Anarchy on the Airwaves

A Brief History of the Micro-Radio Movement in the USA

This history of microwave (pirate) radio in the United States is devoted to the founding and expansion of a small radio station in Springfield, Illinois. WTRA began as a low-budget outlet in a housing project community, but the FCC’s attempts to shut it down strengthened its resolve and helped politicize the movement.

Originally published in issue 17.