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.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

The FCC has ruled these devices to be ILLEGAL, and on appeal a federal court
upheld the Commission:
http://www.fcc.gov/ogc/documents/opinions/1998/rockymtn.html

Er, not quite. They ruled that ONE specific jammer was illegal...whereupon the
manufacturer put the same works in a different case, changed the model number,
and began marketing it again. The device you heard the ad for it NOT illegal,
as far as the feds are concerned. A few states ban their use.

The funniest aspect to the whole thing is that they don't work. By the time
they have sent a jamming signal to the police radar unit, the radar has already
displayed the vehicle's speed. Using the device also assumes that the cop is
stupid. If the cop sees a car traveling considerably faster than the rest of
traffic, and that car displays a speed a great deal different from the rest, he
or she is going to know that something's not right.

Doug Smith W9WI wrote in message ...
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.


WRXR 105.5 of Chattanooga has been advertising that ad for a few months...
An ad clearly aimed at young people I think.

Sid Schweiger wrote:
The FCC has ruled these devices to be ILLEGAL, and on appeal a federal court

upheld the Commission:
http://www.fcc.gov/ogc/documents/opinions/1998/rockymtn.html

Er, not quite. They ruled that ONE specific jammer was illegal...whereupon the
manufacturer put the same works in a different case, changed the model number,
and began marketing it again. The device you heard the ad for it NOT illegal,
as far as the feds are concerned. A few states ban their use.

Not illegal, or not enforced? (the Feds never chased down and
prosecuted the pirate FM that operated in my hometown for many years.
Surely that doesn't mean the operation was legal?)

The funniest aspect to the whole thing is that they don't work. By the time
they have sent a jamming signal to the police radar unit, the radar has already
displayed the vehicle's speed. Using the device also assumes that the cop is
stupid. If the cop sees a car traveling considerably faster than the rest of
traffic, and that car displays a speed a great deal different from the rest, he
or she is going to know that something's not right.

Good point. Though to a large degree the damage is done if the user
*believes* he can speed without risk, even if he's wrong.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

had written:
| I think your concern for station owners is groundless.
|
| Questionable dietary supplements, useless weight-loss elixers and fake
| sexual capacity enhancements are now routinely advertised even on the
| formerly respectable radio networks.
|
| Anything goes during the Baby Powell era.

Even before that -- I recall hearing ads for perfurmes with "pheronomes"
that would allegedly make one more sexually attractive -- in 1996.
On WBBM-FM. In Chicago, owned by CBS. Anything for a dollar.

There really isn't much difference between what's advertised in spam
and what's advertised on radio.

--
Mark Roberts |"Their latest [CD], 'I Love America', is a collection of songs
Oakland, Cal.| inspired by the Sept. 11, 2002, terrorist attacks and performed
NO HTML MAIL | by five nephews of 1970s pop icons Donny and Marie Osmond."
-- Wall Street Journal, 8-15-2003, p. A4 (yes, "2002")

Tom Desmond wrote:

When I consider the other trash that gets advertised on the radio now, I
guess that really shouldn't surprise me -- it blends right in with the
scam advertisements for weight loss products and the like.


"Spam with an antenna".


I can't help but wonder how accepting advertising like this will impact
the long term credibility of radio?

Look at the junky informercials on TV....oh, never mind....

Charles Hobbs had written:
|
| "Spam with an antenna".

I like that description. I'll have to remember it.

The Conventional Wisdom Crowd (you know, the folks who claim that
"radio's never been better") ignores this quite obvious sign of
radio's declining economic health: they're stooping to the radio
equivalent of spam as a source of revenues. Another sign:
Wal-Mart doesn't advertise on radio. Not that I think Wal-Mart is
so wonderful, but that's a company that's smart enough to figure
out what works to meet its goals and that will do what it takes to
meet its goals. Radio is obviously not a part of that picture,
while other media are.

--
Mark Roberts |"Their latest [CD], 'I Love America', is a collection of songs
Oakland, Cal.| inspired by the Sept. 11, 2002, terrorist attacks and performed
NO HTML MAIL | by five nephews of 1970s pop icons Donny and Marie Osmond."
-- Wall Street Journal, 8-15-2003, p. A4 (yes, "2002")

It seems like in the Dallas market, every local talk
host and news reporter does testimonial ads where THEY JUST
HAPPENED to be a user of that company's

auto leasing
eat-all-you-want-and-still-lose-weight diet product
laser eye surgery
contact lenses by mail
foundation leveling
aluminum siding
storm windows
solar-tube skylights
baldness cures
hair transplant doctors
impotence cures
stomach staple doctors
stop smoking patches
stop smoking and lose weight hypnotists
fitness centers
carpet cleaning
wood floor installers

Some of these testimonials are mutually exclusive. One
local host sprouted profanity at a listener who saw him at
a station sponsored event and mentioned that he didn't
look like he had lost 35 lbs like he claimed on the radio.

A good number of these products are under investigation for
fraud at the very time they stations are still running their spots.
They only time some of these spots abuptly STOPPED was when
Body Solutions went bankrupt owing the stations lots of money.

How will radio ever have any credibility while doing these
practices?

Frank Provasek wrote:

Some of these testimonials are mutually exclusive. One
local host sprouted profanity at a listener who saw him at
a station sponsored event and mentioned that he didn't
look like he had lost 35 lbs like he claimed on the radio.

Well, that's pretty subjective. I don't buy weight loss products
based on "testimonials" on the radio anyhow.

Clear Channel in Cleveland used to do this when I lived there, but
they didn't go over the top. The personalities only "personally"
endorsed a few products, and only one of each type, so when Jen
the morning show producer said she was driving a car she bought at
*mumble* (I forget which dealer) it was pretty easy to believe her.

I forget which weight loss product was "personally" promoted by
at least one personality from each big radio station, but there was
one. Bill Lewis of WNCX-FM was one of the people promoting the
product. My brother saw Bill and said he did actually look like he lost
a significant amount of weight, so maybe there was something to the claim...

They only time some of these spots abuptly STOPPED was when
Body Solutions went bankrupt owing the stations lots of money.

Body Solutions. Yeah, that's the product which had one jock at each
radio station promoting it.



--
JustThe.net Internet & Multimedia Services
22674 Motnocab Road * Apple Valley, CA 92307-1950
Steve Sobol, Proprietor
888.480.4NET (4638) * 248.724.4NET *

(Mark Roberts) wrote in :

Wal-Mart doesn't advertise on radio. Not that I think Wal-Mart is
so wonderful, but that's a company that's smart enough to figure
out what works to meet its goals and that will do what it takes to
meet its goals. Radio is obviously not a part of that picture,
while other media are.


Actually, Wal*Mart has advertised regularly on Paul Harvey, so they do some
radio advertising, albeit strictly confined. I guess you gotta know where
they can deliver a clean pitch....

BTW, the affiliate list on the official Paul Harvey website still lists
WDAF(AM) as their affiliate here in Kansas City.

For those that don't know, the "61 Country" format has moved over to the
former KCIY(FM) on 106.5. They have changed calls to WDAF-FM.

I should also note as part of the move to FM, the top-of-the-hour newscasts
are at :55, before the ID. Therefore, Paul Harvey is now at 12:00 noon,
rather than the advertised 12:06, and the Rest of the Story is at 5:30.

Eventually, the AM will become sportstalk "61 Sports." Supposedly, the
KMBZ sportstalk staff will move across the hall, although supposedly Soren
Petro doesn't want anything to do with it.

--
Richie Kennedy
· www.route56.com
"If you're lost, you can look - and you will find me"