Let A Million Pirate Radio Stations Bloom!

from the or-something-like-that dept

Fri, May 7th 2004 11:03am — Mike Masnick

Pirate radio stations are nothing new, but one guy is now trying to train more people in how to set up their own pirate radio station (with the more politically safe sounding name: microbroadcasting), with the idea of creating a (radio) wave of civil disobedience about how the FCC allocates radio licenses. Of course, plenty of radio broadcasters aren't too thrilled about this idea and are fighting heavily against it. The pirate stations are mostly breaking the law, and it's unlikely enough of them will show up to make a major difference. Besides, you have to wonder why it's worth bothering with radio anymore. Why not just set up a station online?

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11 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 7 May 2004 @ 11:11am

No Subject Given
Last I knew you couldn't listen to a station online in my car. You limit your audience SEVERELY when you make a onlien station, granted it has advantages [one being its global]. But people have to either be by their computer, have a device thats capable of streamign from the internet in their home theater system [which while growing is still MINISCULE].

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Mike (profile), 7 May 2004 @ 11:22am

Re: No Subject Given
But it is growing - and it's growing pretty fast.

Besides, many more people are now using portable audio devices like iPods and hooking them up in cars. With an online radio station, you can offer mp3 recordings or just rip the stream and transfer it to your iPod.

Yeah, it's not for everyone yet... but it's coming.

Add in better broadband wireless, and it won't be that long until internet radio everywhere isn't such an odd idea. Starting a radio station now is like starting to make horse and buggies right after Ford figured out that whole mass production trick.
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Rusty Hodge, 7 May 2004 @ 12:12pm

It's all about the mobile listeners
It's all about getting the mobile listeners - there are so many of them out there. It's the one place you can't penetrate with online radio right now. Sure, you can listen to 24k streams over GPRS but if you've ever tried this for real driving down the freeway, it doesn't work very well.

We've been hoping that decent bandwidth to the car would come into being for a while, but it still hasn't.

This is why pirate radio seems so desirable to many. Getting to that mobile audience that doesn't have anything else to do but drive and listen!
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NOBODY, 7 May 2004 @ 12:18pm

No Subject Given
Sounds exciting.
But rather than complain that online radio isn't capable in enough places, design something. If you're that concerned about it, design a mobile device that works. You don't need to be an engineer. You don't need much technical skill. Everything you need is already there. Why no do it? Put up or shut up!
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michael, 8 May 2004 @ 7:51pm

radio free annandale
I'm a student at the college mentioned in the Wired article and I can say that the station doesn't come in clearly all over campus, but it does something that the official college radio station can't, and that is operate entirely free of the FCC and Bard administration. The antenna is hidden up in a tree so only a dedicated radiologist (perhaps?) could take it down. Not even that kind of anonymity is available with an internet broadcaster.
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Wayner, 11 May 2004 @ 9:56am

Re: Online Stations
Very true... however, a hobby is a hobby. If and when there is a true demand, it will be answered. For now, the pirate station operators will have to enjoy their hobby. Like any form of entertainment, if people like it they'll listen, if not, they won't...that's show-biz! The given URL is one of the best online stations I've heard yet...it's gaining ground online.
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monde, 18 May 2004 @ 10:13am

Two words: drive time.
People stuck in traffic make the most captive audience for political messages. People listening to net.stations have 5000 other things they can do and usually pay more attention to them than the radio.

Let microbroadcasts bloom, indeed: we never needed such things more than we do right now.
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P. Irate, 5 Jul 2006 @ 12:49pm

Podcast, anyone?
The microbroadcast solution for the car is podcasts, until wireless internet is mobile at decent bandwidths and low cost (i.e. Not For A Long Time). Micro pirate stations will be taken out by the government. Commercial broadcasting is the #1 venue for political advertising, so commercial broadcasters WILL BE KEPT HAPPY if it takes the whole FBI and National Guard to track down that tree-hidden antenna (and it's not at all hard to do, folks). Don't forget if licensed music is played the RIAA will horn in on the action too.

"... glad to be an American, where at least I know I'm free." Uh-huh.
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e-money, 21 Nov 2007 @ 11:18pm

pirate radio
online is great, but only in combination with a real physical pirate station. there's more fan base. some people are still very anti-tech.
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the captain (arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh bitches), 3 May 2008 @ 7:11am

freeeeeeeeeee the radio
screw radio stations, their loser radio talent, the censorship, the crap music, etc., etc. etc...........i want to hear good music, and lots of it! i'm sick of having sirius radio and on one of my stations you can request music, but only music that they can play. what the fuck is up with that? now i'm paying to be said no to my request on a REQUEST hour? money shouldn't be the deciding of what you can and can't listen to. down with the corporate crap, down with it all.
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Mairbair, 24 May 2009 @ 11:55am

Mobile Pirate Radio Station
If I wanted to create a mobile station this summer and move to a new location daily, but broadcast to a mobile audience moving along with me, could it be done? What equipment would I need? Is there a transmitter that could change frequencies, or would I have to find some remote frequency that would interfer the least so I couldn't be discovered via GPS tracking? Please advise if you have ideas.

Thanks, MB
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