Brooklyn Pirate Radio WFAT

WFAT 1620 AM Brooklyn, New York. Circa 1980. This film features DJs Hank Hayes, Jim Nazium, and the FCC agents that kept busting them, Judah Mansbach and Alexander Zimney.

WHOT went on to be an AM and FM operation covering heard in 19 states, two time zones in the US and Canada.

All we wanted to do was go wild and do fun shows.




These two DJs are still up to their fun antics every day at http://Stickam.com/HankandJim

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• radio
• pirate
• WFAT
• WHOT
• Hank
• Hayes
• Brooklyn
• FCC
• comedy

[KDWproductions]

I dont see a mixer or mixingtable and no fm transmitter wt(a)f

[hankhayes]

@KDWproductions - You're correct. WFAT was AM only, operating on 1620am. And on our shoe string budget, instead of a mixer, we improvised and used the mic and line inputs of the reel-to-reel deck to mix our audio sources!

[Fania54]

WFAT was great station, I loved every broadcast I would happen to hear. I called in a few times.

I had a digital receiver, and one time when I told them the exact freq I was hearing them on, I recall the guy on the phone there didn't like that too much, maybe thought I was the FCC playing him.

I read that they had the antenna strung between two building roofs. They had a great signal. I had a monstrous wire antenna on the roof an apartment building in Queens, we had similar methods.

[hankhayes]

Hi Fania! Great to see a WFAT listener/caller here! We did, indeed, string up a 110 foot longwire between two apt. buildings on WFAT. We got out pretty good with 40 watts.

[sirdarklust]

I remember this clip from the TV show it was on a long time ago. Tom Leykis had something to do with the show. No wonder it lasted four or five episodes.

Anyway, WHOT was a crap staion, as were the other NYC based ones of the day, like Stereo 9, etc. Losers not good enough to be in real radio and not willing to accept that fact.

[hankhayes]

Funny! Most of us are in 'real' radio.  WHOT was a hobby. Where else could we go as wild as this?

[VideoGuyNC]

The airwaves belong to everyone! Not the FCC. The only way we can take back radio is to overwhelme the FCC. Search for, and if you have them - support your local pirate stations. This is TRULY freedom of speech!

[cuteblondecrystal]

Pirate Radio RULES!!! :D

[heehawkdown]

The FCC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications.

[CBKillas]

Soooooooo classic. Good upload!! CBKillas>

[joeybinky]

Growing up in the mid 80's, I used to listen to Hank and the guys on 1620 am W.H.O.T. I also spoke to hank on the phone at W.K.R.B. 90.9 fm. I found them when I was 15 years old and these memmories of listening after midnight are some of my favourite memmories of the 1980's. You guys made me want to start my own pirate station, and being a d.j. with a HUGE record and cd collection nw, I still want to do this. Just to find a transmitter thats not a toy. Thank you Hank for these great memmories.

[Moreoff]

Alex Zimney actually is a very nice guy, I had the pleasure of working with him to take down a bunch of Hasidim who were illegally broadcasting on the maritime distress frequency while operating a taxi service. Radios & antenna seized and fines levied.

[tonytonytee]

fuck the fcc..

[TheAnarchist33]

I'm studying electronics and I'm really fascinated with radio, I'd like to do have a pirate station! Any ideas on gear that's relatively reliable and not too expensive?

[century3horizons]

In some states now it's actually a felony to operate a transmitter at anything above 100Mw. Humbug!

[hellokitty2007]

how exciting...