Florida Men Arrested for Operating Illegal Radio Station

Radio station 97.7 FM played Mexican music and advertised Hispanic businesses in the Marion County area. Only problem is that it was being run by two guys in a mobile home. And that makes it illegal. According to Marion County deputies, two men were illegally operating a radio station. Unfortunately,...

By Chris Joseph

July 3, 2013

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Radio station 97.7 FM played Mexican music and advertised Hispanic businesses in the Marion County area.

Only problem is that it was being run by two guys in a mobile home.

And that makes it illegal.

According to Marion County deputies, two men were illegally operating a radio station. Unfortunately, having a big-ass radio tower sticking out of your mobile home is a dead giveaway.

The two men, Juan Nieves and Luis Galindo, admitted they had been running the station for about a year without a license.

An engineer from Clear Channel Inc. -- which owns 700 radio stations in the U.S. -- noticed the illegal station and notified the Federal Communication Commission.

According to an FCC official, unlicensed stations are illegal because they can interfere with aircraft flying in the area and because they can mess with the broadcast of other radio stations.

Nieves told police he was aware they needed a license, while Galindo said that they had made money from advertising.

Both men were arrested and placed in jail.

Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter

Follow @NewTimesBroward

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.