The Movement now legal at 1700 AM
Erie-Meadville: A few months ago, two pirate radio stations in the City of Erie were shut down by the FCC. "90.1 The Movement" was one of those stations. According to a report on "Action News 24" Saturday night, The Movement has returned legally at 1700 AM. It appears that the station is operating as a low powered AM station in the city at 0.1 or 100 milliwatts. The coverage area can be as far as three miles or possibly more depending on atmospheric conditions. Bottom line: It's the power allowed by the FCC without having a license. Marshall Jones who operates the station in his living room says that he worked with the FCC to get things legal because he feels that an Urban based format is needed in the Erie market. Jones hopes to eventually move to FM legally with a Low Powered FM license. This is Erie first Urban radio station since the former WBLQ graced the airwaves at 1400 in the late 1980's.Readers’ Forum
It is not legal if he is transmitting a network of transmitters each low power but together becomes higher power than he is advertising. He is running 3 transmitters on the same frequency across the city and plans to expand it further, the FCC I believe would only look the other way if it was one transmitter. I expect the FCC will be visiting MJ again soon and force at least some of the transmitters off the air because it is illegal to transmit (check the FCC database, no permit exists and he received his information from other pirates located out of state).
To be a legal low power FM he needs to use the model that WXCS used and stop bending the rules. Ohh wait, he can’t do it that way now because the FCC has a clause that no low power FM can have a previous violation for illegal operation.
james - May 17, 2010 at 10:38 pm
I thought Jet should have interviewed Sam Reese of WXCS for the story. 100 watts would have covered the city and on FM if Marshall would have done it legally the first time. I don’t know if he’d be busted being on the AM band at 1700 with translators and not anywhere near another station (well unless you count 1640 for NOAA weather.) Time will tell.
Tom Lavery (URL) - May 18, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Arrr…Pirate radio rules!! (As long as it is not broadcasting the Pittsburgh Pirates) Arrr!!
Bruce - May 19, 2010 at 9:39 pm