UNLICENSED RADIO STATIONS
Local unlicensed AM and FM radio stations—often operating quietly within communities across the United States—represent a grassroots extension of the pirate radio tradition. Broadcasting without FCC authorization, these stations typically serve very localized audiences with neighborhood news, niche music formats, religious programming, or community-focused talk that larger stations often overlook. Found on both the AM band and FM bands—they can range from low-power hobby setups to more persistent operations with regular schedules. Though subject to enforcement actions, many of these stations develop loyal followings and reflect a desire for hyper-local expression, offering a glimpse into voices and perspectives rarely heard on licensed broadcast outlets. The stations below were heard in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, area.
2000 FLUSHES PIRATE RADIO - 99.3 FM
2000 Flushes Pirate Radio was an unlicensed, low-power 99.3 FM station that operated in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area around 1995, representing a notable example of the Twin Cities' 1990s underground micro-broadcasting scene.
1995 - Aircheck - (provided by Robert Konshak)
1995 - 2000 Flushes Pirate Radio interview with Eric Generic - Broadcast on KNOW-FM 91.1 FM - (provided by Robert Konshak)
BALLOT BOX RADIO - 95.7 FM
Some radio managers around the Twin Cities had made it publicly known that they weren’t going to carry mayoral advertising that year. So, a group of individuals from a local organization concerned about the direction radio was taking, along with a handful of radio people, put together the Ballot Box Radio. The signal originated somewhere near campus and was linked wirelessly from a remote location. There was a fellow from the Twin Cities Reader who embedded himself at the secret Ballot Box Radio studio and wrote an article about the operation. All candidates were invited, but Barbara Carlson was the only one who accepted the invitation. She made a few visits to the secret studio and participated in roundtable discussions. Tom DiNanni was the interview host. Programming featured quite a lot of REV 105 type music, generally younger hosts, and ambient music on Sunday nights. The FCC failed to locate the station because of various decoys and other measures that were used to throw them off the track.
November 1997 - 95.7 FM - Tom DiNanni - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
BEAT RADIO - 97.7 FM
Beat Radio originally was an unlicensed radio station in Minneapolis, MN that played dance music. Founded by local radio DJ and programmer, Alan Freed, in 1996, the station served downtown Minneapolis and surrounding neighborhoods and reached into the western, northwestern and southwestern suburbs. The original station at 97.7 FM operated for 103 days until it was shut down by the Federal Communications Commission. Beat Radio subsequently moved to licensed stations and eventually became a nationwide radio network.
1996 - Alan Freed
8/20/1996 and 10/28/1996 - Alan Freed - The 10/28 broadcast was only four days before the FCC pulled the plug on Beat Radio, and the tape begins with an editorial plea from Alan Freed for low-power FM.
Articles on Beat Radio: St. Paul Pioneer Press 11/2/1996 - 6/7/1998
Beat Radio/Alan Freed (97.7 FM)
Various TV Station Reports - 1996 - Part #1
ReportBeat Radio/Alan Freed (97.7 FM Unlicensed/ 1280 AM & Network)
Various TV Stations - 1996/1998 - Part #2
KAVR-AM - 1200 / 1210 AM
From Drew Durigan: "I built my first AM Broadcaster Kit when I was 10. I think I went through about six of them over the years. The reason I was on 1200 sometimes and 1210 others is twofold: Nighttime interference from WOAI was sometimes a factor. WCAU also had some signal, but where I was located, WOAI was much stronger than WCAU. So, I'd sometimes move up to 1210 at night (when WAVN was off-the-air.) Also, in the summer of 1978, one of the original "talking house" transmitters showed up on 1200 about a mile away from me. They'd cause interference on the southern edge of my coverage area. They didn't operate continuously. But when they were on, I'd sometimes move up to 1210. Can you tell this was what I wanted to do "when I grew up?"
1979 - Drew Durigan
KLHM-AM - 1060 AM
From Al Arneson: "In the summer of 1968, KLHM began simulcasting on both 1060 AM and 106.1 FM, each operating with 100-milliwatt transmitters. Many of us went on to careers in commercial radio and television. Larry Carolla, who worked at KSTP, later joined KVIL and KLIF in Dallas. Preston Smith became the sound engineer for A Prairie Home Companion at Minnesota Public Radio. Cindy Subby co-hosted the noon news on WCCO-TV with Bill Carlson, handling weather and community events. She later hosted a midday show on KHJ-TV in Los Angeles. Al Arneson on WYOO (U100) and KSTP-AM. Others from KLHM also went on to careers in broadcasting and theater. It's hard to keep track of where everyone is today. On the first Saturday in February 1970, it was decided that KLHM would disband. At 10:00 that morning, we all gathered in the Cummings family's basement as the plug was pulled for the final time, signing off KLHM forever. Afterward, we piled into our cars and drove to KRSI Request Radio, where Denny Long welcomed us into the studio for a few minutes so everyone from the high school radio station could say their goodbyes. I still remember Denny playing "Always Something There to Remind Me" by R. B. Greaves—a popular song during the winter of 1970. It was a fitting way to say goodbye to an unforgettable chapter in our lives."
1969 - Collection of broadcasts (provided by Al Arneson)
KRVR-FM - 97.9 FM
KRVR-FM was an unlicensed "pirate" radio station that called itself Revolution Radio and broadcasted on 97.9 FM in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area during 2010.
5/4/2010 - Revolution Radio
MAGIC - 107.5 FM
From Magic 107.5 FM: This was an open frequency back then. The special, Christmas-only station was an answer to one simple thing. It was the pre-September 11 era, and commercial stations really didn’t want to play any Christmas music. Tuning into a Twin Cities radio station, for example, one Christmas morning, they were playing “Highway to Hell,” and that pushed us over the top. So, the following year, we went out in the fall months and interviewed a lot of people about their holiday memories. Then, we produced them into on-air pieces that we could present. We had some friends who volunteered their time to work over the holiday. The station had a wireless connection from the studio to the main transmitter, which was at a VERY tall location that shall remain undisclosed. 🙂 Some friendly person on the inside allowed us access to the location, since the place was a ghost town during the holidays. People reported hearing the Christmas station as far away as Red Wing and almost all the way to St. Cloud, past Stillwater—even down in the valley and well into Wisconsin. Some folks who found the station reported listening to it the entire holiday because it was such a breath of fresh air. Again, most stations in the Twin Cities would not play Christmas music back then, making Magic 107.5 easy to find.
Dec. 25, sometime in late 1990s - Part 1(opens in new tab) - Part 2(opens in new tab) - Part 3(opens in new tab) - Part 4(opens in new tab)
WGDR-AM - 1610 AM
Dec. 1975 - 1610 AM - "Get Down Radio"
WNRG-FM - 87.9 FM
Energy 87.9 was an unlicensed, low-power micro-broadcaster in the Minneapolis area playing electronic music, techno, and dance mixes
Nov. 2008 - Aircheck
WSKC-AM - 1610 AM
99% of WSKC's broadcasts were FM only, the AM/FM simulcast only occurred on a limited number of days in a two month window from Nov. 1974 - Jan. 1975. The FM signal was received at a separate location and rebroadcast on 1610 AM. The tower broadcasting the 1610 AM signal blew down during the famous Super Bowl blizzard of Jan. 1975. The above QSL verification card was received from the person re-broadcasting the signal on 1610 AM, which lists the power as 25 watts.
Dec. 1974 - Brad Spencer
12/26/1974 - Boogie Dave