User:ParkingStones/Mbanna Kantako

Mbanna Kantako (born Dewayne Readus) is a 36 years old blind African American who many people involved in the micro-power radio movement consider it's first

microwatt FM pirate radio broadcasting in the United States of America. His station called Human Rights Radio has received some media coverage which has in turn inspired others of like mind to follow his lead.

Mail order kit
During the 1980s, Mbanna Kantako (Dewayne Readus) had been living in a public housing project in East Springfield, Illinois. With the help of Mike Townsend, a professor of social work at a small college in Springfield, Mbanna Kantako obtained a 1 watt transmitter kit from a mail order catalog.

Housing Project Tenants' Association
Having constructed the transmitter, Mbanna used to communicate with other Black residents in the housing project under the call letters WTRA ("Tenants Rights Association"), of which he was a member. These transmissions went through more changes of name from Black Liberation Radio to African Liberation Radio.

Landbased pirate radio
Because of the low power Mbanna was able to transmit on extremely low-power without interference.

In the Northeast Alan Weiner and his friends who later started Radio Newyork International had used various unlicensed landbased transmitters which constantly came to the attention of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Raids had taken place and court cases followed. Those stations radiated power outputs that could be heard over wide areas and which were reported in a variety of media outlets.

Fine
Mbanna Kantako found himself under investigation by the FCC when his microwatt transmissions expanded in both duration and content by featuring youths who were in trouble with the Housing Project police. Then he was ordered to cease his broadcasts. Like a lot of pirate radio broadcasters at first he complied and then came back on the airwaves. However, he announced his return by informing the FCC of his intention by means of a public announcement to the press. The net result was a summons to appear in court where he faced a $750 fine. Kantako claimed that he could not get a court-appointed lawyer and so he refused to go to court and as a result a default judgment was entered against him.

Inspirational anarchy
His press conference inspired others to also start micowatt stations in other cities. Radio Free Detroit took to the air and it was promptly raided by the FCC. But in short order it was followed by Free Radio Berkeley and then San Francisco Liberation Radio.

Kantako also returned to the air from 7pm to midnight every day. His reasoning is exactly the same as Alan Weiner who started Radio Newyork International after first operating both licensed and unlicensed commercial radio stations on land in the New York area. Kantako claims that he should be left alone because he is just using an open space on the spectrum.

External sources

 * Overview of Mbanna Kantako dated February, 1996 edition of Metro Santa Cruz
 * Mbanna Kantako photograph
 * Mbanna Kantako - political views
 * Mbanna Kantako and radio