FIRST OFF . . .

Charges against two New York pirate rock radio broadcasters operating from a rusty ship off Long Island were dropped Thursday because the renegade station has been off the air since a July raid, the Justice Department announced. However, the pirate broadcasters--Alan Weiner, 34, and Ivan Rothstein, 25--told reporters they plan to return to the air. The Federal Communications Commission maintains that the station needed a license to broadcast, but the operators maintained that since the station was in international waters, no FCC license was required. The station went on the air July 23 with an eclectic format of vintage rock and contemporary talk beamed at New York listeners. The Coast Guard arrested the pair during a raid on the floating station July 28.