TRAV - Pirate radio 95.9, Rocking the Coast

For much of our time on the road, we listened to "Radio Fiesta 590." Even though it was a Spanish language station, my dad found the polka-like music very agreeable. (I was also pleased that my Spanish was good enough I could get the gist of some of the news stories they broadcast.)

As interesting as "Radio Fiesta" was, on the drive home, we had a even more unusual listening experience, around Melbourne. We picked up an FM Rock station. Their music was, from my standpoint, very agreeable--though I recognized only four songs we heard--Metallica's "Hero of the Day," Korn's "Twisted Transistor," Pearl Jam's "Alive" and the Foo Fighters' "All My Life"--everything they played, would be what I'd describe as hard alternative rock/metal.

The station was not very powerful, and was soon overpowered by Orlando's 95.7. During the entire time we listened (for about ten songs), the only identification they broadcast was "Pirate Radio 95.9. Rocking the Coast!" There was only one commercial during that time--for a program on that station. ("Callahan and..." somebody--I didn't catch the other name.)

I can only conclude it was a real pirate radio station.

I'd never managed to catch an unlicensed station before--the irony of their "illegal status" is that they were better than any of the "legal" local rock stations. (I put that in quotes advisedly--I consider government licensing of radio stations as an unconstitutional infringement of freedom of speech and of the press. That is not an opinion the courts seem to share with me, however.) I don't know why the station owners were on the air. With no apparent way for them to make money, and them risk of onerous penalties if the government catches them (a local TV news story about an apparently unrelated--and not as harmless--pirate station claimed it was a felony to operate an unlicensed station in Florida), it doesn't seem worth it. However, I for one would complain to the FCC if they were taken off the air.