VENTURA : Classic Rock Station Reports Theft of CDs

The entire compact disc selection for a local nostalgia and classic rock station was missing Monday morning and its computers were unhooked over the weekend--incidents that have undermined its ability to provide local programming.

Carl Goldman, general manager of nostalgia station KKZZ-AM and the new “Octopus” FM classic rock station, labeled the computer incident a “sabotage.”

Goldman said workers arrived at the station at 2244 S. Victoria Ave. in Ventura on Saturday morning to find that someone had “basically unhooked all the computers” and removed cables and computer networking devices. Without them, technicians couldn’t play station identification and commercials.

Ventura police are probing the second incident as a theft. Goldman said that workers discovered Monday morning that the station’s entire CD library was stolen.

Goldman said about 450 discs valued at $5,000, some of which were irreplaceable, were taken. Production discs containing licensed music to play with commercials also are missing.

As a result, for the time being the station is only able to play music from its network, Westwood One, Goldman said, though listeners have been generous with offers of CDs.

“We’re scrambling right now,” Goldman said.

Since there were no signs of break-in for either incident, Goldman believes the thieves may have used a key. He said the station changed its locks a couple of weeks ago.

Goldman said the new management took over the station Jan. 1. The existing AM operation has continued while shifting the former KELF into a new FM classic rock station renamed “The Octopus.” The management is seeking federal approval of KOCT as the FM station’s new call letters.

“We’re the new kids on the block, trying to do our own thing,” Goldman said. “Obviously someone is out to get us.”