News
For months, volunteers with Lake County Community Radio/KPFZ have been getting everything in order – from funds to a new studio to a tower on Mt. Konocti – in order to go on the air this spring.
KPFZ's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license requires it to be on the air and in full operation by 3 a.m. April 25, said Andy Weiss, the station's general manager and one of its founders. The station will be located at 88.1 FM on the radio dial.
On Saturday, it was test time for KPFZ's broadcast abilities.
The station had already run into issues with equipment on the top of Mt. Konocti, which cost the station an unexpected $25,000 to fix, said Weiss.
So the station's loyal group of volunteers didn't know what to expect until Saturday afternoon rolled around.
“The big, dramatic moment came when we linked Mt. Konocti to our Lakeport studio, and up until that moment we didn't know that would be successful,” Weiss said.
But it worked, and the station stayed on the air between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., said Weiss.
That Saturday afternoon test clears the way for the station to get started broadcasting officially, said Weiss. “We'll be on the air sometime mid-April, formally.”
With the equipment in working order and the FCC license in place, Weiss said the station could be on the air tomorrow. But they still have some details to work out, including some other testing and final preparations for the studio, which isn't ready for broadcasting just yet.
There's also the training of volunteer programmers to finish up, said Weiss.
The technical difficulties on the mountaintop set the station's funding back a bit, said Weiss, which is why station representatives approached the city of Lakeport for some funding assistance.
The station gave a presentation to the council last week and asked for a grant. “We were looking to Lakeport to help make up that shortfall,” said Weiss.
Because the station will be located in downtown Lakeport, offer broadcast training and produce programming aimed at businesses, station board member Taira St. John told Lake County News that the station was seeking a grant of redevelopment funds.
The station's representatives met with City Manager Jerry Gillham and Community Development Director Richard Knoll – who also acts as executive director of the city's redevelopment agency – to discuss the idea before it was taken to the council.
At the Feb. 19 meeting, both Gillham and Knoll told the council that using redevelopment funds would be justified because of the services the station plans to offer the community.
The council directed staff to continue discussing funding options with the station.
“I would say the council was pretty supportive of what we offered,” said Weiss.
St. John said another meeting between city staff and station members is expected to take place later this week.
A final package could consist solely of a grant or a mix of a grant with a loan, Weiss added.
Once on the air, Weiss said the station's financial prospects are very promising, especially with underwriters, who are “just coming in in streams.”
Underwriters will get a good deal in return, said Weiss, because they'll have access to people who care about their community.
For more about the station visit www.kpfz.org.
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The campaign rejects the Governor’s 2008 budget proposal to close 48 California state parks and reduce lifeguard staffing on 16 state beaches. His proposal will only save $13.3 million, a minimal portion of the state’s deficit with a huge impact to state parks.
As Lake County News has reported, the list of parks to be closed includes Clear Lake State Park in Kelseyville and Anderson Marsh State Historic Park in Lower Lake.
“The governor’s proposal to close 48 state parks will have a profound effect on the environment, preservation of our state’s historic treasures, tourism and the local economies that depend on our state parks” said Elizabeth Goldstein, California State Parks Foundation president. “The Save Our State Parks campaign brings together stakeholders to oppose the Governor’s proposed budget cuts with a unified voice.”
Last year alone, the California Department of Parks and Recreation tallied more than 77 million visits to state parks, including historic landmarks, beaches, recreation areas and reserves.
Clear Lake State Park draws more than 100,000 visitors annually, with revenue of $332,782, according to the parks foundation. Anderson Marsh is visited by more than 43,000 people each year, generating $2,060 in revenue.
In partnership with organizations, businesses, local governments and individuals throughout the state, representing hundreds of thousands of Californians, the foundation is leading the SOS Parks campaign activities to generate awareness and take action to fight the governor’s budget proposal.
As part of the campaign, a website (www.saveourstateparks.org) was launched where organizations and individuals may take action on the budget cuts, weigh in on parks issues and join the campaign.
Additionally, new tools such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other social networking sites will be used to increase awareness among all Californians regarding the governor’s proposed actions to California’s state parks.
The SOS Parks campaign invites people to share their story on its Web site and voice their experiences in California’s state parks. Stories will be posted online.
In Lake County, the effort to fight the closures continues to gain steam.
Petitions are being circulated to gather signatures opposing closure of Lake County's two state parks.
Copies of the petitions are available at the courthouse in Lakeport, the Lakeport Chamber of Commerce, Wild About Books in Clearlake and Watershed Books in Lakeport, as well as many other businesses throughout the county and at many special events.
Copies of the petitions also can be downloaded at http://redwood.sierraclub/lake.
The California State Parks Foundation will hold its Park Advocacy Day on Monday, April 7, in Sacramento. The event gives participants the opportunity to meet with policymakers to discuss issues facing the state parks.
For more information on Park Advocacy Day visit www.calparks.org/park-advocacy-day-2008.html.
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