In recent years, the Dominican segment of the U.S. Hispanic population has grown significantly, and in particular in certain regions of the nation where Spanish-language media content has been lacking. Among those areas is Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Brigido Danerys Gonzalez saw the need to reach this important audience of consumers. But, he didn’t do it legally. Now, he’s been handed a proposed fine from the FCC for his not-so-fine broadcast activities there — which could also involve an unlicensed operation in Brooklyn, N.Y.
A Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) has been handed to Gonzalez by the full Commission for his use, without a license to do so, of 90.1 MHz in Hazleton, Pa., for “La Bakana.”
That’s problematic for not only being unlicensed, but for potentially causing interference to NPR Member station WVIA-FM 89.9 in the Wilkes Barre-Scranton market.
According to the FCC, “La Bakana” could be heard on March 28 and again on May 9 of last year. This results in two days of apparent violations, and therefore yielded a proposed forfeiture in the value of $40,000. That suggested fine is the result of the PIRATE Act, enacted by Congress in order to give the FCC more firepower against pirate radio operators.
How long has “La Bakana” been around? In Hazleton, Pa., the FCC says May 9, 2022 marks the earliest detection of the unlicensed FM. FCC Field Agents first found the pirate broadcasts on 90.1 MHz in the city in late June 2022.
Multiple transmission sites were apparently used by Gonzalez, who used the air name “Super Dany.” That information was gathered from field agents in July 2022 when examining the first transmitter site for “La Bakana” — a supermarket. The owner of that facility said he paid Gonzalez $50 per month to advertising on the radio station. That individual also stated they were unaware of any pirate radio station transmitting from the building.
Then, in March 2023, field agents from the FCC’s New York office returned to Hazleton and continued to hear broadcasts at 90.1 MHz that were not supposed to be there. Direction-finding techniques determined the origination point to be a different building in Hazleton. Then, the agents went online, and determined that https://www.labakana90.com/ belongs to Gonzalez. A YouTube video found by the agents revealed “Super Dany” to be Gonzalez.
This could open up a second proposed fine for “Super Dany,” as the website currently notes the home of “La Bakana” at 90.1 FM to be Brooklyn.
That’s also illegal, and would present interference to first-adjacent WKCR-FM 89.9, the Columbia University-run station.
At 3:20pm Eastern, two tracks from 1970s-era balladeer Danny Daniel could be heard on the faux station’s audio stream, in addition to ballads. No hosts could be heard.
What’s next for “La Bakana”? While the Spanish word is Dominican slang loosely translating to “head of the troops,” Gonzalez could be headed to the bank, or worse, depending on his response.
