Temecula hopes to have AM signal ready prior to upcoming fire season
By NICOLE SACK - The Californian Staff Writer | Friday, April 25, 2008 11:15 AM PDT
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.
Article on the Californian.
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