🚨 Episode 15: St. Elmo's Fire – Hank Hayes (the Pirate Radio Guy) and Jim Nazium are live with epic 1970s Brooklyn pirate radio stories you won’t hear anywhere else. From diaper-crawling origins of their lifelong friendship to actual St. Elmo’s fire sparks shooting from the antenna right next to the bed during thunderstorms, this episode is packed with nostalgia, danger, and underground radio history.Key highlights:• Lightning warnings, hair-standing-up static electricity, and disconnecting the antenna behind the radiator to avoid disaster• Blown power supplies, smoke-filled computers, and the death of Radio Shack repairs in our disposable society• How tuning below 88.1 MHz led to discovering the first pirate station and inspiring a whole wave of 1620 AM pirates (including WPNJ)• Surprise live call-in from Joe at the Controls of WPNJ – real pirate radio history in the making!• FCC raids, Judah Mansbach voicemail threats, and how pirates coordinated during blizzards and hurricanesWe’re live every Sunday 6 PM on YouTube & vaugh.live. We’re inches from 1,000 subscribers — smash that SUBSCRIBE button, hit LIKE, and call in live: 816-974-7283 (816-9PIRATE). Share your pirate radio memories or request a QSL card!Perfect for fans of pirate radio, radio history, underground broadcasting, Brooklyn radio, and classic tech stories.Keywords: pirate radio, pirate radio podcast, St. Elmo’s fire, Brooklyn pirate radio, 1620 AM pirate, pirate radio stories, FCC pirate radio, Judah Mansbach, Hank and Jim, underground radio, pirate radio history#PirateRadio #StElmosFire #PirateRadioPodcast #BrooklynPirateRadio #RadioHistory #UndergroundRadio #FCC #PirateRadioStories #HankAndJim #1620AM #VintageRadioSparks flying from the antenna IN THE BEDROOM during thunderstorms? That’s real St. Elmo’s fire on a pirate radio setup! Jim Nazium describes hair standing up and giant arcs before lightning even hit. “I threw the coax behind the radiator and prayed.” ⚡#PirateRadio #StElmosFire #PirateRadioPodcast #RadioHistoryFrom crawling in diapers to knocking on Jim Nazium’s door — the magnetic pull that started a lifelong pirate radio partnership. Hank & Jim have been friends since the 1960s and still broadcast together every Sunday. True origin story goals. ❤️#PirateRadio #HankAndJim #BrooklynPirateRadio #PirateRadioStoriesSurprise live call from Joe at the Controls (WPNJ)! Three old pirate radio brothers reconnect on air after decades. Joe reveals he heard Larry Wong first, then built his own station and even rebroadcasted WFAT. Real underground radio network history unfolding live. 📻#PirateRadio #WPNJ #PirateRadioPodcast #BrooklynRadioPower supply explodes with smoke and a loud POP — classic pirate radio equipment failure story. Jim fixes it himself because Radio Shack was still around. Now? “Everything is disposable.” The end of repair culture explained by actual pirates. 🔧#PirateRadio #TechHistory #DisposableSociety #RadioHistory #PirateRadioPodcastOne pirate station (WFAT on 1620) inspired an entire wave of Brooklyn pirates — WPNJ, WKG, PRN and more popped up right after. They even coordinated sign-off times during blizzards so everyone could be heard. The original underground radio community! 🔥#PirateRadio #1620AM #UndergroundRadio #PirateRadioHistory #BrooklynPirateRadio

🚨 Episode 14: "Piracy On The Airwaves!" – Hank Hayes & Jim Nazium (the original Brooklyn radio pirates) relive the golden era of unlicensed 1970s-80s pirate radio!

Hear how they dodged FCC raids in Coney Island, took over WQXR 1560 AM as "WQXQ – The New Q" with screaming DJs right after getting busted, and helped Randall Ripley (Randi Steele) hijack legendary WPLJ 95.5 FM as "WLPK – New York’s Album King / Kiss Ass Radio" in 1981 – complete with hilarious confused listener calls thinking the station was sold to Christians!Plus: FCC Agent Judah Mansbach’s obsessive manhunt, "The One That Got Away” PRN story, and pure radio rebellion. Raw airchecks, phone reactions, and non-stop laughs.Perfect for fans of pirate radio history, underground FM/AM, FCC cat-and-mouse games, and classic NYC radio lore.🔴 Watch now • Subscribe • Like • Comment your favorite pirate story!#PirateRadio #RadioPirates #HankAndJim #WPLJ #WQXR #FCC #BrooklynRadio #UndergroundRadio #PirateRadioGuyPodcast

Episode 13: "The FCC Stake Out Pirates"

In Episode 13 of The Pirate Radio Guy Podcast, Hank Hayes and Gymnasium (Jim Nazium) dive deep into their wild Brooklyn pirate radio days — from growing up in the Marlboro Housing Projects to illegally installing an air conditioner that sparked their broadcasting adventures on WCPR, WFAT, and beyond.

Hear never-before-shared details about FCC Field Agent Judah Mansbach’s stakeout outside their building, including the actual intercepted two-way radio audio of Judah complaining he can’t catch them — recorded while the pirates were coincidentally off the air for building window painting!

Plus: The legendary “9 Tape” parody by radio pros (including Randy West of The Price is Right), homemade jingles, the infamous “porno pirate” guest incident, how they evaded the FCC for months thanks to snowstorms and housing authority timing, and the shocking revelation that Judah Mansbach was also the agent who later raided their Radio New York International ship.

Raw, hilarious, and packed with authentic pirate radio history from the 1970s and 80s.

Timestamps:

00:00 Growing Up in the Projects & Illegal AC Install

02:00 Judah Mansbach FCC Messages

03:30 The Famous “9 Tape” Radio Parody

12:00 Homemade Jingles & WFAT Era

14:50 The “Porno Pirate” Guest Story

18:00 Judah’s Stakeout Audio – Full Breakdown

32:00 How They Evaded Capture (Painting, Snowstorms & Fate)

33:30 Judah Arrests Radio New York International Ship

38:00 Montage of Pirate Radio Airchecks

If you love pirate radio, FCC cat-and-mouse stories, classic NYC radio history, or underground broadcasting tales — this episode is essential listening.

Subscribe for more rare airchecks, pirate stories, and unfiltered radio nostalgia!

#PirateRadio #FCC #RadioHistory #WFAT #WCPR #BrooklynRadio #JudahMansbach #PirateRadioPodcast #HankHayes #Gymnasium #RadioPirates

1. The FCC Stakeout & Intercepted Judah Mansbach Audio

Insight: The pirates accidentally recorded an FCC agent complaining on his two-way radio that he couldn’t catch Hank and Jim — right outside their building.

LinkedIn Post (149 words):

What if you could hear the FCC agent assigned to bust your illegal operation… complaining that he can’t find you?

In Episode 13 of the Pirate Radio Guy Podcast, Hank Hayes and Gymnasium share the incredible story of intercepting FCC Field Agent Judah Mansbach’s two-way radio transmission while he was on stakeout outside their Brooklyn housing project. Judah gripes about not picking up their signal, mentions alerting the entire Northeast, and expresses frustration about not having a solid report to bring to his boss “Henry.”

The twist? The pirates were off the air that night because the New York City Housing Authority was painting the building windows — forcing them to take down their antenna. Pure luck or fate?

This raw audio from the 1970s captures the real cat-and-mouse game between underground broadcasters and regulators. A fascinating slice of radio history and regulatory enforcement.

Full story + the actual recording in Episode 13.

#RadioHistory #PirateRadio #FCC #BroadcastRegulation #MediaHistory #UndergroundRadio #Podcast

In this episode they revisit the infamous 1976 FCC bust of their pirate station WCPR, the secret telephone loop lines they used to take live calls from across the country, the blizzard that buried their antenna, and the wild day the entire 36-foot tower crashed onto the neighbor’s roof.Plus, they expose the completely fabricated magazine & newspaper articles that invented wild stories about them — and reveal how those articles inspired them to coin the term “fake news” decades before it became a thing!Expect non-stop laughs, epic radio war stories, reverb tests, barking dogs, and pure Brooklyn nostalgia from two guys who ran one of New York’s biggest underground stations out of a bedroom.If you love pirate radio history, 1970s NYC underground radio, or just great storytelling — you’re in the right place! Watch now and subscribe for more real pirate radio adventures every week!#pirateradio9 #WCPR #BrooklynPirateRadio #FakeNews #RadioHistory #UndergroundRadio #1970sRadio #FCCBust #PirateRadioGuy

Buckle up, snow lovers and radio rebels! ❄️🏴‍☠️ In Episode 11 of The Pirate Radio Guy, Hank Hayes is riding the Blizzard of 2026 wave straight from Freehold, NJ—where 24+ inches of heavy, wet snow is burying everything (and making the perfect pirate "safe space" just like the old days)!While the Northeast gets slammed with epic drifts, howling winds, and whiteout chaos (Central Park hit ~20 inches, RI spots topped 36?!), Hank flies solo on this bonafide snow show—no Gymnasium in sight (he probably fled to the Poconos!).Relive the golden age of Brooklyn pirate radio mischief:1982 & 1996 blizzard antenna adventures (collapsed masts, roof-climbing in the storm, dipole installs while freezing our butts off!)Vintage 8mm home movies of Jim shoveling snow and antennas smashing neighbor roofs (no complaints—miracle!)The legendary 1991 New Year's Eve WHO broadcast from Al the Chemist's roof (views for days, homemade dipole, DBX magic, VHS hi-fi stereo glory)Roasting those hilariously inaccurate 1970s magazine articles (Harry Helms & Tom Kandra's "fake news" gems—phone operator busts? Arrests? Porno pirate accusations? We laugh, we cry, we correct the record!)From WCPR to WFAT, vent-stack MOs, FCC cat-and-mouse with Judah Mansbach, and why snow = pirate paradise—it's all here with cigar-clearing throat, rambling monologues, and pure underground radio rebellion.If you love pirate radio history, DIY broadcasting chaos, or just epic blizzards turning streets into winter wonderlands, hit play and stay cozy!Subscribe for more Hank & Jim tales, airchecks, and archived mayhem → @ThePirateRadioGuyDrop a comment: What's your craziest snow memory? Ever hear a pirate station in a storm?#PirateRadio #Blizzard2026 #HankHayes #WFAT #WCPR #UndergroundRadio #SnowShow #BrooklynPirates #FCCBusts #NortheastBlizzard #RadioHistory #PirateRadioGuy

Hank Hayes & Jim Nazium relive the insane weeks after the FCC raided and shut down their Brooklyn Pirate Radio station WCPR 1620 AM in 1975 Brooklyn. What did two kids do when they couldn’t broadcast anymore? They turned Long John Nebel and Candy Jones into their personal prank-call playground — and the results are legendary.Hear never-before-heard vintage audio of:• Classic “I’m coming down, you y&llow b@stard!” threats• “You jerk / get off the air ya punk” meltdowns• Shaggy-dog calls (“Can a man be reincarnated from a paper bag?”)Bonus Prank Calls:• Operator cross-connect pranks• Larry King Mutual Network commercial-trigger hacks• Random crank calls (“Can I speak to Sy?”, “Can I speak to Milton?”, “Can I speak to Mr. Hall on Hancock Street?”)• The launch of follow-up pirate station WFATIf you love 1970s New York talk radio, Long John Nebel, Candy Jones, classic prank calls, pirate radio history, FCC pirate bust stories, Brooklyn underground radio, old-school AM radio nostalgia or late-night radio legends — this episode is pure gold.👍 Like if you remember Long John • Comment your favorite prank line • Subscribe + bell 🔔 for more pirate tales!#LongJohnNebel #CandyJones #PrankCalls #PirateRadio #BrooklynPirateRadio #1970sRadio #FCCBust #WCPR #WFAT #OldSchoolRadio #TalkRadioHistory #CrankCalls #NewYorkRadio #PirateBroadcasters #AMRadio #LateNightRadio #RadioNostalgia #UndergroundRadio #HankHayes #JimNazium #TomLeykis

🎙️ Episode 9: "The First FCC Bust" – 50th Anniversary Special

Exactly 50 years ago today (February 7, 1976), the FCC raided Hank & Jim’s bedroom pirate station WCPR in Brooklyn. In this raw, real-time episode we replay the actual FCC warning tape from legendary agent Judah Mansbach, relive the moment agents Jack Shadetski and Alexander Zimney burst in during “These Eyes” by The Guess Who, and tell the full story of how two undocumented broadcasters got shut down after just 7 weeks on the air.

Plus: • The hilarious “Maxell t-shirt” drama from our 1980 CBS “No Holds Barred” TV reenactment • Why we chose to turn the transmitter off instead of broadcasting the bust live • Phone calls from OG listeners Pete Sake, TR Buckley & Robert • Reflections on why we did pirate radio on the commercial band (and why radio was never the same after)

If you love pirate radio history, FCC raids, underground broadcasting stories, or just two old friends cracking up over their wild teenage adventures, this is the episode for you.

Timestamps:0:00 – Cold open with original FCC answering machine threat3:40 – The exact moment the FCC walked in14:00 – “We don’t ever want to come back here again” 😂46:00 – Full CBS “No Holds Barred” pirate radio segment (with animation & Maxell logo fail)1:15:00 – Live listener calls

#PirateRadio #FCCBust #WCPR #HankAndJim #PirateRadioGuy #UndergroundRadio #RadioHistory #FCCRaid #BrooklynPirates #1976Radio #PirateRadioPodcast #RealTimeRadioHistory

🎙️ Episode 8: The Pirate Radio Guy Podcast – Hank Hayes & Jim Nazium relive 50 years of underground radio history LIVE from Freehold, NJ!From a 15-year-old turning his mother’s clock radio into a pirate transmitter in Brooklyn’s Marlboro Projects, to blasting Beatles records across 17 states on WCPR 1620 AM, this nostalgic episode is packed with laughs, shocks (literally), and radio legends.Exactly 50 years to the day since their first FCC bust, the guys countdown the raid, reveal hilarious air names (John Doe → Hank Hayes, Perry Harris → Jim Nazium), share Bic-pen transmitter hacks, candy-store tube testers, rooftop antenna dangers, and wild phone-call stories.Plus live viewer calls, the “panel of experts” (Orson Welles, Long John Nebel & more), and the unbreakable pirate spirit that became their lives.If you love 1970s radio pirates, FCC drama, DIY broadcasting, or pure Brooklyn nostalgia — this is your episode.👉 Drop a comment: What’s YOUR favorite pirate radio memory?📺 Watch the full 1-hour+ live broadcast now!🔥 New episodes every week — subscribe & hit the bell!#PirateRadio #HankHayes #Gymnasium #FCCBust #RadioHistory #1970sRadio #PirateRadioPodcast #UndergroundRadio #BrooklynRadio #LivePodcastThe teenage spark that launched a lifetime of pirate radioA curious 15-year-old rips open his mother’s clock radio, turns a receiver into a transmitter, and suddenly the whole Marlboro Projects is hearing Beatles records.