Sometimes
known as "pirate radio," micro radio has struck fear into
the hearts of corporate media conglomerates since its explosion onto
the American scene in the 1990s. Corporate media chains, represented
in Washington by the National Association of Broadcasters, have attempted
to crush it—through the FCC, through the courts, and, most recently,
by Congressional act. Yet still micro broadcasters battle to keep
their stations on the air. This is the story of one station—San
Francisco Liberation Radio. Founded in 1993 as a voice on behalf of
the city of San Francisco's homeless population, SFLR has been on
the frontlines of the struggle to free the airwaves from corporate
control. This struggle has evolved, quite literally, into a class
war between rich and poor—with the airwaves of America as the
prize.
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