[IRCA] KKOL reduces power

["Eric Floden" <eric.f99999@xxxxxxxxx>]

from Northwest Broadcasters site, a link to this item:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/312103_radiobeat19.html

in part, srticle reads


In its effort to be more than an afterthought in the competition among
Seattle's conservative-talk stations, Salem Communication's KKOL-AM (1300)
has boosted its signal from a new transmitter site, added a high-profile
national talk host, recruited a program director who used to work at a
competing station in town and has been looking to add more local content.

Whether the last three steps make a difference in KKOL's performance in the
market may depend on whether the station can resolve issues involving the
first -- its 50,000-watt transmitter from a site at the Port of Tacoma.

After losing its lease on a transmitter site on Harbor Island, KKOL spent
several years broadcasting from a ship moored near Alki with a low-power
signal that hindered its reach across the region. Eventually it found a new
site for its antenna, signed a 10-year lease with the Port of Tacoma, and
last year announced it had gone to full power.

But that prompted U.S. Oil & Refining Co. to file a complaint with the
Federal Communications Commission saying the transmitter has created a
series of problems at its refinery less than a mile away. Of particular
concern, U.S. Oil said, is an electrical charge produced by the transmitters
at the refinery's docks that creates a safety hazard when crude oil is
unloaded from tankers. The Coast Guard has also weighed in, calling for the
FCC to order KKOL to change operations to eliminate the risk of a spark
causing an explosion.

Salem (which operates its Seattle stations as Inspiration Media) proposed
lowering its power to 47,000 watts, its nighttime rating, at times when U.S.
Oil is unloading oil tanker ships. The FCC in turn asked that KKOL operate
at 25,000 watts during the day and 47,000 at night until the issue is
resolved.

Salem said it has voluntarily complied with that request.



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