Free Radio Santa Cruz (FRSC) is an unlicensed radio station in Santa Cruz, California, USA. The station has been on the air since Spring, 1995; its broadcast content is a mix of daily news, music, and cultural programs, produced both locally and nationally.
Because FRSC does not have a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the station is in open violation of US federal regulations. Free Radio Santa Cruz allows individuals in the community to have their own shows, and encourages participation through donations, membership in the broadcasting collective, and calling in live during shows.
On September 29, 2004, the station was raided by agents of the FCC, backed by federal marshals armed with assault rifles. No arrests were made, but the agents shut down the station and physically seized nearly all of the equipment, including computers, mixing boards, microphones, headphones, CD players, and CDs. The equipment was never returned.
However, with a strong showing of community support, the station was streaming online again within 48 hours and transmitting at 101.1 FM less than a month after the raid. FRSC continues to stream and broadcast 24 hours a day. As of October 2011, the station is broadcasting on 101.3 MHz.
Famous quotes containing the words free, radio and/or santa:
“I am a free man. I feel as light as a feather.”
—Javier Pérez De Cuéllar (b. 1920)
“The radio ... goes on early in the morning and is listened to at all hours of the day, until nine, ten and often eleven o’clock in the evening. This is certainly a sign that the grown-ups have infinite patience, but it also means that the power of absorption of their brains is pretty limited, with exceptions, of course—I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. One or two news bulletins would be ample per day! But the old geese, well—I’ve said my piece!”
—Anne Frank (1929–1945)
“I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.”
—Shirley Temple Black (b. 1928)