Pirate Radio

My name is William Morris, I am 42 years old, born in 1974.

I am recalling something odd that happened to me a few years ago.

I was on my way home from a late business meeting.

I don’t like driving those rural roads at night. No lights. Lots of hills and curves. Never knowing if something might jump in front of you.

I was on Highway 5, according to the signs. I would normally take the busier freeway, but a serious collision forced everyone off.

I was not familiar with the area, and somehow ended up on this.

The compass indicated that I was gong in the right direction, so I guess I will get there eventually.

I looked around, and saw nothing. Just a road with nothing around it.

I needed something to keep me company. Voices.

I turned on the radio, but I didn’t want to hear music right now. I wanted to hear someone talking, so I switched to AM.

I scanned through the stations, trying to find an interesting talk show.    

At one point, the tuner stopped at 1074.

Wait a minute. 1074? There is not supposed to be a station at 1074. It should be 1070 or 1080, but what is this 1074?

The news was on, but there was something unusual about it. It seemed “stale”. It was not recent news.

Coming up on the news, OPEC ends the oil embargo, Nixon and Brezhnev meet in Moscow to discuss arms limitation agreements, and India successfully tests an atomic device, making it the world’s sixths nuclear power.
In sports, we look ahead to the Stanley Cup, Philadelphia verses Boston. That should be a great game.
In Entertainment, “The Towering Inferno” is burning up the box office.

But first, 

Here is a message from our sponsor: 

At that point, there was a rumble of interference. 

This lasted for about a couple of minutes.

I was intrigued by this odd station, and started to look dawn at the radio, waiting for it to come back on.

Suddenly, it came back, the announcers’s voice was very clear,

William Morris. Keep your eyes on the road.

I looked up suddenly, startled by what I just heard, and there looming down on me, were the headlights of a tractor-trailer.

I had drifted into the oncoming lane.

I was able to steer out of the way in enough time, at the sound of a truck horn.

In the process, I accidentally hit the radio with my knee, and changed the station. A familiar 24-hour news station was now playing.

I was almost home, and a bit freaked out about what had just happened. I turned off the radio for the rest of the drive.

Since then, I occasionally traveled out to that area, with the radio tuned to 1074, but was never able to receive that station again.

The reason I recall this so vividly now, is that yesterday, I met up with a buddy of mine. He is a couple of years younger than I.

Anyway, he told me of a recent trip along Highway 5, and being able to pick up an “odd” radio station on an odd frequency. 
    
1076.