Lost Notes S1 Ep. 2: Outlaws of the Airwaves: The Rise of Pirate Radio Station WBAD

Pirate radio blew up in the 1990s as the technology became more affordable, and easy internet access wasn’t quite yet a thing. Underground, unregulated radio stations became some of the best places to hear local music. WBAD in New York was among the most beloved. They played unsanitized hip-hop, most of which wasn’t being touched by mainstream hip-hop radio. And no one knew that all this was being delivered to them by their friendly neighborhood UPS driver. Once the nightly news came calling though, everything changed.

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WBAD Radio Transmitter. All photos courtesy of DJ Cintronics.

 

Playlist

[PLAYLIST GOES HERE]

Credits

Produced by David Goren.
Episode feature tile image by Dren Starr.

Thanks to DJ Cintronics, Dren Starr.
Production assistance from Marion Hodges, Caitlin Shamberg, Adria Kloke, Andrea Bautista, and Tyler Hale.