Pirate radio in Seattle repeatedly plays anti-Trump song
Jan 27, 2017, 11:22 AM | Updated: Jan 28, 2017, 2:09 am
A pirate radio station in Seattle has been playing, on repeat, a song that is about as flattering of the president as this picture. (AP)
(AP)
Update on pirate radio signal
As of Friday evening, after the posting of this article, the repeated song dropped off the air.
Original story
When word first got around that there was a mysterious pirate radio station in Seattle airing an anti-Donald Trump song — unedited — on repeat, I had to test it. I found an old clock radio at the KIRO Radio offices in Eastlake and plugged it in. No luck.
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But people around Seattle continued to chat online over the past week about this song playing on repeat for days on 101.9 FM. The signal is weak, but it has been making its way over the Seattle airwaves, playing a hip-hop song by YG & Nipsey Hussie called “FTD.” The last two initials stand for “Donald Trump.” I’ll let you fill in the blank for what the “F” means. The song is not favorable to the current president.
The lyrics are explicit, and the song is being aired unedited.
The sentiment is clear from the first verse: “I like white folks, but I don’t like you…” The song then proceeds to lay out all the reasons that the artists are opposed to Trump. The song was published before the election in June, on the album “Still Brazy.”
More recently, however, hackers got into a radio stations across the country and played the same song over their signal. It is not clear if this is the case when it comes to Seattle’s FDT pirate radio.
FDT on pirate radio
After the clock radio failed, I hopped in my car. Around KIRO Radio’s Eastlake offices the song was barely coming in. I could tell a bass line was playing among the crackle, but it was fighting with “Proud Mary” by Credence Clearwater Revival. Once I drove to higher ground, the crackle dissipated.
By the time I hit I-5 there was no fighting it. It was loud and clear — though dropping in-and-out on the weak signal.
According to one Reddit user, they steadily received the signal from West Seattle to Capitol Hill. I got it from Eastlake to North Seattle. A user in Ballard stated they were not able to hear the song on their radio, however, listeners on Vashon Island reported it was coming in-and-out, according to the Reddit thread.
Other commenters discussed if it was legal. Others said “Long live 101.9,” but many seemed to agree that “You have to admit, that song is really catchy.”
