Anonomyous hacks WXXR 97.3 FM

That is REAL piracy!

This sort of thing happened on WVIC in Lansing, Michigan years ago when WILS 101.7 switched from Album Rock to Love Songs and then WVIC went to Easy Listening. No decent Rock was in Lansing, Michigan and you had to try and go for WLAV FM 96.9 in Grand Rapids or WRIF in Detroit, Michigan. Suddenly a Album Rocker who was sick of the crap began to take over the microwave signal of WVIC that went to their transmitter in Holt, Michigan. At first you heard what sounded like doubling. Then he took over the signal totally and begun saying something like We hate you folks trying to Kill Rock and we won't stand for it. He then started to play to Full 20 some minute version of Iron Butterfly - In Agada Di Vida and a few other great Album Rock tunes. Album Rockers in Lansing Cheered as they thought it would last for quite some time. He done this at random times and WVIC was quite worried he'd really broadcast something they didn't want over the air plus they were pissed an Album Rocker took over their Easy Listening format. Eventually he was caught, and I have a moral of this whole story. At the time 88.3 was blank. Had it been legal back then to have a 1 mile station this album Rocker might had simply set up his station near MSU and had the entire campus listening. Now you have the Hacktivist anonymous involved and these guys don't play. They are in the same ranks as Masters Of Deception (MOD) and Leagon Of Doom (LOD). These two groups were first into making calls for free instead of paying $25-50 cents per minute. They passed codes out that allowed anyone to call date lines for FREE many of these lines were in California. The phone company tried many times to block it and eventually they had to cave in or re invent the whole system. If it were legal for VLPFM (1 to 2 miles) they could legally set up stations and get their music and voice heard. Its simple I call everyone who wants to have moe power to do a peaceful alternative and that is to Join my Pro FM crusade and peacefully and with some facts behind us petition the FCC for 1600 uVm at 3 meters or 500mW to 1 Watt into a Rubber Duck antenna or indoor antenna. My goal and others who've joined me is to make legal what already is out there happening via Christmas Light show transmitters many going 1 mile and other block party like Radio stations using 1 Watt battery powered transmitters. Whole House FM Transmitter's Facebook page mentions a increase in the FM band and I've posted my feelings for more field strength. So that and the ability to go to 68Mhz may solve the issues. Please folks lets not be bully's ourselves by terrorizing licensed stations. Its not their fault that FM is limited (well not every station). It is the fault of some Anti FM trolls and I have a message to the trolls. Give Radio back to the people. Let us small Radio stations exist without harassment from you (unless we are causing interference). Lets work together and stop fighting over dominance over FM we're not looking to dominate FM or kill your precious listener audience for when a station plays something a listener doesn't like they tune around. Hobby broadcasting is not going to kill Radio, but your constant ragging on FM hobby broadcasters will result in a war and no one needs that. This would do far more than take a few listeners away from you it may even kill Radio as we know it for people will not be amused when hackers take over their favorite station. You are seeing the fruit of the bad seeds these anti FM trolls are now reaping. It it effects everyone. Stop the trying to Dominate and lets work Together. Remember the Radio waves are a borrowed resource NO ONE SHOULD CLAIM THEY OWN! The old model is broken its time to fix it before more of this juvenile outbursts happens again and to a more severe state. Lets make it Our Legacy to Change Radio and allow hobby broadcasting.

If hackers took over most stations no one would notice.

I wonder about that myself. I've heard stations with gurgling or 'doubling' sound, where it sounds like two broadcasts at the same time with the same sound, slightly separeted, for a whole day, and nothing is done. It's not the biggest national stations, but local ones not on the top 10 list.

One has two frequencies, an original station they've always had, and they send a feed by the net to a second station, I think they bought all of the second station's time or some deal like that.

That second station often has problems, sound going on and off, or a quiet carrier for hours. You can tell when it's going to happen, the sounds of voices will get stretched, almost like a reverb effect like someone taling into a barrel or a public bathroom with hard tile in it. After that it will mute and come back again, frustrating, and I don't know how people could listen to whole sentences being lost. People should call in and tell them. I did send them a letter about it and a comment on their feedback section, never got an answer.

You're probably right Carl, these stations where no one cares probably don't have a "cult following" or many people who wanted to hear the programs would call and they'd have to fix it. Still, they drone on and on, they must be reaching someone, so I don't get it.

I have an idea, someone could set up a station, and provide a few different easy ways to send programs to it, so that all in an area could have access. Someone could send a podcast file by email or by a submit form on a page, or even through just an open mic set up on the street, it would be like an art project.

People have done something like that with video I think too, it was in one of the bigger cities, I don't rememeber the whole story now.

One of the funniest bits I've ever heard on radio happened back in the 80s when alternative (when it really was alternative) station CFNY in Toronto was bought out, and the new owners wanted to change over to such artists as Michael Jackson.

Morning disc jockeys at the time Pete & Geets (I take my e-mail from the latter) 'took over' the station and broadcast for over 24 hours straight (this was well before hacking was even known).  They supposedly chained the doors shut, and demanded that the playlists (which really didn't exist as such) remain unchanged.  They also had such demands as beer in the vending machines, etc.  It was a great way to introduce the new format (although I stopped listening to the station shortly thereafter, as it didn't interest me in the slightest).

Of course, one little known fact about the whole affair was that Pete was really into big band music, and Geets country.  So they really had little personal buy in with the old format.

I sure miss them (Pete went on to another station; Geets, who was an engineer, moved into that path full-time).  I first heard such acts as BarenakedLadies (their first big break), Camper Van Beethoven, Sakface & many more on their show - they (as well as their producer) may not have been into the music, per say, but they sure knew talent.  Most of the DJ's you hear today (excluding Part 15) are either idiots, vulgar egomaniacs, or both.

Vulgar ego maniacs?

For a minute I thought I was being called.

As you were.

Camper Van Beethoven was great as well.  The remake of Status Quoe - Pictures Of Matchstick Men was really good.  WDBM 88.9 Mhz in East Lansing, Michigan which was a college statin on the campus of Michigan State University played stuff like that when they first come on the air.  At the time all the commercial Radio stations in Lansing, Michigan plane sucked.  Classic Rock was wanna be at best and at least WDBM was not afraid to venture off to something different and often very good.  I'd listen while I worked in the factory which was really a sweat shop for handicapped folks as they paid less than minimum wage.  In 1996 I was making $1.30 some cents per hour as their piece rate was so high you could not possibly make minimum wage.  At least the Radio saved my soul as I had to deal with the mentally challenged people rocking back and forth yelling Bushwack Bushwack, be my beddy bye pillow.  I would have gone insane without my Walkman.  Thank God I got some type of work a few years after that.  Back to topic.  College Radio and part 15 Radio have a very healthy place in Radio.

My favourite was Take The Skinheads Bowling.