Making Waves (2004/II)

User Rating:

9.7/10   

Director:

Michael Lahey

Writer:

Michael Lahey (writer)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

If the public took back the airwaves, what would they sound like?

Plot:

What do a public access TV personality, an electronics engineer, a Vietnam vet, a libertarian congressional...

Plot Keywords:

First Amendment | Unlicensed Radio | Constitutional Rights | Airwaves | Pirate Radio

Cast

Shane Eden	...	Shane Eden
David Forbes	...	David Forbes
Marshall Home	...	Marshall Home
Aage Nost	...	Aage Nost
Pastor Rick Strawcutter	...	Pastor Rick Strawcutter
James Welborn	...	James Welborn

Runtime:

USA:64 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

What pirate radio looks like, sorta... (SPOILERS!)

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"Making Waves" is the story of the Low Power FM movement in America which focuses on three unlicensed (aka pirate) stations in Tucson, Arizona: KOPC, KRVL, and Radio Limbo. The first two stations were originally one entity and operate publicly, while Radio Limbo is more the traditional unlicensed broadcaster (i.e. the DJs use pseudonyms, the equipment changes location regularly, and they only broadcast at night.) Because KOPC and KRVL are open about what they do, they get more screen time. All three stations are FM mostly because there are a small number of manufacturers of such equipment, though Libo's gear looks homemade.

Founded by former public access TV fixture Shane Eden, KRVL is backed by eccentric millionaire Marshall Home and staffed by arch-libertarian Aage Nost, working out of a small building owned by Home. The trio broadcast music, free-market libertarian and anti-government rants, and go so far as to put up a sign on their building advertising their call-in number (though for the FCC, the huge white antenna lashed to the back is a dead giveaway!) Far more laid back is KOPC founder James Welborn, who broadcasts music and conspiracy theories out of a room in his house (not recommended.) While he takes great risks, Vietnam vet Welborn is far more technically savvy than the crew of KRVL, even going so far as to solve glitches and loan them a transmitter and an amp after a mysterious fire burns out their studio room. However, what does in both stations are their operators' naiveté and factional infighting at KRVL between the Santa Claus-lookalike Eden and Marshall Home, who goes to trial for driving his Benz without a license plate, and later goes to jail for not paying the fine. Welborn is busted around the same time, and never returns to the air. As of filming in 2004, Radio Limbo is still on the air.

Besides the drama in Tucson, "Making Waves" points out the ridiculous amounts of consolidation in the radio industry (where thanks to the Telecom Act of 1996, Clearchannel Communications owns a thousand stations in the US), along with cartoons which clearly depict how the FCC's licensed low power law denies most of the possible empty frequencies and the absurdity of the National Association of Broadcasters' claim that a 40 watt station could somehow interfere with a 10,000 watt one. Finally, the station mentions a number of well-known unlicensed stations, among them my hometown pirate, Free Radio San Diego. While I think it focuses too much on one of the flakier LPFM stations, "Making Waves" is a good intro into a topic that's becoming more urgent all the time.