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Tarpon City Radio Station Back On Air

Mark Schantz/SUNCOAST

Tarpon Springs District Fire Chief Rick Butcher says the city's radio station, which is back on the air after being upgraded, can do more than broadcast emergency messages.

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: January 30, 2009

Updated:

TARPON SPRINGS - The city can now inform residents of possible perils over its own revitalized radio station.

Thanks to its new digital transmitter and taller antenna perch, Tarpon Springs Radio, at 1610 AM, can now be heard as far south as Klosterman Road, at the city's southern boundary, said District Fire Chief Rick Butcher.

The station was born out of a need to alert people living near the former Stauffer Chemical plant to potentially hazardous situations during the early years of the cleanup at the Superfund hazardous waste site, which is near the city's northern border.

When it went on the air Tarpon Springs Radio was broadcasting via an antenna and transmitter on the former phosphate processing plant site. After its original transmitter broke, the station remained off the air.

Last year the city, which holds a license to operate the 10-watt low-powered AM station, was granted permission to relocate the station's transmitter and antenna to a more centralized location. With the broadcast equipment now atop its Public Safety building, the city can now use the AM station to supply information and traffic reports to residents. The station has been operational for a month.

The Fire Department is in charge of the station's daily operation because its primary focus is providing timely information during times of hurricanes and tropical storms, Butcher said.

The radio station, equipped to rebroadcast NOAA weather radio emergency alerts, is now in the building that houses the city's Emergency Operation Center. This will allow city officials to quickly disseminate the latest information, Butcher said.

During more placid times, any city department can utilize the station to broadcast public service announcements and information, he said.

It has been broadcasting valuable safety information during January, which is National Burn Prevention Month, Butcher said.

Citing examples of other possible uses for Tarpon Springs Radio, Butcher said: Police could issue traffic or missing-person alerts; the Cultural Service Department could provide information on public events or grant opportunities; or the Parks and Recreation Department could let people know about its programs.

Since the city radio station has switched to digital operations, theoretically boosting the amount of information it can handle, other possible uses are being explored, Butcher said.

Mark Schantz can be contacted at 727-815-1075 or mschantz@suncoastnews.com.

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