KMUN antenna damage

Listeners to KMUN, Coast Community Radio, in Astoria and surrounding areas may be wondering why they can't hear the station as well as they usually do. For some, there's just static when they turn on the radio at 91.9 FM and other translator frequencies around the region. That's because strong winds Saturday damaged the station's main broadcast antenna, located across the Columbia River from Astoria, on Megler Mountain in Naselle, WA.

Station Engineer Terry Wilson discovered the broken equipment swinging in the wind after listeners called the station to complain about poor reception. Turns out the top third of the station's $10,000 antenna had snapped off. By mid-afternoon Saturday, broadcast tower climbers from Portland were on the job, removing the broken pieces and securing what was left. The mishap means KMUN will be operating at a fraction of its usual broadcast strength until new equipment is in place, which could take a few weeks.

Station Manager Joanne Rideout said the problem happened at a particularly bad time. “We were in the closing weekend of our annual spring pledge drive,” she said. “That's a time when we pour on the steam to raise money to meet our fund-raising goals. With only part of our listening audience able to hear us, it slowed things down quite a bit.”

The antenna is custom-built equipment that will need to be specially assembled for Coast Community Radio. The station endured a similar mishap in 2009, when wind also felled the station's antenna.

While listeners have reported some static in the station's signal in Tillamook, at KTCB 89.5 FM, the problem should not affect Coast Community Radio's third frequency, KCPB 90.9 FM in Warrenton.

KMUN and KTCB programming is also still available online, streaming live on the web at www.coastradio.org.

Coast Community Radio, on the air since 1983, is rated the most popular broadcaster in the region, according to 2011 data from Eastlan Ratings. Eastlan Ratings provides radio audience measurement data to over 450 radio stations in more than 90 markets across the United States.