Small town radio station fights back

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) - On a recent Sunday morning, a Dripping Springs area resident was listening to a church service on KDRP , the town's small, nonprofit community radio station. Suddenly, the signal grew weak and the listener heard interference from another station. That station was KVET radio, which broadcasts a sports-talk format and, according to KDRP management, occasionally runs commercials for adult-oriented businesses. So, right in the middle of the Sunday sermon, the listener encountered an offending ad. He complained to the church and the pastor complained to KDRP general manager Ryan Schuh.

"To the average listener, they don't understand," Schuh said. "They might think we changed formats; they might think we started doing that. They don't know; they get upset and go away."

"The largest religious broadcaster in the nation, religious, is broadcasting adult entertainment ads, breast augmentation contest ads, lewd humor constantly," said KDRP operations manager Denver O'Neal. "Is that Christian behavior?"

"And how do we get those listeners back?" asked Schuh.

Perhaps an even better question is, why was KVET showing up on KDRP's frequency in the first place?

The answer lies in the labyrinth that is the Federal Communications Commission rule book. Under the rules, Educational Media Foundation (EMF) , a nationwide corporation that broadcasts Christian programming on hundreds of stations, was able to lease space on one of its antennas to Clear Channel Radio , another nationwide broadcaster with hundreds of stations of its own.

According to Joe Miller, vice-president for signal development for EMF, the deal involved a swap of some HD radio signals with Clear Channel, a commercial radio company. In the process, with FCC approval, the antenna was moved from a tower near San Marcos, to one near the Buda/Kyle area, much closer to Dripping Springs. Both stations operate at 103.1 FM and with only 15 miles now separating their towers, the stronger EMF antenna appears to be causing interference for KDRP listeners in the south and southeast portions of the station's coverage area. According to KDRP management, that knocks out about a fourth of the station's potential audience.

The Dripping Springs people filed a complaint with the FCC and that got the attention of EMF.

"FCC rules are very clear; we cannot interfere with their signal," said Miller. "We take our responsibility very seriously and we are willing to work through this with them."

But EMF's partner in the deal, Clear Channel, was far less conciliatory. The company issued a statement saying, in part, "This is much ado about nothing. As KDRP-LP well knows, the translator is in complete compliance with the FCC's rules which were established specifically to eliminate these kids of disputes.

"Simply stated," the release continued, "KDRP-LP is seeking to claim rights to coverage which is outside their FCC protected area."

At the Dripping Springs station, Schuh flatly denied that. He took a reporter to a location just a few miles outside of town, well within, he insisted, the coverage area, and by driving just a few feet back and forth, he could make his car radio pick up first KDRP and then KVET.

"We even told them ahead of time," Schuh said, "You're going to have an interference problem, and they said, 'No. If it happens, call us.'"

Schuh said the station did call them, but was virtually ignored, forcing it to seek relief from the federal agency.

"It's time consuming; it's distracting; it costs money that we don't have," said Daryl O'Neal, a commercial radio veteran who is now volunteering at KDRP. "Why do we have to do that while the largest religious broadcaster in the nation and the largest commercial broadcaster in the nation decide that they need to run sports on another station in Austin? Why?"

Both EMF and Clear Channel pointed out that KDRP also broadcasts over 100.1 FM, which has a stronger signal than 103.1, suggesting that KDRP listeners inconvenienced by the interference could simply listen to the station on that frequency. But Schuh said that's not an option.

"We do not own 100.1; that is not our radio station at all," he said. "That's owned by a third party who enjoys our programming and he chooses to rebroadcast us, but he can turn it off at any time. Our signal, the one that we own and must protect is the 103.1. That's our bread and butter; that's what makes the community tune in."

And the community does, indeed, tune in. Besides the Sunday church services, KDRP offers up community forums, opportunities for the mayor and the school superintendent to communicate with citizens, even debates come election time. Then there's the local sports programs.

"At the end of a Saturday afternoon," said Schuh, "after broadcasting seven or eight Little League football games, at the end of a broadcast, having a parent come up and say, 'Thank you, thank you so much for providing that because our family members who are out of town or out of state