'em for violating the cumminications laws of the United States of America.

A rule is a rule.. the law is the law.  And it's one you cannot change, even if you live in Cocke County.
Period..
End of Story.

[romer979fm]

so the rationale for allowing pirates is...
"I see a bank was robbed. Oh, good...it wasn't my bank. No problem."