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This week we have another great example of North American Free Radio. Broadcasting out of the Rocky Mountain State of Montana, Bill O Rights began airing Radio Free Speech in 1993
The Inaugural broadcast of Radio Free Speech was in 1993 on 6240khz, and the voice of Radio Free Speech was Bill O. Rights, an extremely pro sounding announcer with what Author, Andy Yoder called, “The perfect voice”.  The format of Radio Free Speech revolved entirely around the subject of Free Speech.  The focus of the programming was on editorials and mailbag programs with Bill. Bill O. Rights would take on an almost professorial role, and lecture on the meaning of the 1st Amendment and why it was so important.  But he didn’t just limit his focus on “free speech”, he’d lecture on all the Amendments in the Bill of Rights and why they were still important to people today. Often he would encourage listeners with “calls to action” to let elected officials know how unhappy they were with the job they were doing.   During his “Mailbag” segments, Rights would read letters from listeners and give prizes and special QSLs’ for the best letters.

The signal from Radio Free Speech was peculiar.  The stations transmitter had a beautiful AM audio, but it was usually only 10-watts. Bill used one of the original “Grenade” transmitters, made by Radio Animal, and counted Radio Animal as a trusted friend.   Rights said he had a dipole, cut to frequency and was using Belden 9913 coax, also cut to frequency.  Bill seldom used his linear, a Heathkit SB-221, but when he did, he covered the globe, but only did this on very rare occasions.

Bill documented QSL’ing DX’ers in England, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Canada, South America and the United States.

Bill was a prolific producer of shows, and did over 40 different programs of Radio Free Speech, many of which were relayed by other Pirate Operators for years after Bill hung up his microphone.  Bill is still around, and can be found to post on the FRN-Vines, even did a new show in 2009, but for the most part is behind the scenes and is rumored to be helping Commander Bunny with the WBNY station and the Commander Bunny for President Campaign, where he is a trusted adviser.

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The fourth edition of The Hall of Fame Spotlight with a look back at Radio Garbanzo.

Since its first pirate transmission in 1987, Radio Garbanzo has become known as having some of the best produced programs in the North American pirate radio scene. Radio Garbanzo was known for elaborate skits and for playing music ”that FM used to play, but threw away like an old prostitute while seeking bigger profits” just a few of the plots in Radio Garbanzo programs have involved station manager Buck McMoney turning the station into a radio home shopping network, Radio Garbanzo overtaking a satellite uplink, spiking Huge G. Gough with LSD, Buck McMoney going to jail and finally the gang broadcasting mobile from an Ethel’s Panel truck.

Unfortunately Radio Garbanzo was silent nearly from about 1991 to 1998. Fearless returned with a new, music based program that was heard by many listeners with good signals in December 1999. This program was repeated New Year’s day. The station was silent until May, when it rattled off seven of its eight broadcasts for the year. Three of these were the well produced Radio Garbanzo semi-annual Memorial Day shows in which Fearless pays a respectful tribute to the shortwave pirates that had been raided by the FCC over the last ten years. Several of the other broadcasts aired were for the Mothers Day 2000 show, which included a timely ad for the U.S. Forest Service Fires-R-Us Los Alamos BBQ.

(from Andy Yoder’s Pirate Radio Stations: Tuning in to Underground Broadcasts in the Air and Online)

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The third edition of The Hall of Fame Spotlight with a look back at the Voice Of Pancho Villa.

Each year at the end of the SWL Winterfest Pancho Villa takes to the airwaves.  The program is usually written in the closet of one of the rooms, by someone highly intoxicated, and then on the last day of Winterfest, a motely crew of DX’ers, partied out, record the program.  The part of Pancho has been played by a number of different people over the years, but Harold Cones is undoubtedly the best (?) of the Pancho’s.  Every DX’er of note has been on a “Voice of Pancho Villa” program over the years.  It is played over the air by those who came to Winterfest with an FM or Shortwave radio transmitter, which is usually 99% of the people. Typically it is heard at Midnight to mark the END of Winterfest on many FM and Shortwave frequencies.

Pancho audio page.

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The second edition of The Hall of Fame Spotlight with a look back at KNBS
KNBS took to the air in January of 1985 to advocate decriminalization of marijuana. Front man Phil Muzik used a low-key approach, playing pot-themed music and reminding listeners that in a “free country” the individual, not the government, had the constitutional right to make the decisions in his or her life. Studio engineer Pot Seedy was never heard on the air, and usually couldn’t be seen in the booth because of all the pot smoke in there. The station used the slogan “The Station With Your Mind In Mind.”The station was owned and operated by the California Marijuana Cooperative and claimed a transmitter site on Alcatraz Island, in San Francisco Bay. In later years KNBS was joined by a Canadian relay station, CNBS, but it was difficult to tell which transmitter was in use for any broadcast since it was never announced.

KNBS also supported NORML, and cooperated with Radio Free Euphoria from time to time. They were a good verifier with a few different cards and a series of sheets and posters. They also sent out pennants and, for a lucky few, pens. The last reported transmission from KNBS was on New Year’s Day in 1998.