On September 21, 2023, the FCC granted a Construction Permit by K206AC 89.1 La Jolla to increase its power from 4 to 50 watts ERP and to change its translator source to KPBS’s HD2 service. The analog signal would then broadcast the classical music secondary channel of the San Diego State University NPR affiliate. The translator sits atop an apartment highrise building at 939 Coast Boulevard near La Jolla Cove.

Several San Diego FM stations have filed to move their transmitter sites or otherwise improve their signals before the opening of the next Low Power FM filing window coming up in November. Their applications attempt to reserve better coverage and prevent co-channel filers from encroaching.

KVIB-LP 101.1 San Diego filed with the FCC on August 28, 2023 to move from its current location atop the World Beat Center in Balboa Park to the top of a building in University Heights near the corner of Park Boulevard and Adams Avenue. This move will significantly increase the population count served since the current location has no housing within a radius that readily prevents co-channel interference from KRTH Los Angeles. KVIB is licensed to Positive Hope, Inc., an organization closely linked with the World Beat Center.

KCZP-LP 93.7 San Diego filed with the FCC on August 8, 2023 to move its transmitter from its current location atop the bell tower of the St. Joseph Cathedral at 3rd and Beech street in uptown San Diego to an adjacent, taller Cathedral Plaza Apartments associated with the Catholic Diocese. The new location would provide terrain clearance to the north and some downtown building clearance southward. The station, while independent of the Catholic Church, provides Catholic network programming.

K206AC 89.1 La Jolla filed with the FCC on August 30, 2023 to increase its power from 4 to 50 watts ERP and to change its translator source to KPBS’s HD2 service. The analog signal would then broadcast the classical music secondary channel of the San Diego State University NPR affiliate. The translator sits atop an apartment highrise building on Coast Boulevard near La Jolla Cove.

We learned that Carl Craver of Buena Park, owner of Viper Cabling, passed away suddenly yesterday. He was 58. He had been an installation technician with TV Magic during the time when they installed the extensive systems at KSWB-TV and XETV in San Diego. Later he created his own cabling contract company, installing data, audio, and video cables—and later whole systems—for broadcast studios, stadiums, data centers, and many other facilities out of his headquarters in Orange County. Carl had recently retired from full-time involvement in Viper.

I had provided adjunct services to the Viper team and found Carl to be fair, forthright, always eager to serve, and fun to be around. He will be missed.

The FCC posted today that it had granted the assignment of the license for KUSI (TV) to Nexstar Media Group. In May, Nexstar announced that it agreed to purchase KUSI from the McKinnon family for $35-million. This will create a duopoly in San Diego with the recent acquisition of KSWB-TV from the Tribune Publishing Company. According to sources at KUSI, KSWB will move into the KUSI facility on Murphy Road since the sale includes that property and KSWB leases its space on Engineer Road.

KUSI has been an independent station since its creation by the United States International University in 1982 except for a 4-year period from 1995—1998 when they were affiliated with UPN. The station was initially built with all RCA gear from the cameras and tape recorders to the transmitter atop Mt. San Miguel.

Fred Swift has been the station’s chief engineer since Richard Large retired in 2013, 10 years ago. The pair had worked together for 29 years before that.

Some people can’t help but play with the artificial intelligence engine ChatGPT in ways that will make you cringe. Richard Rudman, EAS volunteer California State Emergency Coordination Committee Vice-Chair from Santa Paula sent us this little ditty he had ChatGPT compose. The best I can think of as a tune to sing it to is, “This Land is Your Land,” but the meter changes impossibly. Give it a go:

In the dead of night, when all is still,
A sound breaks through, a warning shrill,
It’s the Emergency Alert System, here to say,
Stay alert, stay safe, come what may.

(Chorus)
Oh, the Emergency Alert System,
A voice of caution, a call to listen,
When danger looms, it’s there to warn,
From storms to emergencies, day or morn.

(Verse 2)
Through the airwaves, the message spreads,
A lifeline in times of dread,
With its distinct tone and urgent plea,
It echoes across the land, for you and me.

(Chorus)
Oh, the Emergency Alert System,
A voice of caution, a call to listen,
When danger looms, it’s there to warn,
From storms to emergencies, day or morn.

(Bridge)
From tornadoes to floods, and everything between,
The EAS keeps us informed, a trusted machine,
With its alerts and updates, we stay aware,
In times of crisis, it shows it cares.

(Verse 3)
So let’s heed the call, when it rings out,
Follow the instructions, without a doubt,
For the Emergency Alert System is here,
To guide us through, to calm our fear.

(Chorus)
Oh, the Emergency Alert System,
A voice of caution, a call to listen,
When danger looms, it’s there to warn,
From storms to emergencies, day or morn.

(Outro)
So remember, my friend, when the sirens blare,
The Emergency Alert System is there,
To keep us safe, to keep us strong,
In unity, we’ll face whatever comes along.