Unlicensed radio station "Touch" 106.1FM shut down in Grove Hall

Above, TOUCH 106.1FM operator Charles Clemons speaks about the federal raid on his unlicensed radio station. According to Clemons, US Marshals and FCC officials arrived at the station's offices today next to the Grove Hall Neighborhood Development Corporation and seized equipment belonging to the station, effectively taking it off the air.

This is not the first time that authorities have shown up and challenged the low-frequency radio operation that bills itself as "the fabric of the black community." In 2008, a story in the Reporter outlined the station's fight to stay on the air despite FCC fines and at least one visit from authorities. Supporters of the station rallied in support of keeping it on the air with some even picketing the FCC's regional office in Braintree. Despiute their unlicensed status, the station has been a routine stop for most state and city political figures.

Clemons, who is known on-air as Brother Charles, said that the reasons that the agents shut down the station today is that it is "unlicensed."

The station he said is presently seeking a license, but the "paperwork in pending." He vowed to fight today's seizure through a "legal process."

"The community won't be silenced," Clemons said. "I'm going to fight for the voice."

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