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TEMECULA: Emergency radio station OK'd
Temecula hopes to have AM signal ready prior to upcoming fire season
By NICOLE SACK - Staff Writer | ∞
TEMECULA ---- Tune in, Temecula. Tune in, Temecula.
Before fire season starts in late summer, city officials hope that anyone within the city limits will be able to dial in 1610 AM and receive up-to-the minute news and information regarding emergency situations that might be occurring in the area.
The City Council voted 4-0 Tuesday to spend $20,000 from the police and fire operation budget to form a local emergency station.
The AM Emergency Advisory Radio System will give city staff the ability to prerecord messages and quickly create broadcasts for emergencies. Newly recorded messages can be inserted into the broadcast by telephone or the Internet. The station will also offer "live" broadcast capabilities.
The transmitter is intended to be located on a hilltop next to the Temecula Public Library on Pauba Road. From that location in the center of the 27-square-mile city, a radio signal will be transmitted within a 3-mile to 5-mile radius spanning 28 to 38 square miles encompassing the city.
Tim Thorson, Temecula's information systems director, said his staff spent weeks testing the quality and clarity of a handful of available radio signals before choosing 1610 AM as their top choice to carry emergency broadcasts. He said staff members were tuning in at all hours to make sure there weren't times when the station was experiencing interference.
The impetus for the emergency broadcasting system was last October's wildfires, which prompted numerous inquiries from residents requesting the city look into expanding cable television programming and radio coverage with specifically local content.
Much of the frustration among residents was that they didn't have access to information on the fires looming near Riverside County, as television stations focused on Los Angeles and San Diego events. There was also very little radio news available, as stations were reluctant to break from their formats.
"When the fires settled down, a lot of people were asking what we could do to provide better communications to the public during a natural disaster," he said.
In response, an external communications subcommittee was formed, consisting of city council members Jeff Comerchero and Maryann Edwards.
"We all felt that we could do a much better job of communication with our citizens," said Comerchero, who pushed for the group.
Various members of the media as well as officials from government, including the Federal Communications Commission, met with the subcommittee to brainstorm ideas since December.
"We had great representation," she said of the last meeting, which was in March, that drew more than 30 people. She said she was astounded by the number of media outlets that came out to participate.
"I was very pleased," she said.
When the suggestion for an AM radio station that could carry emergency broadcasts was made, Edwards said, "everyone kind of looked at each other and said, 'That's so easy. Why didn't I think of that? Duh,'" she recalled.
So well taken was the idea for local emergency radio that the city of Murrieta intends to follow suit with its own frequency, said Councilman Doug McAllister. He said the proposal would come before the council for consideration in the coming weeks.
"It's such an effective and inexpensive way to get information to residents when they need it, " he said. "We could potentially link up with Temecula during times of emergency, but we would also be able to use the system to broadcast public service announcements ---- which would be geared just toward this city."
While the primary intent of Temecula's AM frequency will be for emergency notification, the idea has surfaced for using the signal to potentially broadcast high school football games, tourist information and other programming. No final decision has been made on additional uses for the station.
Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com.
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ShawnP wrote on Apr 25, 2008 1:23 PM:Well, isn't it about time? My wife and her first husband moved here back in 1984, and were almost burned out by a backfire set by CDF in the early 1990s. I've been here for 10 1/2 years now---the Pechanga fire in 2000 came within a half-mile of us, and the fires in 2003 and last year were within a couple of miles; all the LA & SD stations focused on were the fires closest to them, so this is definitely a good thing, a step in the right direction anyway.
David W. wrote on Apr 25, 2008 8:28 PM:... The real shame in this whole radio station idea is that the city should support, perhaps with a grant and pressure to the FCC to allow both Radio and TV stations to broadcast locally on a commercial basis......with the advent of Digital TV broadcasting taking place in less than a year...there is no reason why we couldn't have local TV and radio.....as I understand it we just need to break away from the control of the Los Angeles TV market area....(which the networks - that own some of the local stations are reluctant to do..HOWEVER we need to exercise local government control and make it happen! ... Temecula and Murrieta city councils - and now Wildomar....hello - wake up ! .....
Duh wrote on Apr 25, 2008 9:25 PM:Well look who's on the council and you'll figure out why it wss never thought of. Duh.
Safe in Temecula wrote on Apr 25, 2008 10:40 PM:Nevermind the whiners -- How many other cities do you know of that have done as much for community safety? This is an excellent response to the lack of local broadcasts from commercial stations. Great for Temecula to grab hold of the public airwaves to provide emergency information to residents. Great job, council!
To Duh wrote on Apr 26, 2008 12:33 AM:Did you know that the IQ of those who can only criticize is a direct correlation of the number of hours they spend volunteering and making a difference in the community? ZERO! It's so easy to criticize others from the cushy seat of your Lazy Boy while you watch the WWF. It's a little different to put your name and reputation on the line and run for office or volunteer and actually DO something for others. But that's OK. Have another beer, and relax. It's just about time for The Simpsons! Git 'er dun!!
The foot Shooting ourselves in it wrote on Apr 26, 2008 9:18 AM:This is a stupid idea. Why didn't the council give local media -- papers and radio stations who offered -- the time to put something together by their own private enterprise? Now folks will continue to complain about "no local content" while they haven't given a chance to the local media to make a living at what they do best.
To The foot... wrote on Apr 27, 2008 12:08 AM:Pretty funny. Local media, press, radio, and TV have had 25 years to meet in a room and DO SOMETHING. Remember that they are competing against each other. So it took a lead agency (the city) to enlist and coordinate the efforts of the COMPETING INTERESTS in the name of public safety. It's a forward thinking action. Many cities and media outlets have expressed an interest in setting up similar models in their locales.
Yet again, only criticism, and no solutions were offered by "The Foot". So typical of the negativism of the blogosphere.
FCC SPOKE wrote on Apr 27, 2008 12:20 PM:at the meeting and said it was 100% certain that a local "market" for TV was not a possibility. The valley doesn't come close to meeting the criteria - especially in a digital world. Palm Springs got it done YEARS AGO when antennas were the broadcast tool of the day and NO signals could be received in Palm Springs; hence their qualification for their own market. The NBC affiliate in both San Diego and LA are owned by the same company, so the FCC said it would work with them to broadcast both stations in Temecula. A small victory in a very complicated formula. The city is doing a great job and will probably be the example for others to follow nation wide.
to David wrote on Apr 29, 2008 9:28 AM:its funny to see people whining about not having things like in LA or San Diego but then also complain about traffic and too many people. Private enterprise needs to make money, theres no money in emergency broadcast radio, thats what the government is expected to provide. I cant expect learning anything more from the radio station than what their website provided during the fires, their website was the most up to date that I could find anywhere.
Murrieta Resident wrote on May 1, 2008 11:13 AM:I'm glad that Temecula is doing something about it. I wished that Murrieta would too. With the fires of 2003 and 2007, it would be nice to get radio.tv channels that would broadcast our local news and updates, rather than listening to what is going on in LA. I contacted my TV Company, and they told that the reason that we can only get LA Stations is due to the Nielsen TV Ratings. Well, if we can ONLY watch the LA Stations, those are the only ratings that are being transmitted. They have given us "0" choice on to what channel line up we need/want to watch.
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