Valley to get 2nd FM radio station

LAZY MOUNTAIN — Not all area residents are on the same frequency as Anchorage Media Group prepares to expand into the Mat-Su Valley with a new 50,000-watt radio station.

Anchorage Media Group operates six popular radio stations in Anchorage and has its eye on Wasilla for a new FM station that could feature a mix of music, local events and sports, said Dennis Bookey, general manager for the group. The new station would be located at 100.9 on the FM dial and with its 50,000-watt broadcasting power would be the strongest signal in the area, but not strong enough to get outside the Valley.

“We’re working on something designed special for the Valley,” Bookey said of the new radio station. “Prior to launching the format we will be talking to some community leaders to find out what we can help do to cover things in [the Mat-Su Valley].”

Anchorage Media Group, which is owned by Augusta, Ga.-based Morris Communications, has one last major hurdle to clear in gaining approval for its 199-foot radio tower. Its application for a conditional use permit to locate the tower on Lazy Mountain is going through the review process by Mat-Su Borough staff, said Amy Karn, a planner for the Borough. The Planning Commission will vote on the tower permit in January; most likely at the group’s Jan. 21 meeting, she said.

While Bookey is sending a clear signal about wanting to move quickly and have the radio station up and running in 2008, some residents on and near Lazy Mountain want him to look elsewhere to site his broadcast tower.

The Lazy Mountain Community Council met with Bookey on two occasions to discuss its concerns about how a large tower could impact residents, said Jim Sykes, president of the council. At one of those meetings, the council passed a vote of nonsupport for the tower. Residents are worried the tower would pollute the area’s viewshed and its lights could be distracting and irritating at night.

“There are several aspects to consider,” Sykes said. “The site of the tower is one, and how it’s going to be lit. People who live on the road had expressed concerns about the operation and construction of the tower.”

Besides broadcasting for the new radio station, “What else is going to go on the tower?” Sykes asked. Should other transmission be located on the tower it could cause radio frequency interference to the surrounding area. People also generally don’t like living near broadcast towers.

In addition, Anchorage Media Group didn’t seek out other alternative sites to place the tower that would be less intrusive, Sykes said.

“They haven’t looked at a lot of what I would consider obvious options,” he said, adding those options include state lands or land the Chickaloon tribe owns on Lazy Mountain that is not near residential development.

Doug and Jill Warner own the land where Bookey wants to put the radio tower. They are also not thrilled with having a tower on their property, Jill Warner said, adding she believes the site is out of the way and as unobtrusive as possible for everyone.

“That’s what we hope,” she said. “When [Bookey] first approached us to put a tower here our first reaction was to say ‘no.’”

They didn’t decline and instead worked with Bookey about where to locate the tower, she said.

“We thought, it’s going to come,” she said. “So, our feeling was we have a good size piece [of land] here and we can put the tower as far back and get it as far out of the way as possible.”

Much of the opposition to the radio tower has come from one vocal neighbor, Warner said.

“I understand it,” she said, adding her nearest neighbor is about a half mile away. “They have no choice in this. I guess when you live this close to civilization lights are going to be inevitable. At least [by allowing the tower on their land] we did have some control over where the tower was going to be placed.”

Bookey understands nobody wants a tower near his or her home, but said he looks forward to running a community-minded radio station in the Mat-Su Valley.

“Towers aren’t the most popular things,” he said. “You don’t expect people to embrace a tower, so some resistance is expected.”

He and the property owners worked hard to make the tower the least intrusive as possible, he said. Ultimately, it will be located up the mountain behind a bluff. Although the Federal Aviation Administration will require the tower to be lighted, it won’t have to be painted a standout red and white color.

A radio station already serves the Valley, 99.7 on the FM dial, KMBQ. John Klapperich, who owns and operates KMBQ, was out of town this week and unavailable for comment on another radio station coming to the Valley.

Bookey said he’s targeting Wasilla as a base for his station because of the area’s business climate and that there is plenty of advertising to support more than one radio station. He also said he likes KMBQ and respects the loyalty it has earned in the marketplace.

“They are great broadcasters and we admire what they’ve done,” he said. “The Valley’s pretty healthy economically, easily the healthiest in the whole state. The community can support another radio station.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@-frontiersman.com or 352-2268.