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November 29, 2009

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KNPR explains outages

Thursday, March 28, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

What happens when KNPR goes off the air?

Listens get an odd mixture of Howard Stern and contemporary Christian music on 89.5-FM. And the public radio station gets a lot of static.

"We've been getting dozens of phone calls," says General Manager Lamar Marchese. "It's been a number of electrical and transmitter-related problems."

Power interruptions at the KNPR transmitter site on Black Mountain also contribute to the frequent interruptions, he adds. Voltage fluctuations play havoc with the sensitive equipment. The failure of one component creates a domino effect in other parts of the eight-year-old system.

"We're getting nickeled and dimed to death," Marchese says. "The main transmitter tube had to be replaced, about a $1,000 item -- and that's for a rebuilt part."

Electrical work is being done this week to rewire the breaker box and replace some related equipment, he says.

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