George Carlin performing 7 dirty words routine in 1973 which when broadcast on Pacifica caused the lawsuit F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation. One radio listener filed a complaint with the FCC some weeks after the original broadcast in 1973 on WBAI. After a volley of threats from the FCC, Pacifica Foundation dug in its heels and fought back, in the name of protecting its mission and the interests of free speech in the United States.
After an initial court victory by Pacifica, the FCC appealed to the Supreme Court, which in 1978 rejected Pacifica’s arguments. They ruled the materical was indecent not obscene and could not prohibit it, but they could limit the times that it aired. This audio also includes an interview conducted by Larry Bensky at KPFA in June 1997, nearly 30 years later.