In 1995, Sue Carpenter, a 28-year-old secretary and aspiring journalist, built a 40-watt FM station, KBLT, in her Los Angeles apartment, taking advantage of a legal loophole. She invited strangers to host their own shows, and the station quickly gained popularity, attracting notable acts like Mazzy Star and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to perform live.
40 Watts from Nowhere
In 1995, Sue Carpenter, disenchanted with commercial radio, took matters into her own hands and established a 40-watt FM station, exploiting a legal technicality that allowed hundreds of low-power, unlicensed radio operators to broadcast.
