Updated with Department of Justice response at 6:56 p.m., 04/17/2014.
For inner-city Bostonians, Touch 106.1 FM has been a reliable source of programming that’s in short supply elsewhere — from smooth jazz to throwback hip-hop to calls for social and spiritual uplift. But for now, at least, the station has fallen silent.
On Thursday, Touch 106.1 was raided by representatives of the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Marshals, who hauled away its antenna and other broadcast equipment.
Touch 106.1 has been operating without a license for years, so labeling the raid a complete surprise might be overstatement. But it’s also not clear why federal officials chose today to act.
Attempts to reach the FCC were unsuccessful Thursday afternoon. The Department of Justice forwarded its complaint against Touch 106.1 along with other legal documents.
Standing outside Touch 106.1’s studios on Cheney Street in Grove Hall as the raid unfolded, co-founder Charles Clemons vowed to aggressively fight the shutdown.
“I’m going to go through the legal channels, that’s what I’m going to do,” Clemons said. “I’m going to reach out to the resources we have, that are supposed to support this radio station.”
“City Hall, the federal government, the president — and the people,” Clemons added, as a small crowd of onlookers cheered approvingly. “And the media. The media! You should be there to support Touch 106.1.”
In 2011, President Obama signed into law the Local Community Radio Act, which is supposed to provide increased opportunities for broadcasters like Clemons. Last year, during his long-shot campaign to become mayor of Boston, Clemons told the Boston Globe he planned to apply for a license soon.
But on Thursday, asked why his station was being shut down, Clemons replied: “We’re unlicensed.”
Clemons clearly considers the shutdown unjust. At one point, he likened himself to Rosa Parks, the Civil Rights legend who refused to give up a seat on a whites-only portion of a bus.
“Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s right,” he said.
And, Clemons warned, Touch 106.1’s departure will leave a significant void on the Boston airwaves.
“This radio station … has found lost children, has helped people that were committing suicides, has found lost grandparents,” he said. “How can you with a conscious mind shut down a positive entity, a positive radio station like this?”
