1069fm

Off the Air - FOR NOW!

2006-10-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Due to Harrassment by the FCC, we are forced to discontinue our service for a while. We are actively looking for brave ninja warriors wanting to strike a blow against corporate media hegemony. If you know of friendly ninja warriors in San Diego willing to host our gear, please email us: info [@] 1069fm [dot] org.
In the meantime, keep supporting independent media in San Diego: 96.9 fm, San Diego Indymedia, RadioActive sanDiego, EarthBound Radio, etc.
Until we return, we leave you with this heartfelt message:

Click here for heartfelt message

Meet the FCC in LA Aug 31st!

2006-08-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Reposted from the wonderful Lying Media Bastards:

The FCC is holding a town hall meeting in Los Angeles on August 31. One Congressman and two real live FCC Commissioners (head honchos) will be there. You can attend and tell them what you think, yell at them, whatever (well, they probably won’t stand for much yelling).

The org Media Alliance is not only encouraging people to attend and pressure the agency in a more progressive direction, but they are also holding several “prep workshops” about media issues in the week leading up to the event.

Details:

FCC Town Hall Meeting

Thursday August 31, 6:30-9:30 pm

USC – Davidson Conference Center

3415 South Figueroa Street

Los Angeles, CA

(Enter through Gate 4 on Jefferson Blvd.at Royal St.)

“Prep workshops”

Thursday August 24, 12 pm at the CWA Local 9000

5855 Venice Boulevard

Thursday August 24, 6 pm at the CWA Local 9000

5855 Venice Boulevard

Thursday August 31, 5 pm USC

Davidson Conference Center

3415 South Figueroa Street

Ninjas and Pirates!

2006-08-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

Some down time last week, back on the air!

2006-08-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Ninja Radio listeners!

Last week, due to some mix up of katana swords for radio antennas and some crossing of ninja stars and ip numbers, the station was down for about a day or two. Thanks for your patience and tune in again!

Now, back to training to fly over rooftops...

From diymedia.net: FCC Enforcement Action doubled this year

2006-07-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

7/18/06 - Microradio's Second Wave [link to this story]

The FCC has now conducted more enforcement actions against unlicensed AM and FM stations in the first half of 2006 than it did in the entirety of 2005, which broke all previous records for cat-and-mouse action. However, this milestone was reached by a bit of paperwork puffery on the part of the FCC. For example, as field agents hunted recent activity on San Francisco Liberation Radio's old frequency (93.7), they sent warning letters to two people and the owner/manager of the building they apparently live in. In the recent past, tagging one would have sufficed.

This year the FCC also broke its drought of issuing forfeiture (fine) notices to pirate stations. Four people have been presented with $10,000 government invoices so far this year, compared with none in 2005. Each case took at least a year to reach that level of escalation, and based on the FCC's prior collection history, it will be lucky if it actually sees dough from half of them.

A few people have also received Notices of Apparent Liability ("pre-fines"); the latest was issued to a man in Florida this month, a year to the day that the FCC opened up its case. Interestingly, although the local police were heavily involved in the proceedings, the authorities elected to go the FCC route instead of with a state felony charge.

To me, the longer view is most interesting. The graph at right represents my count of the number of enforcement actions the FCC has conducted against unlicensed AM/FM/SW broadcasters every year, since 1997.

Note the wave that begins to grow in 2002. The FCC proposed licensed, low-power FM radio in 1999, considered it in 2000, and formally began implementing the service in 2001-02.

The National Association of Broadcasters formally declared war on microbroadcasting on January 12, 1998, which explains the spike that year. The lull of the next three years was a political gesture. Once LPFM stations started to take to the air, the heat was turned back up.

But I do not believe this fully explains the spike in enforcement actions. In 2004, the FCC hit about 30-40 stations with 92 total enforcement actions. 70-80 stations were on the FCC's radar in 2005, when it served up 143. This year, the number of affected stations is already well north of 50. Thus it would appear the number of stations is growing, in rough proportion to the number of enforcement actions taken by the FCC.
The administrative inflation, which began last year, bears further watching.

The important conclusion seems to be that LPFM did little, if anything, to satiate the public demand for increased access to the airwaves. It certainly piqued a lot of interest in microbroadcasting, and perhaps made many realize just how easy it is to do, with permission or not.

radio ain't cheap! lets do a benefit show!

2006-07-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

We are really strapped for cash and could really use your financial assistance to stay on the air. What we do is a service to our community. If you value that service, please make a donation by clicking the paypal button here:

So, lets do a benefit show! Are you in a band that would like to perform to help out pirate radio in san diego? Can you help us find or get a venue for a show? If so, let us know! If you can help at all, email 1069fm at resist d[]t ca !

Lets keep pirate radio alive and well in san diego! We hope you're enjoying that lovely 150 watt signal and we are too, so lets keep that signal going!

With our ninja swords held high like antennas...

love,

the 1069fm teenage mutant ninjas

Getting the kinks worked out

2006-05-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

We've been up about month now, and if you've noticed, sometimes we aren't there. But we tightened some bolts, kicked the antennae, and are hoping that we'll be have a more consistent stream from here on out.
Thanks for all your positive comments, we really appreciate it.

Reports of New Coverage Area

2006-04-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hey there 106.9 listeners! We've been keepin gour antennas held high like swords and apparently our new 150 watt transmitter is working really well. One commenter said:

"Your Signal is almost everywhere, even better than 96.9!

Last evening I monitored you from 52&805 all the way to Santee where you dropped out, but once I reached Navajo on the 125 you were back to full strength. Your report of 150 watts is believable, but I would guess you also have a gain antenna based on your coverage area, one of our other guys said your signal was decent almost the Mexican border...

Oh how about that Stereo signal?"

While that's very kind, we still have much to learn about pirate skills and we don't think our coverage is as good as 96.9's. A good ninja must be humble. And as for stereo, we'd love to have a stereo signal. Feel free to hit that donate button and help us make it happen!

Some people have said that the signal cuts out at Claremont Mesa, but others have said that they could pick it up into parts of La Jolla!

Here are some areas we've heard the signal in:

barrio logan
sherman heights
north park
south park
downtown
lemon grove
la mesa
national city
linda vista
near sdsu
chula vista
national city

we've heard spotty coverage in these areas:
hillcrest
mission valley
pacific beach

Please keep posting comments and emailing us with your reports about where you can hear the signal!

The Resurrection of 106.9FM

2006-04-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Easter! Your favorite unholy radio station has risen from the dead!

We're back! 150 watts of rebellion!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Radio is back! Tune in to 106.9FM!

Down but not out!

2006-04-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

We are continuing to work in clandestinity, despite the threats of economic violence from the FCC. We have secured a new location and have just about all the pieces for our new upgraded setup! Thank you for your donations and your support! Please stay tuned, we will be back after this short message from our anti-sponsor...

Benefit Party @ Sparky's Saturday!!!

2005-12-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

The wonderful people over at radioActive sanDiego are organizing a benefit party for us this saturday at Sparky's! We're so happy that the incredible San Diego community cares so much about supporting pirate radio. Thank you. We're working hard on getting all the gear to come back on the air even stronger.

Come out Saturday night and have a beer to support clandestine ninja pirate radio in San Diego!

Flyers
Listen to the radio announcement
Original Announcement

Temporary Shutdown

2005-11-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

Sadly, we at 106.9FM want to announce that we will be going off of the air temporarily, due to lack of funds. Remaining anonymous and raising funds has proven to be a very difficult task. We raised enough money at our last benefit to cover some of our operating costs, including utilities and internet access. We have also received a few generous donations which have helped us buy equipment for our new wattage upgrade. Unfortunately, we haven't gotten enough donations to continue our broadcast.

The need to remain anonymous, due to the climate of violent repression of free speech in the United States, also keeps us from more common methods of fundraising like grant writing. Guerillas in the concrete jungle can't just take off their masks in order to ask for cash from foundations. Our ability to continue this project hinges on our anonymity, and so in order to keep broadcasting for you, and for ourselves, we are dedicated to maintaining that anonymity.

We have been working hard to maintain and improve our pirate signal. We feel that we are at a critical time, when so many environmental changes, rebellions and uprisings are taking place. This is a critical time for independent broadcasters. The need for the US government to control the idea sphere is made obvious over and over again, most recently with the harassment of journalists under martial law conditions after hurricane Katrina, or most poignantly with the murder of journalists in Iraq in the Palestine hotel.

If you share our passion to have free, unrestricted, non-corporate voices on the airwaves in San Diego, please help us find the funds to continue operating. We are in debt already because of covering the operating costs and buying equipment for our upgrade. If we can raise this money then we can come back on the air with the wattage upgrade we promised and continue providing our pirate broadcast for all the rebels of San Diego.

If you can donate, please do. Just go to http://1069fm.blogspot.com and click on the Make a Donation button. If you have fundraising suggestions, please email them to us at info@1069fm.org. If you have words of support, criticism, or feedback, those are very welcome as well.

Know that we are continuing to work on this project, and are committed to making it sustainable in the long term, and to continue defying any government that tries to suppress our broadcast.

With love and rebellion,

the 106.9FM urban pirates

>From our web page:
http://1069fm.org

Why 106.9FM?

Because we live in an age of information warfare, where the US murders foreign journalists, shuts down foreign newspapers that are critical of it and invades peoples' homes at gunpoint for contraband videotapes and broadcast equipment.

Because the FCC has said that there is no more room on the dial in San Diego. Even if we wanted to comply with the idea that we should ask for our own airwaves, the only way to do so would be to buy an already licensed station, which could cost up to $50 million dollars.

Because we reject the intellectual property regimes that say that we don't have the right to share the music we love. Those same intellectual property regimes say that the genes in your body are owned by corporations, and that indigenous knowledge can be patented without
reparation, like colonists of old with electron microscopes.

Because the corproate media has failed us. By law, their primary interest must be to make a profit, not to represent us. In their endless drive for more profit, the corporate media has been complicit in sending our generation to their deaths in a war for profit.

Because as a part of capitalism, the corporate media only represents the richest white men in this country, and is organized in an oppressive heirarchy where Rupert Murdoch can define how every journalist in his corporation is going to behave. Their images of false beauty, of whiteness, straightness and piety do not represent us.

Because we have been lied to long enough about the joys of consumerism and the prosperity that will come from hard work.

Because we make the decisions that affect our own lives.

Please donate!

2005-08-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to keep us on the air and help us improve our signal, please donate!

106.9FM Threatened by FCC, Refuses to Comply

2005-08-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Press Release

106.9FM Threatened by FCC, Refuses to Comply

Who: 106.9FM, A San Diego Pirate Radio Station
Contact: 1069fm at resist dot ca
What: FCC threat received, refusal to comply

Around mid-day on August 2nd, the FCC issued a 24-hour demand for the shut-down of 106.9fm with a threat of a $10,000 fine. 106.9fm, one of two pirate radio stations operating in San Diego, has been reclaiming the airwaves for a little over one year. The FCC has visited the undisclosed location three times before, however never with such a serious threat. 106.9fm rebroadcasts the content of a local internet radio station, Radioactive San Diego, which can heard at www.radioactiveradio.org.

This is clearly another example in the government sponsored attack on Freedom of Speech. Only two weeks ago Free Radio San Diego 96.9fm was raided by the FCC, having all of their equipment seized.

We at 106.9fm refuse to comply with the demands of the FCC. We strongly believe in democratic access to our public media outlets. Until the airwaves and other media outlets are accessible to all, we will continue to reclaim what is rightfully ours.

Over the next two weeks, members of the station will be working to build a new transmitter. Hence, you will be unable to hear our regular broadcast until that time. We want to make clear that our absence from the dial is not due to the threat of the FCC. Rather this upgrade is a result of the community demand for a bigger, bolder, stronger signal.

The station will not only resume broadcasting within two weeks, but with the help of community sponsors, we will go back on the air five times stronger. That's right. From 30 watts to 150 watts.

Watch out San Diego, we'll be back.

For more information contact:
106.9FM
1069fm at resist dot ca
www.1069fm.org

- end -

temporary down time

2005-05-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry, we're down today. Looks like one of our ethernet cables died. Should be back up tonight...

behind our masks, we are you...

2005-04-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

sorry, its been a long time since we've posted an update here. lots of things have happened. for one, crimethinc released a hot new poster, behind our masks, we are you.

but seriously, thank you so much to everyone who came out to our benefit party at sparky's. we're very sorry that we had to have a cardboard cut out be our replacement, but we had bad colds, all of us.

here's the indymedia post with our super hot flyers. i like the circuitboard one, it gets me all excited and tingly.

we made just over $300 at that event. we plan to use that money to increase our signal strength buy goodies like stickers and we'll probably spread some of the wealth around to the other great insurgent media org's in san diego.

here's something to chew on until we get around to making another post...

SUPPORT PIRATE RADIO Letter Campaign

2005-01-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

Do you listen to pirate radio in San Diego? Do you appreciate commercial free, honest, real radio from real people like you? Do you like hearing anti-war voices on the FM dial?

Please send in a letter today! Print this out or email it to an elected representative, a person at the FCC, or a local newspaper! Custom tailor it to who you're sending it to. Its written now to be sent to a public official like Donna Frye or Barbara Boxer.

Please help out pirate radio in San Diego by showing your support and urging the FCC to stop their harassment campaign against community broadcasters in San Diego. Send us an email at info@1069fm.org if you do send something out, or just cc us on your email to your elected official. At the bottom of the letter are some suggested places to send this.

Support community media outlets!

Also, if you don't have time to send a letter, you can comment directly to the FCC here: http://www.prometheusradio.org/localism

=============================================

Dear [[[NAME OF LETTER RECIPIENT HERE]]],

106.9FM is a new low power FM radio station that has been set up in order to provide a voice for community media activists in San Diego, and those working for peace and social justice, on the San Diego airwaves. The FCC has publicly stated that there are no more frequencies available for licensing in the San Diego region, so there are no legal avenues for community broadcasters.

The content of 106.9 consists of community members, local poets, musicians and spoken word artists. 106.9 provides important community announcements that provide communication for people in San Diego in a way that no other corporate owned stations do.

In the few months that 106.9FM has been on the air, the FCC has already visited our broadcast location twice and sent us letters threatening us with massive fines. At both visits they sent three agents. This huge expense of taxpayer money comes at a time when the claim is being made that San Diego has no money to build a new homeless shelter and Governor Schwarzenegger is making massive cuts in education spending.

The FCC is using intimidation tactics of questionable legality, such as demanding entrance to our broadcast location without a warrant. Senator Diane Feinstein began a Senate Inquiry into the legality of these tactics in 2003. Further, the FCC has stated that 106.9FM is not causing any interference with other stations and that there have been no complaints about the signal.

Also, there is a bill before the Senate, s2505, to allow for a more broad use of low power FM. Senate Bill #2505, the bill designed to 'implement the recommendations of the Federal Communications Commission regarding Low Power FM', (LPFM) was introduced by Senators John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont. Approximately 400 Low Power FM (LPFM) radio stations currently serve communities across the United States. Corporate lobbying interests such as the National Association of Broadcasters have curtailed the expansion of the LPFM service, keeping these non-commercial, completely local stations from being built in all but one of the top 50 markets in the US. If s2505 becomes law, thousands of stations will reach American communities, including at least one to four in most major cities.

We urge you to contact the FCC office in San Diego and demand that they stop their intimidation and harassment of community media activists who are only exercising their free speech rights. In addition, we urge you to contact Senator Feinstein and ask her to proceed with her Senate inquiry into the FCC's illegal practices. Lastly, we urge you to tell the FCC to stop their harassment of all low power FM broadcasters until senate bill 2505 has been voted upon and the legality of their actions is decided and to support senate bill 2505.

Thank You,

[[[YOUR NAME HERE]]]

Contact Information:

June E. Gonzalez
Compliance Specialist
Enforcement Bureau
4542 Ruffner St, Room 370
Phone: (858) 496-5111
jgonzalez@fcc.gov

Commissioner Michael J. Copps
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554

Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554

Chief of Investigations and Hearings, Maureen Del Duca
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554

Enforcment Bureau Chief David Solomon
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554

Federal Communications Commission
Southern California Enforecment Division
4542 Ruffner St Rm 370
San Diego, CA 92111 – 2216

Senator Dianne Feinstein
331 Hart Senate OB
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3841

Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate OB
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (619) 239-3884
Phone: (202) 224-3553

Mayor Donna Frye
202 "C" Street, MS #10A
San Diego, CA 92101
Telephone: (619) 236-6616
Fax: (619) 236-7329
E-mail: donnafrye@sandiego.gov

"Mayor" Dick Murphy
202 "C" Street, 11th floor
San Diego, CA 92101
Telephone: 619-236-6330
Fax: 619-236-7228
E-Mail: DickMurphy@sandiego.gov

FCC Continues Its Attack On Community Radio

2004-11-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 16, 2004

For more information contact:
106.9FM
info@1069fm.org
www.1069fm.org

FCC CONTINUES ITS ATTACK ON COMMUNITY RADIO IN SAN DIEGO

The location of the pirate radio station 106.9FM in San Diego, California was visited for the third time by members of the FCC, Wednesday, the 10th of November. Agents entered the property, claiming that they did not need a warrant, to inspect the equipment. Subsequently, they issued a verbal order that the signal be shut down immediately, or the broadcasters would be issued a ten thousand dollar fine. Though it is not the policy of the station to honor the "authority" of the FCC, an un-knowing individual allowed the agents into the location. The station does not plan on further cooperation with the FCC and resumed broadcasting immediately.

"The FCC is continuing its campaign of intimidation and fear against people simply trying to exercise their first amendment right to free speech", said a member of 106.9FM who wishes to remain anonymous.

The FCC has said that 106.9FM is not interfering with any other radio stations and that there have been no complaints from the community. The FCC has also said that there are no frequencies available on the FM dial for licensing in San Diego.

In 2003, Senator Diane Feinstein began a senate inquiry into the questionable legal practice of the FCC demanding entrance to homes without a warrant.

For more information on the station and the history of the FCC and pirate radio, please visit the station's website at www.1069fm.org.

#

increase in stream reliability

2004-11-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

We recently configured our broadcast computer to restart the stream automatically more often, and it seems to us that its more reliable. What do you think?

Just to clarify, you can hear 1069fm in central san diego, so that means: downtown, north park, south park, hillcrest, city heights, kensington, golden hill. sometimes I can hear it as far north as balboe ave, but the reception isn't very good up there.

revolutions take a lot of work...

2004-09-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, so our signal has been up and down lately, but hopefully its stabilizing right now. We've got a pretty complicated set up going on in an effort to maintain our clandestine quality, and its takes a lot of work to get right. Feel free to email us or post here with comments/complaints/praise about the signal quality.

Recently, we participated in the really exciting Critical Mass Radio Network (CMRN) broadcast by rebroadcasting the radioActive sanDiego signal. CMRN is basically a nationwide network of independent, community radio stations with points of unity very similar to Indymedia. Its sort of like Indymedia for radio. They did a coordinated broadcast in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, Portland and New York on August 27th, the day before the RNC started, and the content was all about the RNC. You can check the website for more details and for an archive of the shows. In addition, we rebroadcast radioActive's live coverage of the RNC protests from the streets of NYC. It was awesome.

We're working on improving our signal's stability and strength. As soon as we figure out a way to do it cheaply and clandestinely, we'll have a way for you to make a donation here, because we can really use the dough. Pirate radio isn't cheap.

In the meantime, stay tuned for the next Critical Mass broadcast, the last friday of this month. The topic is going to be the National Association of Broadcasters, what's wrong with them and the rest of the corporate media, and all the powerful community projects going on to provide really democratic, corporate-free access to the information sphere. The NAB is having their confernce in San Diego this year, and a lot of great community organizations are doing a ton of work to create a counter conference, so check out Media emergenC for more info.

Thanks for listening to "the media revolution to make revolution possible".

through the red curtain

2004-08-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

We've decided to lift the veil a little bit and create more of an online presence. We feel that we need to provide some background to what we're doing, and to respond to all the community interest we've gotten by giving people a place to plug in. We also have a formica table, its color is green.

So, we're creating a blog. This will give us an easy way to communicate with you about what we're doing and how we're improving our pirate signal. It will also provide a place where you can communicate with us about what you think of what we're doing.

We hope that this blog and this website will be a place for discussion around media issues in San Diego. We're happy to join the many other San Diego media activists working to send out a strong revolutionary signal to activate all the angst and joy filled antennas and transistors out there in the minds of radicals in San Diego and beyond.

Unfortunately, speech isn't free in the United States, so we'll have to keep our bandanas on until after the revolution. Until then, we'll see you in the streets and behind the barricades and we can only speak over the airwaves, so tune in to 106.9FM in San Diego.