40 Watts from Nowhere: A Journey Into Pirate Radio (Unabridged‪)‬

40 Watts from Nowhere is the inspirational story of one woman with a passion, a lot of guts - and a radio transmitter in her bedroom closet. 

When law office receptionist Sue Carpenter first asked how she might start a legitimate radio station, everyone laughed. Getting on the air (legitimately) was a multimillion-dollar ambition. But in 1995, with the help of a few subversive techies and pirate radio gurus, Sue built her first transmitter in her hilltop San Francisco apartment and launched KPBJ, enlisting friends as DJs. A few months later, Sue landed a job in Los Angeles, took her transmitter with her, and established KBLT. 

From these humble beginnings, KBLT emerged as one of LA’s best-loved radio stations, staffed with more than 100 DJs, and supported by major music labels eager to reach a different kind of audience. The station expanded its playlist from indie rock to an eclectic mix of jazz, hip-hop, electronica, and countless other styles. In the three and a half years before the FCC finally caught up with Sue, KBLT went from interviewing unknowns to hosting live performances by the Red Hot Chili Peppers - without ever leaving Sue’s apartment. 

In hilariously frank prose, Sue recounts her bizarre double life during the height of California’s pirate radio boom: journalist by day, counterculture icon by night. An amazing true story, one that will instantly appeal to music fans - and free spirits - everywhere.