Agents raid, shut down unlicensed Free Radio

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

By Joe Hughes and Frank Green
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS
July 22, 2005

Federal agents armed with a search warrant shut down Free Radio 96.9 FM, the self-proclaimed oldest-running and most notorious unlicensed radio broadcaster in San Diego, in a midmorning raid yesterday.

About a dozen armed agents – some wearing shirts with the initials FCC, for Federal Communications Commission – served the warrant in South Park about 10 a.m. They seized amplifiers, computers, a transmitter and other equipment that effectively knocked the station off the air, witnesses said.

Agents also climbed onto the roof of a house next to a wooden shack that served as the studio for the station, removing a 43-foot-tall antenna in sections and putting it in a van.

More at: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20050722-9999-7m22piracy.html

[Swamp Rat]

1. "I thought we were free?"

Americans do not realise how fascist this government has become over the last few decades.

[frylock]

2. statement from frsd posted on website..

FRSD 96.9FM Raided By FCC / US Marshalls

On Thursday morning, July 21st, 2005, the FCC and US Marshalls executed a raid against Free Radio San Diego. This raid (in a nutshell) took all of our broadcast equipment, including antenna, transmitter, cable, computers, audio mixing equipment, and other essential hardware.



It was understood that this raid was coming. Not from anything that happened as of late, but hey.. if you roll the dice against the FCC, there's a pretty high chance (roughly 100%) that they will do something else other than sit around and lament.

No one was arrested, all of our spare equipment is intact, and we have absolutely no plans to pack up and go home. We will be having a regular staff meeting to discuss the situation, and probably a public meeting as well. Our next announcement will be on this website, no later than 22 July 2005, 2100 PST.

Link to interview conducted on Free Radio Santa Cruz (14 minutes). Link to interview conducted on Enemy Combatant Radio (30 minutes).

If anyone has any money that they'd like to contribute, we lost roughly $3,000 worth of equipment, and need to replace it. Our new transmitter alone is $1,300, we hope to have (new-ish) computers donated, and even our RF cable will come out to $100-$200. We rarely ask for financial help, but if you can spare it, we sure could use it. Really, anything helps. We have some spare equipment to put in, but for various reasons that is only a temporary fix, and some equipment we're completely out of right now.

http://www.pirate969.org/

[Ian David]

3. In an era of blogs, webcasting, podcasting, it's almost an anachronism

Except, of course, as a display of Civil Disobedience.

[Robb]

4. As someone who works in emergency services

I say, good.

It's not all about content. Around here one was shut down recently that had been causing interference with our communications.

It's all fun and games until you're wasting time asking dispatch to repeat the address.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

5. Your emergency network should run on a more secure freq

Just kidding. Actually, my father was a ham radio operator, and his rig used to blast the hell out of every tv and radio in our small community. There's not a person in that little town that didn't mutter curses at my dad for all the interference he caused.

I know exactly what you mean.

[wli]

6. another fascist shutdown of "unofficial" news sources

Soon there will be no way to distribute information that isn't propaganda.