Spanish Station Denied Watt Boost
Operators of the first all-talk Spanish-language radio station in Southern California were turned down by the Orange County Planning Commission earlier this week in their request to install more generators at their remote Black Star Canyon antenna site to boost the station’s signal.
Orange County Broadcasting Co., which operates Orange-based KPLS (830 AM), had hoped to increase power to 50,000 watts from the current 2,500 in an effort to alleviate problems with signal interference, according to station spokesman Daniel Villanueva. Opponents, citing environmental and regulatory concerns, and supporters, citing the station’s public service value, testified at Tuesday’s hearing. Commissioners voted 3-2 to deny the request.
Villanueva said his company may appeal the decision to the Board of Supervisors, but is not yet sure of the next step. “We don’t know, and I’m not sure the county really understands” the exact implications of Tuesday’s vote, he said.
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