[cr-india] Book: 40 Watts from Nowhere : A Journey into Pirate Radio

[George]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Alan Freed <alan at beatworld.com>
Date: Sat Feb 21, 2004  11:52:30  AM Canada/Mountain
To: microradio at lists.riseup.net, grassroots at prometheusradio.org,  
amherst_members at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MRN] book of note: 40 Watts from Nowhere : A Journey into  
Pirate Radio
Reply-To: microradio at lists.riseup.net

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743229886/ref%3Dase%5Ftheonion- 
20/102-0191596-1608132#product-details

or via
http://tinyurl.com/2azff 	
or via
http://makeashorterlink.com/?O27615B77


40 Watts from Nowhere : A Journey into Pirate Radio
by Sue Carpenter


Book Description

When law office receptionist Sue Carpenter first asked how she might  
start her own radio station, everyone laughed. Getting on the air  
(legitimately) in San Francisco was a multimillion-dollar ambition. But  
in 1995, with the help of a few subversive techies and pirate-radio  
gurus, Sue built her first transmitter in her hilltop San Francisco  
apartment and launched KPBJ, enlisting friends as DJs. A few months  
later, Sue landed a magazine job in Los Angeles, took her transmitter  
with her, and established KBLT.

 From these humble beginnings KBLT emerged as one of L.A.'s best-loved  
radio stations, staffed with more than a hundred DJs and supported by  
major music labels eager to reach a different kind of audience. The  
station expanded its playlist from indie rock to an eclectic mix of  
jazz, hip-hop, electronica, and countless other styles. In the three  
and a half years before the FCC finally caught up with Sue, KBLT went  
from interviewing unknowns to hosting live performances by the Red Hot  
Chili Peppers -- without ever leaving Sue's apartment.

40 Watts from Nowhere is Sue's frank and hilarious account of her  
bizarre double life during the height of California's pirate-radio  
boom: journalist by day, counterculture icon by night. It's an amazing  
true story, one that will instantly appeal to music fans -- and free  
spirits -- everywhere.



About the Author

Sue Carpenter is currently a feature writer for the Los Angeles Times  
and a senior contributor to Jane magazine. Her writing has also  
appeared in such publications as George, Marie Claire, and  
Cosmopolitan. She lives in Los Angeles.

_________________________________
See also
Pirate Radio MP3, Radio & Webcast Software Suite 5 million user  
webradio network $30
  http://www.pirateradio.com
________________________________
See also

Review
  “40 Watts” a Savvy Novel About Pirate Radio

  BY Amelia Mularz
  Thursday, February 19, 2004


         Sue Carpenter, a.k.a. Paige Jarrett, is a certified badass.

         In her autobiographical novel, "40 Watts From Nowhere," she  
meets all the prerequisites: she drives a motorcycle, dates an edgy,  
drug-dabbling boyfriend whom she knows is no good for her, and hangs  
with a motley crew of indie rockers and beer guzzling, tobacco fiend  
hipsters. But she goes above and beyond the qualifications for rebel  
rouser when she storms the grossly Celine Dion-saturated radio airwaves  
and launches her own pirate radio station.

         The narrative opens with Carpenter’s humble beginnings. In the  
days before she was known as a radio ringleader, she was just Sue  
Carpenter, San Francisco law office receptionist. For most women, the  
monotony and humdrum existence of the daily routine is easily remedied  
by a quick getaway or a change of hair color. But when Carpenter gets  
bored, she decides to dive head first into the world of illegal  
broadcasting, investing in a transmitter and creating an entire pirate  
radio station right in the comfort of her apartment.

         Carpenter names the station KPBJ, a very clever tribute to a  
staple food for elementary school kids across America. She also adopts  
a new name, Paige Jarrett, under which she will operate the station to  
protect herself from the pesky FCC. Her double life is  
complete—receptionist by day, local radio goddess by night.

         Eventually Carpenter takes a job with a magazine in L.A.,  
giving up residence in what she calls "Freaktown, U.S.A." and moving  
down the coast to the land of "water- hogging Angelenos." The radio  
operation moves with her, but the new L.A.-based station is called  
KBLT, a witty commitment to the sandwich motif.

         The pirate station gains fame and an impressive cast of DJs  
that volunteer their time to play the music they love, which is  
anything from Coltrane to Manson. Even the Red Hot Chili Peppers make  
an appearance to perform live in KBLT’s closet-sized station.

         "40 Watts From Nowhere" is a highly entertaining tale of a  
woman who is willing to sacrifice her apartment to sloppy DJs and hand  
over entire paychecks to the local Radio Shack all in the name of  
music. Carpenter’s down to earth attitude makes for hilarious  
commentary, like when she measures KBLT’s growth by the number of rolls  
of toilet paper the station goes through, a roll a day.

         This incredible story will excite in its readers the courage to  
stand up to radio’s mega corporations and say "Damn it! We are tired of  
Ricky Martin!" It may even inspire a new wave of pirate radio wannabes  
that will be begging their techie friends to set them up.

(c) 2003 The Daily Californian
Berkeley, CA
dailycal at dailycal.org

  Printable URL: http://www.dailycal.org/particle.asp?id=14226
  Original URL: http://www.daiylcal.org/article.asp?=14226



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