Local radio comes through in emergencies
As politicians debate a requirement for AM radio to be a mandatory feature of cars and trucks, and automakers debate including a radio tuner at all, communities are beginning to understand the importance of radio itself in the event of emergencies.
Along the way, local radio — truly local radio — is proving to be a source of lifesaving information for residents affected by emergencies, including the recent Bryson fire in Malibu.
As the fire began to spread last Thursday, low-power FM KBUU (local to Malibu at 99.1 FM; online at RadioMalibu.net) dropped normal programming to broadcast fire updates, interviewed the city’s manager Joseph Irvin, spoke with the local fire and police officials, gave evacuation information and updates on road closures, and acted as a calming source of vital information for residents.
The station was founded by Hans Laetz, and is run by him, his wife Diane, and a handful of other volunteers. The format includes alternative and modern rock, Americana — a hybrid music mix of folk, country, blues, gospel, and soul, as well as news and talk. In spite of its low-power status, it also broadcasts using the digital HD system, with the HD2 stream consisting of the 1980s-based tribute station The Mighty 690 and HD3 running J-Pop.
Hans was on the air the night of the fire, interviewing local officials and setting up pre-recorded information that ran through the night. Laetz stated on the air that if anything changed with regard to the fire, he would go on live no matter the time. He also pulled information from other sources including radio and television reports, airing the pertinent portions of these broadcasts. While it is but a low-power signal of 50 watts, KBUU is a powerful reminder of the importance of radio.
About thirty miles South of Malibu, the city of Rancho Palos Verdes recently launched PV Emergency Radio, a low-powered signal at 1680 AM. With a transmitter located at Ridgecrest Intermediate School, the station broadcasts a 10-watt signal that is designed to reach most of the city including its main evacuation routes.
RPV city manager Ara Mihranian spoke of the new venture at a recent meeting of the Rolling Hills Riviera Neighborhood Association on the east side of the peninsula. “During emergencies the station will broadcast specific information and evacuation routes as needed,” he said. “At other times, it will give tips on emergency preparedness.”
The problem with the signal is that, being high up the band with limited ground-wave coverage, the station has trouble being heard in some areas, especially those with high voltage power lines along the road. Interference definitely limits the signal’s listenability, though in a major emergency that included loss of power, the station’s signal would be fairly clear. Perhaps multiple transmitter locations could help, if allowed, along with an online presence if they decide to do so.
Mike Horn Passes
Mike Horn, the founder of CRN Digital Talk Radio, passed away October 8th after a long illness. he was 74.
Horn was heard in the 1970s on KFI (640 AM) and the original — pre-FM — top-40 version of KROQ (1500 AM), among a handful of other stations. He got the idea to program stations exclusively for cable television systems when he found out that the old KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM) was earning ratings in Arizona due to the Los Angeles rock station being carried on an audio-only channel of a Phoenix-based cable provider.
The original name for his venture was the Cable Radio Network. In 1983, he launched it with a country nusic format, changing it to oldies after a short time. When music services started to spread to cable systems, he went all-talk, and eventually moved the system online at crntalk.com. Far from the single format he started with, CRN now carries so many shows I cannot even begin to list them all here – I counted 78 in total at the website. Suffice to say, whatever your interest, from lifestyle news to business to religion, there is probably a show to pique your interest.
Talkers.com publisher Michael Harrison called Horn a “true talk radio hero,” writing on his website that “he had the vision of an eagle, the ears of a programmer, and a heart of pure gold. His ingenious invention – ‘CRN’ – provided the industry for decades with an ever-evolving alternative platform for a wide variety of programs, running the gamut from undiscovered gems to pre-maturely discarded treasures.”