Feds Seize Manhattan Pirate’s Equipment

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The crackdown on pirate radio stations continues. FCC agents, in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Marshals Service, seized radio equipment from Rumba FM, operating illegally at 95.3 in Manhattan.

The station was broadcasting from a high-rise apartment building in the city. The joint press release says the operator ignored several warnings. Authorities seized equipment operated by the illegal station at that station’s antenna location on St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan.

“Pirate radio stations are illegal, as they operate without an FCC license, and cause real harm. These stations can cause interference to legitimate, licensed broadcasters and can prevent those broadcasters from delivering critical public-safety information to listeners,” said Rosemary Harold, Chief of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. “We are pursuing multiple legal routes to stop pirate broadcasters and this seizure action in Manhattan is one of them. We thank our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Marshals Service, and we’re particularly thankful for the great work of FCC field agents in combating this problem.”

3 COMMENTS

  1. It is even sadder that the FCC let this happen as long as they did. A pirate station on 93.5 in Manhatten interferes with both WPAT on 93.1 and WNYC on 93.9.

  2. This is sad. When consulting stations in Dublin I was surprised and then very happy to learn that pirate stations in Ireland are “part of our culture.” They show in the ratings. They are often temporary stations that operate for months often to promote a single local business. They have intriguing names and unique shows. Dublin broadcasters are not threatened by them. I think the FCC should really focus on the outrageous and suspicious charges on my phone bill, my cable bill and how many CAR DEALERS turn off the HD system in new vehicles.

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