Eugene Radio: Pirate Boldly Plans to Hack The Airwaves

Turn your radio dial all the way to the left and you might start picking up broadcasts from KHAC, Eugene’s new pirate radio station at 87.5 FM, “Hearts and Crimes Radio” with the tagline, “First on the Dial, First in Your Heart.”

According to the Eugene Weekly, KHAC has started beta testing its transmitter and plans to be up and running by Dec. 12, occupying an unlicensed spot on local airwaves with music and talk programming.

The radio roll-out is connected with the larger Occupy protest effort to shut down the West Coast ports that day, says Static, a member of the KHAC initiative. The port shutdown is a coordinated effort to shut down “Wall Street on the waterfront,” according to westcoastportshutdown.org and Portland is one the ports targeted. Dec. 12 is also the day the Eugene City Council will decide whether or not to extend Occupy Eugene’s camping permit.

The spot KHAC will occupy on the dial, 87.5, was chosen specifically because it is on the unused end of radio spectrum. It’s so underutilized that some radios, particularly car radios, don’t even have it on the dial, according to Static, a member of the KHAC initiative. “It’s a limited edition frequency,” he says. KHAC expects the range of the station to be throughout the greater Eugene area.

Static says he knows some people will ask, “Why don’t you use the internet?” instead of radio. But KHAC’s aim it to reach the people who don’t have internet access so “some homeless person pushing a shopping cart with a transistor radio could have access.” 

Future programming might include anything from radio broadcasts of Occupy Eugene general assemblies to talk radio and music.

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Tom's Take:  Organizers plan to hold a fundraiser for the pirate radio station at a time and location that they will announce later. In the meanwhile, the pirates have contact info: email 87.5.Eugene@gmail.com or call 286-KHAC.  Will the FCC dial?