How Colorado Pirate Radio Once Hid In Plain Sight, And Can’t Anymore

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There used to be a little FM station in Ward, west of Boulder, called Way High Radio. Its DJs played all sorts of music, told you about local events. It broadcast from an old camper trailer. But the camper's gone now, and the signal's no longer transmitted.

Way High Radio is what the FCC calls an unlicensed radio station -- pirate radio. Chris Walker wrote about a crackdown on pirate radio in Westword. He tells Colorado Matters that starting in January, the FCC also shut down KNED, in the nearby town of Nederland, then Green Light Radio and Boulder Free Radio in Boulder were issued warnings. The stations have stopped broadcasting FM signals for fear of being fined or having their DJs thrown in jail, though all of the stations are still streaming content online.