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.

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

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.

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 *

In article , Frank Provasek wrote:
local host sprouted profanity at a listener who saw him at

Too bad the mic wasn't hot....

--
Sven

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......