KBFR was Boulder’s pirate radio station. The equipment owners “jumped the gun” and purchased their low power broadcasting equipment before the final bill was passed. The final legislation, while not technically outlawing low power FM stations, basically did just that especially in urban areas.
That said, these jokers decided they would run their radio station anyway. They picked a frequency of 95.3 MHz which plants them close to two stations owned by broadcasting conglomerate Clear Channel Communications. The two channels were KBCO (97.3) and “The Peak” (96.5). The story goes that no one knows who turned them in to the FCC but clearly the KBFR owners are of suspicous of Clear Channel.
From the articles I have, KBFR (Boulder Free Radio) started sometime between January 2000 and June of 2001 and has had a run of over 4 years. This article in todays paper says the station has shut down for good. Apparently the FCC “brought the hammer down” so to speak. The station director has this to say…
We’re gone for good,” Monk, the station’s pseudonymous director, said in an e-mail Wednesday. “When the government decides they want to’get’ you at all costs, there’s little you can do to win. … Welcome to fascist America.”
The kinder gentler definition of facism is:
Oppressive, dictatorial control.
Who broke the law here, not only once but many times over the last 4 years? They jumped the gun and bought their equipment before the law was passed, didn’t like the final legislation, and did what they wanted anyway, in clear violation of the laws. I suspect they caused no harm, but their reaction to a law that didn’t agree with their plans shows little respect for the rule of law.