In a cramped studio on Polk Street, voices float across open radio waves while unauthorized, homespun music stays on air.

With a couch, a couple of microphones, and a few cigarette butts on the floor, the pirate station of 93.7 West Add Radio (WAR) may be smaller than most living rooms.

Despite its petite size, the non-profit station has garnered a considerable audience with at least 12,000 listeners in San Francisco. With over 30 shows currently airing, from talk radio to music sets, the “pirates” at WAR refuse to play the homogenized tracklists found on most commercial stations.

“It’s important to offer alternatives to commercial radio, allowing DJs to share their thoughts and music to the public,” said WAR DJ and SF State junior Raina Allair, 22, who co-hosts WAR’s random music set, Bike Messenger Boyfriend (BMBF), on Friday afternoons from 3p.m. to 4p.m. “It’s also about hearing something different from typical commercial radio.”

Focusing on the idea of being do-it-yourself (DIY), people at WAR say it gives space to alternative sounds, without the interference of the corporate-driven industry moguls.

“West Add Radio believes it is not necessary to have corporate companies dictate what music is available. We also believe in bringing you the best quality do it yourself radio station possible,” said the owner of WAR, who did not want to be interviewed or identified due to fear from authorities.

Last year, WAR was reported to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), said Allair.

The FCC was established by the government in 1934 to oversee regulations for radio and other communication systems in the United States.

“Technically West Add Radio is a pirate radio station,” said Allair.

WAR is not licensed by the FCC. But somehow it has managed to stay on-air during its legal troubles, Allair added.

WAR listener and SF City College student Anna Berlin, 22, has been listening to WAR for about a year and said that when she heard about a radio station with no commercials, she had to check it out.

“I listen for the banter between co-hosts on different shows, and I like to hear different music that doesn’t always show up on commercial radio stations,” said Berlin. “Not having to sit through commercials is always awesome.”

To defray operation costs that would usually be paid for by commercials, the station also hosts monthly benefit shows at different S.F. clubs and bars. It was at one of these shows that Marco Vega, 26, was offered a position to DJ at WAR. Almost five years later, he’s on his third show at WAR, co-hosting BMBF with Allair.

“I was sent a MySpace message asking me to spin [records] at a benefit show in 2003, and then was offered a position to DJ,” said Vega.

Although he does DJ at a pirate radio station, Vega said listeners should support the music industry commerce where they can.

“I’m pro-commerce in regards to music. I make it a point to buy everything I can on vinyl,” said Vega. “Pirate radio [is more] about easy access to music [than focusing on paying copyright fees].”

Unlike pirate radio, which remains live, commercial radio has changed in recent years, according to Live 105 DJ Pete Mar. At certain stations, programs are being pre-recorded, sometimes even in out-of-state studios.

Mar advised listeners to also be wary of corporate-run radio stations, like those owned by Clear Channel, because the stations are usually more about the money than the music.

“Many [radio stations say to DJs] ‘sign on the dotted line to make $10,000 a year,’” said Mar of giant radio corporations. “They truly don’t value radio.”

Daniel Martinez, 21, a DJ at SF State’s own student-run radio station KSFS: “The State,” wants to get a job in commercial radio, but said he believes there is room for pirate radio stations as well.

“I really believe in pirate radio’s purpose,” said BECA senior Martinez. “Because they don’t always have to please advertisers, they can sometimes focus more on their listeners.”

Those who want to hear BMBF or any of the shows produced at WAR can tune into 93.7 FM any time of day, or stream line archived shows at westaddradio.com.