Brief by Central Staff
Media – June 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine
When big storms hit, people often turn to the radio for the latest information. But the radio stations can also be victims of the storm.
Salida’s Big Spring Dump of ’01 knocked two stations off the air: KSBV and KRCC, both with antennas on Methodist Mountain.
KSBV, a commercial station based in Salida, was back on the air by Monday, May 7, as soon as electric power had been restored to the antenna site.
KRCC, a public radio station based in Colorado Springs, was off until May 10. The Methodist Mountain repeater had power by then, but it didn’t have a signal to broadcast.
It gets its signal from a translator near Westcliffe, which in turn picks up the broadcast from the Springs. The Westcliffe translator was damaged in the storm and was broadcasting at only one watt, instead of the usual 250.
The station replaced that with a spare 100-watt transmitter, so it was back on the air in Salida, Westcliffe, and Cañon City. And it should be back at full strength within a couple of weeks, once the 250-watt transmitter is repaired and back in place.
