A Whole Lotta Love

Lemon Grove Gets a Radio Station

by Gary Stigall, CSTE
February 24, 1999

Newest FM station in Southern Cal? It's K210CL Lemon Grove, 89.9 MHz. According to Bob Gonsett, it's 10 watts TPO, horizontal and vertical. To serve Lemon Grove citizens to the best of its ability, it's conveniently located atop Mt. San Miguel, the neighborhood knob, which incidentally, has a nice view of the coastal areas from Mexico to Dana Point.

Tom Oaklund, KPBS Transmitter Supervisor, saw the station being installed on Friday, February 19, at Mt Miguel and indicated that the installer said it will be on the air that day.

The construction permit lists its primary station as KLVJ 100.1 Julian, but in fact programming comes from "K-Love," the Educational Media Foundation, Sacramento. K-Love serves up contemporary Christian music, evangelism, and fundraising to 82 FM low and high power stations, and 2 AM stations in the west. EMF is listed as a tax-exempt organization with assets of over $2.3-million.

President Richard Jenkins proclaimed to TodaysBiz.com his goal of expanding into "every major city west of Denver." Julian? Lemon Grove? Cherryville, Oregon? Coincidentally, each of these antenna systems is directional toward a major metropolitan area. Many cities now have up to four low power K-Love transmitters serving them. At $50-million a pop for class-B or -C licenses, who can blame them?

Ironically, the Educational Media Foundation has filed numerous comments with the FCC in opposition to low power FM service, citing potential "interference to an existing translator, or to an existing FM station in the area beyond its protected contour." Kind of a "get your hands off my stack" policy.

Indeed. Ask KCRW Santa Monica about 89.9 MHz. On most days, citizens of higher or coastal ground around San Diego have been able to listen to its eclectic music and NPR programming, only by way of reception beyond its protected contour. I was able to receive KCRW in University City after K-Love's debut, but levels vary widely depending on ducting conditions. Mike Tosch of KPBS-FM reports reception of the K-Love translator at San Diego State University and environs.

Coming soon: La Presa's new gospel station at 89.1 on your FM dial using the same convenient knoll as Lemon Grove uses.

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Edited by Gary Stigall. Posted February 24, 1999.