Doug Smith W9WI wrote:
While DXing this morning, I heard an ad that, well, let's say it
shouldn't have been on radio. Unfortunately the station was distant and
fading, so I don't know who the culprit was - in any case I'm pretty
sure it was part of a syndicated program. (and thus may well air on
*your* station. I've heard similar ads on other stations (WFAW-940, for
one) during syndicated programs.)

They were advertising a radar detector that "makes your car invisible to
police radar". It is my understanding that these devices work by
heterodyning a local oscillator against the incoming radar signal. This
allows the speeder to cause the officer's radar to display whatever
speed the lawbreaker wants - or at least causes it to believe it's
receiving an invalid signal, and display nothing at all.

The FCC has ruled these devices to be ILLEGAL, and on appeal a federal
court upheld the Commission:
http://www.fcc.gov/ogc/documents/opi.../rockymtn.html .

It seems to me to be dangerous territory for a Commission licensee to be
accepting ads for devices that:

- Assist people in avoiding prosecution for intentionally breaking the
law and putting others' safety at risk.
- Do so by *intentionally interfering* with licensed services.
- Have already been ruled illegal.

I would hope station owners will think twice before advertising illegal
activity. If I ever hear one of these ads again in a situation where
I"m able to collect adequate documentary information, I *will* be filing
a formal complaint with the FCC.



There are two types of these devices: active and passive.
Actives are illegal. Passives don't work.

But the issue that would be relevant to your complaint, is that
it IS illegal to advertise a product that is itself illegal. As it
is illegal to advertise a product that encourages an illegal activity.

Once you get lawyers flying on this one, sell tickets. It can be
quite a circus.

From the Personal Files: I programmed a station downstate, and
one afternoon heard a spot hit the air for a local head shop. The
spot was produced by the sales duck (as insisted by Manglement) and
actually used the term "head shop." As I listened the spot went on
to describe the benefits of a personal roach clip, before giving the
address, and closing out the spot. I pulled the spot, went to the
Sales Mangler to inform him of such, and then to the sales duck and
told him what I had done. Within 2 minutes the General Mangler was
in my fact about the spot, the evils of programming 'geniuses'
censoring spot copy, and depriving the station of needed revenue.
The spot was running ROS/Standby, which meant at this station, that
they were sold literally as filler, to occupy spaces in the event of
a cancellation. This spot was about $5 per airing. Hell, the whole
buy was less than $100.

Well, while the GM was going on, I mentioned to him that this
was a spot for a head shop, advertising a roach clip, encouraging
drug use, and all for $5, I didn't think it was worth jeopardizing
the license. He rescheduled the spot and told me to mind my own
business. And to get a law degree before I started acting as his
station's counsel.

I went to corporate counsel, who told me that the spot was fine.
I went to NAB, who didn't offer an opinion. I went to the IAB which
didn't want to get involved, given my GM's position.

So, I went to FCC in Springfield. They told me flat out, the
spot was illegal, because it encouraged an illegal activity.
Further, since paraphernalia was illegal in Illinois, the spot
advertised an illegal product. And that this was license threatening.

I asked if I could have that in writing sent to my General
Mangler, and it was agreed that would be a good thing.

Meanwhile, I was advised, to pull the spot on advice of FCC.

Which I relayed to Sales and General Manglement, with a courtesy
mention to the offending duck.

What followed was a Keystone Cops series of threats, arguments,
and general disparagement of my lineage and multiplicative
proclivities. This went on at work as well as well as at home, both
on the phone and at my front door, for about 24 hours, until the GM
received a letter from Springfield.

At this point he pulled and read the copy from the continuity
office, then listened to the spot for the first time. He got the
Sales mangler, and played the spot for him. Then they both got the
sales duck in question and played the spot for him. And asked what
the F*CK he was thinking.

After about 10 minutes the General Mangler returned to my
office, thanked me for my vigilance, confirmed that I was right, and
left. It was, by the Chief Engineer's observation, the first time
any PD had won an argument with Steve Bellinger.

I didn't stay long at that station. Bigger things were already
in the works.

I'm sure, however, had I stayed, Steve would have tied hundred
dollar bills to my legs and tossed ME out of an airplane.

He was kind of known for that sort of thing by then.


But you already know THAT story......