Turtle Radio

"We must resist this attempt to smash free speech and allow our community to have our own media," reads a newly circulated announcement from unlicensed radio station 106.9 FM.

"The FCC is trying to shut down pirate radio in San Diego by issuing massive fines to the two stations in town.... We invite you to give us a home. We've got a nice big transmitter just waiting to be set up and restore the community voices to the San Diego airwaves.... We need a home to put our antenna on."

Currently off the air, there's no indication on the station's website that they've paid the $10,000 fine levied last year by the FCC.

"The FCC has said that there is no more room on the dial in San Diego. Even if we wanted to comply with the idea that we should ask for our own airwaves, the only way to do so would be to buy an already licensed station, which could cost up to $50 million."

Technical instructions on how to build an illegal broadcasting station ("for educational use only") are on 106.9's website. The station recently renamed itself Teenage Mutant Ninja Radio, using three quarters of a name owned by Mirage Comics, the publishing arm of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Peter Laird.

Mirage, asked via e-mail if the company is aware of the name use, stated in an unsigned reply, "We are now...they won't be using [that name] for long."