August 18, 2011

'The Crystal Ship' Listeners Email Reactions To News of Bust. TCS Shows To Be Carried By Relay Stations This Fall

by John Poet
Pirate Radio News & Commentary

As I stated in our previous post, I was about to publish some listener reaction to the torpedoing of The Crystal Ship when we were interrupted by the raging sock-puppeteer sometimes known as 'Commander Bunny' also known by many other names...  Bunny  was attempting to frame a well-known DXer as the snitch who complained to the FCC about TCS, with his poorly done faked emails, in an attempt to deflect the rising anger of the pirate radio community against him for his suspected involvement in getting TCS busted by the FCC.  That frame-up attempt on his part has been a rather embarassing failure which has only seemed to reinforce the case against him.

  In the interim, aware that I intended to post some email comments, I was contacted by a listener who was concerned about the possible repercussions of being known  to have said anything nice about us:
"I found your latest blog post very interesting, and it certainly looks like CB has driven in the final nail in his coffin.  I ask however that when (and if) you do a blog post quoting the outpouring of support from listeners, that you please not give my name, nor post any references pointing to me (***** ******, for example). I'd really appreciate that, as *********, and don't want any trouble."

  I assured the listener that, being aware that this could make them some sort of a target for certain unsavory individuals, and having no wish for any of my friends to end up on *someone's* 'enemies list', I had always planned to remove names and any other identifying information.  (And yes, it is a pretty sad state of affairs that would make this anonymity necessary for the protection of our fans.)

  Well, on with the unsigned reactions below.... and yes, they are real:  I don't find it necessary to manufacture affirmations-- we've always gotten enough of the real thing!


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"I'm sorry to hear this Poet.....I don't really know what to say other than I loved your
station and you were one of the few pirates that had a direct connection with the listeners - that was what it was all about for me whenever TCS hit the airwaves. I also want to say you are a man among few who has the guts to stand up for what you believe in and call it as you see it.  Left, middle, right - it doesn't matter when you're heart is in the right place.   At least you now have a great website to contribute to the hobby and still be a participant in fighting for
"...truth, justice and freedom of the airwaves..." :)


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"Hello John I’m rubbing my eyes here … is this real, parody, or am I dreaming?
If it is real I’m going to ********."


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"Holy sh-- I just found the NOUO on the fcc website! This is terrible."




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"Ahhh, sh--.
"I have been following the FRN debacle and it's been clear something ugly was up there.  Having been around the pirate scene since the later 80's, it's always disgusted me that there's so much fratricide.
There will always only be one TCS.... and I know it'll be heard again.
Keep in touch..."


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"Wow, I'm so sorry to hear that. You had a good run John Poet."


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"Man, I’m glad I saw all that crap starting up with a vengeance a decade ago and distanced myself from it … You’d think that people would hang together instead of trying to hang each other."


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"Appreciate all the fun you gave, and hope things work out."


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"Good Luck John, your programs will be missed....."


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"John,
I am very sorry to hear that you got nailed. I hope that the FCC is gentle with you.
Take care, "


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"I am really, really sorry to hear about all of this stuff going down. And saddened for
pirate radio that any of this has occurred.
I have not had my receiver on for months as due to construction my long wire was down to make room for the project. I had been looking forward to getting everything back up this fall and hearing you and the other pirates again soon."


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"John,
Sorry to read the sad news. I've enjoyed the Crystal Ship programming over the years. I thank you for all you've done. Hang in there. It is a shame some people are so petty. Remember fight for free radio!"

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"I am very sorry to hear of this news. It's terrible that after 29 years a fellow pirate
did this to you. I hope that you will find an alternative means to get back on the air
soon, perhaps from a remote location. I always enjoyed your shows, and listening to your great AM audio which you obviously spent a great deal of time perfecting."

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"John.

"I have been following this on your "Cafe", and your blog.
Also other blogs. I am truly sorry for you. To me this is an
end of an era. The world is now a little colder, and a little
darker. From what I see and read, you have it right. The world
seems to have a lot of, what I call, small people. The fear and
hate, the Bush crime people used to control this nation, has gone
to the heads of a few on the edge of sanity. This can only get
darker. So, for now, you need to regroup. Don't let yourself
become as they are.  Hate can only hurt yourself.  You are better
and above this type.   I feel  they will not keep you down for long.

"The 'Crystal Ship' will sail again, some day. All my best to you.
And thanks for the many, many happy hours you brought to more people
than you will ever know."




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  From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all those who sent in their messages of support.  It meant a lot to me.

  Not all reactions were positive
  One person in particular thought it nonsense for us to believe that anyone had turned us in  (even though the FCC said so in their NOUO), and that the blame for the bust should rest upon our "own stupidity".  OK,  yes, there's a whole list of ways we were "stupid"-- quite a few that go beyond what that emailer had in mind.  This all may be covered in a future blog post,  "ways we were stupid"-- and it may well include a BOMBSHELL REVELATION-- disguised as an understatement, perhaps?  the "missing link" piece of  information that "puts the final nail in" to an issue that has already been widely discussed,   but without that crucial piece of missing information...  (a piece of information which we should have guessed,  but we didn't, because, "we were stupid!")

  We'll just have to wait and see what gets published next, but several articles are "in the can" already half-done... so, there will be "more to come!"

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'The Crystal Ship' Will Be Carried By Relays This Fall

Several stations have responded to our request for relays to carry programs from The Crystal Ship.  Relays have been arranged, and should commence sometime this fall.  Some of the stations will be able to cover areas of North America that we have never been able to reach well-- or at all. 

So, if you've been "trying for years" to listen to TCS, but were too far away to get much of a signal-- this fall may be your big chance!

We plan to eQSL these relayed programs if reported to us, as "Relayed Program".

There's a New Radio Blog..
There's a new radio-related blog, the Radio Frequency International Report!
It promises some interesting reading, go check it out.  (We've added their link to our sidebar).


                                                                       -30-









6 comments:

  1. eQSLs? That'll put another burr in the Snitch Puppet King's fur! Nice touch!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good to hear you've had offers for relays. My experience with relays has been overwhelmingly positive, with only one notable exception. Even that one negative experience turned out to be a positive, in the long run.

    Thanks for the tip about the Radio Frequency International Report - added to my blog roll.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would be surprised if there were more than a half dozen people in the pirate radio community that are truly against you. Most are either firmly on you side, or just wish the whole thing would go away.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Anon:
    Half a dozen?

    I think you must be counting some twice!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Any chance some of those relays may be able to reach out into the West coast/pacific? Mahalo!

    ReplyDelete
  6. A really good chance :D

    ReplyDelete

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