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Kentucky State Militia Radio
By Nick Grace
March 8, 2001
Reports by Hard-Core DX, DX Listening Digest, and Cumbre DX contributed to this story.
Broadcasting from the hills of the U.S. South, an unlicensed and covert radio station allegedly operated by a member of the Kentucky State Militia (KSM) took to the airwaves this week in what appears to be a serious effort to propagandize against the United States government. Although CRW could not confirm if the KSM officially sanctions the transmissions, a source within the group reached by e-mail stated that it "seems to be correct."
Kentucky State Militia Radio, also called KSMR, claims in its broadcasts to be operated by Major Steve Anderson of the 6th Battalion of the KSM with 500 watts on 3260, 6890 and 15745 kHz in Upper Sideband Mode (USB). It has been monitored between the hours of 0300 and 0400 UTC on 3260 and 6890 kHz USB; first on Saturday, March 3, then on Wednesday, March 7, and again last night, Thursday, March 8.
The KSM web site, http://www.freekentucky.com/ksm/contents.htm, mirrors items broadcast in the content of the programs - including announcements for a "massive multi-state militia meeting" in Norm Creek, Kentucky, between April 5 and 8. In fact, the agenda of the meeting includes an item that reads "A Communications seminar will be handled by Steve Anderson of KSM."
During last nights broadcast, according to Canadian monitor Mike Brooker and posted on Hard-Core DX (HCDX), a "disclaimer" was aired to state that "the views (of the station) are not necessarily those of the KSM."
First noted by Ernie Behr in DX Listening Digest (DXLD) on December 5, 2000, the KSMR made transmissions interfering with a broadcast of Dave Frantz on his commercial short wave station WWFV on 6890 kHz. Calling him a "gutless liar," the voice announced that "We are the Kentucky State Militia, we don`t need you anymore... We have our own
short wave transmitter."
Two months later, on February 8, John Norfolk reported in DXLD that an amateur radio operator announced that "he was turning in his ham license to the FCC so that a new short wave broadcast station could start up on 15.745, 6.890 and 3.260 MHz USB." (See CRW 063.)
The first monitored broadcast transmission of the station was made on March 3 by veteran listener Harold Frodge and cited in Cumbre DX. The announced address, according to Paul McDonough on HCDX is 245 Elrod-Martin Rd, Somerset, Kentucky 42503.
The KSM, like most modern-day militias in the U.S. labeled by the mainstream press as "right-wing extremists," believes in the dissolution of the federal government. Its members perceive that their liberties, guaranteed by the American Constitution, are being revoked by a bloated government, which itself, is under pressure from an international "New World Order." KSM, according to its web site, wants to "Take Back Kentucky" and, if need be, secede from the United States.
"We must surrender the siege mentality that has been purposefully disseminated among the patriot community and learn to go on the attack, as our enemies have done for generations now," KSM webmaster Barry Bright writes in his online column "The Tares We Know." "Our ancestors understood, as our enemies know now," he continues "to
occupy, one must conquer."
Clandestine radio, a weapon of propaganda rarely seen on American soil, seems to have appeared from within the heartland. Though without official confirmation from the KSM that the station indeed broadcasts on its behalf, the editors of CRW cannot classify the
station as such. And with news of a "disclaimer" during its programs, the case that KSMR is "clandestine" will be tougher to make.
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