SAN FRANCISCO -- While the authors of the Bill of Rights may have guaranteed everyone's right to yell from a soapbox, when it comes to radio transmissions -- which require ever-more-expensive station-licensing fees -- only those who can afford a golden soapbox may speak.
That's what National Lawyer's Guild member Peter Franck told small-scale independent radio broadcasters, often called "pirate" broadcasters, who gathered here from around the country over the weekend.
Since 1979, the Federal Communications Commission has not licensed radio stations under 100 watts and permits unlicensed broadcasts to reach no further than 200 feet. Because of the expense involved in running a powerful station, operating even a small radio station legally is beyond the budget of most community activists.
The Micropower Broadcaster Technical Faire and Gathering was organized by Radio Free Berkeley, a pirate radio station known for its legal skirmishes with the FCC. Founder Stephen Dunifer actively encourages other small broadcasters through publishing, advice, and personal example.
A small but energized group of about 50 people attended the event held Saturday and Sunday. Electronic components were on sale, as well as detailed guides put together by Dunifer and friends. Workshops were dedicated to building transmitters, the proper handling of studio equipment, and legal concerns. There was even a workshop for deadbeats interested in learning how to schmooze record companies for free stuff.
"Events like this are important," Dunifer said, "because they bring people together face to face, which helps build understanding, along with building skills."
Mike Bruce, a 15-year-old from Trinidad, California, was typical of the attendees: He was drawn in by the chance to network with other micropower broadcasters, to hone his technical know-how a bit, and purchase some equipment.
Bruce fell into broadcasting after reading an article about pirate radio and the Internet. After doing some research in his local library and online, he started a 1-watt radio station by purchasing a US$100 transmitter in April. Because he lives in a rural area, there are few other stations competing for airspace. So far, he has not been contacted by the authorities.
Bruce noted that most of the broadcasters he met seemed to have a social conscience, dedicating programming to those without a voice in commercial radio, like the poor.
Using the Internet as a broadcasting tool was also a hot topic. The focus of the Net workshops was not so much on streaming-media technologies like RealAudio, but rather on using the Internet to build a shared network of programmers.
The group spearheading most of the discussion and instruction was Radio4All, whose A-Infos Radio Project works as an online repository for electronic audio files of radio programs. Independent stations can upload them, transfer them to tape, and broadcast them.
One of Radio4All's founders, Lyn Gerry, was an 8-year veteran of KPFK, the Pacifica station in Los Angeles. After disagreeing with what she saw as a narrowing of perspectives at the station, Gerry left in 1995. A few months later, she and her colleagues began to talk about making greater use of the Internet. Radio4All, an outgrowth of those discussions, went online in May 1996.
The focus of both the broadcaster and the enthusiast was political rather than artistic; the defense of free speech in the technological age was a popular theme.
Franck expressed guarded optimism about what he described as a more conciliatory tone recently from the FCC, pointing to a petition filed with the commission by the Lawyers' Guild in April supporting the micro-broadcasters.
"If the process is not just political power based, we may get somewhere," said Franck.
Dunifer, however, said he was not as optimistic. "I still believe that we're living under the law of 'He who has the gold makes the rules,'" said Dunifer. Yet he pointed out the growing strength of the movement, as well as the ease of making a case to the public.
"The average person, when told about the details of what we're doing, says 'What's the problem?'" said Dunifer. "It's very easy for them to see how the airwaves have been hijacked by corporations."
