DirecTV Suit Accuses Radio Host of Piracy

If you’re watching satellite TV at home but not paying for it, it’s probably not a good idea to brag about it on the radio.

Especially not if you’re on the “Imus in the Morning” show, which has a national audience of 10 million ... and the show is being simulcast nationally on cable TV network MSNBC ... and you work for Viacom, a major supplier of programming to satellite TV services.

Nevertheless, Sid Rosenberg, the sports anchor on Don Imus’ morning show and a weekday host at WFAN-AM in New York, crowed on the air March 11 that he receives DirecTV for free by using a hacked security card. In response, DirecTV on Thursday sued Rosenberg for theft of services.

According to the lawsuit, Rosenberg told Imus that he paid “Bobby Zaps” $40 to “zap” the security card in his DirecTV receiver. “Then you get every sporting event and every movie and everything for the rest of the year,” the lawsuit quotes Rosenberg saying on the program.

The largest satellite TV service in America, DirecTV has no sense of humor about piracy. It has sued more than 100 consumers using hacked cards, sent warnings to more than 6,300 others, and attempted to kill the hacked cards electronically.

“He’s breaking the law,” said DirecTV spokesman Bob Marsocci. “And he admitted it on radio, on national television....It’s pretty compelling when you listen to or when you read his ongoing bragging and boasting about stealing our programming.”

Rosenberg could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for WFAN-AM’s parent company, Viacom subsidiary Infinity Broadcasting Corp., said, “This lawsuit is between Sid Rosenberg and DirecTV. WFAN does not condone breaking the law under any circumstances.”

The station hasn’t taken any action against Rosenberg, who joined Imus’ show last year. Rosenberg has cultivated the image of a “shock jock.”

Radio stations often defend their hosts--and themselves--against suits prompted by controversial commentary. But Rosenberg appears to be on his own, and if he loses the suit, he faces penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, plus attorney fees.