
07/28/2025
Hey punx! I need you to take a look at the below post, and consider the ramifications for all media. Sorry in advance for this rather dry post, but I think it's important for you to know the media environment through which we navigate.
In May of this year, we were asked by our streaming provider to agree to an updated Terms of Service. While I am not at liberty to disclose those Terms of Service, I will tell you that there is a provision in there that I found alarming. So alarming, in fact, that we opted to end our relationship with this streaming provider, rather than comply with the new TOS. So what was it? Well, in place of the old provision which basically can be summarized as "don't do anything stupid or illegal," there was a new provision. This new provision called on us to comply with any regulation to which the streaming provider or our station may be subject.
That may sound like the same thing, but it's really not. We are not a terrestrial radio station, licensed by the FCC. Besides the fact that we're just a bunch of broke punks who can barely afford a busted van parked on the banks of the Hillsborough River, there's a reason we aren't seeking an FCC license: We do not, can not, shall not, and will not comply with any governmental authority that will tell us what we can and cannot say. This, my friends, is the essence of punk.
Now comes an "agreement" between CBS and the Trump Administration that appears to do exactly that. This comes after similar settlements and backroom deals for which this Administration is infamous, in which all manner of corporations have agreed to comply with speech that the Administration finds acceptable. Others have decided to "comply in advance", and I have no doubt that our former streaming partner is, or at least intends to be, one of them.
Does this mean that SSCR Tampa is getting political and "woke"? No more than we ever were. I'm not a free speech absolutionist, but I will zealously guard my right, and the rights of those who choose to belong to this community of ours, to say what's on our mind. And you may have noticed, I'm doing exactly that now.
Thanks for reading, and up the punx! --Jeff
Soon there will be "political officers" stationed at every major media outlet and military base if this keeps up.