telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) (08/30/89)
The Federal Communications Commission has slapped Chicago radio station WLUP-AM (1000) and WLUP-FM (97.9) with a $5000 fine and threatened to pull their license for illegally broadcasting phone calls to 'unsuspecting individuals'. The FCC specifically cited 'willful behavior and repeated violations of its policy that recipients of phone calls from radio stations must be informed in advance -- and on the air at the start of the call -- that they are being broadcast. In particular, the FCC noted that morning host Jonathon Brandmeier and mid-day host Kevin Matthews were in frequent violation of this rule. Scott G. Ginsberg, president and chief executive officer of Evergreen Media Corporation, parent company and license holder for WLUP confirmed that his company had paid the $5000 fine without protest for illegally broadcasting phone calls. He compared this punishment to receiving a traffic ticket. Both Brandmeier and Matthews enjoy harrassing people on the phone, and broadcasting the reaction of their victims over the air. One of the calls placed by Matthews involved him posing as a police officer. He called a funeral home and spoke to the widow of a man who died the day before. He told her that her neice and nephew, who were scheduled to come to the funeral home later that day to help with burial arrangements had been arrested. The widow was not amused. She filed suit against WLUP and Matthews. Brandmeier likes to harrass celebreties by managing to find their unlisted home phone numbers and call them at 6:30 or 7:00 AM when his show goes on the air. He also pulls phone scams including sending unwanted food orders; calling employers to provide excuses for employees who won't be at work that day, and similar. Always broadcasting the calls on the air, of course. But it was the call to the grieving widow at the funeral home which got the FCC livid. The Commission contacted the station that day, and an Enforcement Officer threatened to put the station off the air that day -- in a matter of minutes when he could get the order signed. After some discussion, WLUP was permitted to continue broadcasting, but a memo was circulated to all employees warning that effective immediatly, any violation of the phone rules would lead to immediate termination. But despite this, less than three months later, Brandmeier pulled another of his obnoxious phone pranks. This time, the FCC gave him personally a $5000 fine, and told WLUP 'either keep those two under control on the air or you'll get your license yanked.' Now WLUP faces more sanctions, and the probable non-renewal of its license when it expires December 1, 1989. Afternoon disk jockey Steve Dahl routinely broadcasts indecent material on his show. Daily topics of conversation include sadism and masochism, child molestation, sexual behavior of all sorts, and frequent slurs of the most vicious kind against gay people. He uses 'street language' to express himself, of course, and has used the famous 'seven words you never say on the radio' more times than anyone remembers. The victims of the phone pranks have consulted with their own attorney as a group, and he in turn is pressing the FCC to shut down WLUP completely. Ginsberg says he does not understand why the FCC is picking on them. He says it must be competing radio stations that would like to see them off the air, since they are rated number three in the Chicago area, which certainly says a lot about Chicagoan's taste in radio entertainment. Patrick Townson
tanner@ki4pv.uucp (Dr. T. Andrews) (08/31/89)
Incredible, isn't it? Three complaints and a lawsuit later, the FCC
are piddling around with $5000 fines in Chicago. In New York, they send
boats out to international water to destroy transmitters and sieze
persons and property. (Technically this is termed "piracy". See a
lawyer before you try it yourself.)
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...!bikini.cis.ufl.edu!ki4pv!tanner ...!bpa!cdin-1!ki4pv!tanner
or... {allegra attctc gatech!uflorida uunet!cdin-1}!ki4pv!tannerpcf@galadriel.british-telecom.co.uk (Pete French) (09/04/89)
In a recent article tanner@ki4pv.uucp (Dr. T. Andrews) writes... >Incredible, isn't it? Three complaints and a lawsuit later, the FCC >are piddling around with $5000 fines in Chicago. In New York, they send >boats out to international water to destroy transmitters and sieze >persons and property. (Technically this is termed "piracy". See a >lawyer before you try it yourself.) Interesting you should mention this...about 3 weeks ago a joint Dutch/English force attacked a "Pirate" radio station in international waters, smashed up the transmitters, seized albums, injured some of the crew and staff in the process and the forcibly towed away the ship. (This info is extracted from newspaper articles + "earwitnesses" who were listening to it at the time. The reason for this - the station was causing "Interference". This is a bit implausible since it has been there over 25 years - you would have thought that they would have got around to raiding them before now if they had really been worried about the emissions. The ships owners (who are Canadian) are aparrently sueing the Dutch/british governments for piracy and have promised to have the station back on air by the autumn. I have not heard about the New York incedent - what was this ? -Pete. -Pete French. | British Telecom Research Labs. | "The carefree days are distant now, Martlesham Heath, East Anglia. | I wear my memories like a shroud..." All my own thoughts (of course) | -SIOUXSIE