| CURRENT WEATHER: Clear, 43° |
|
|
|
||
|
||||
|
May 7, 2004
Nevada Public Radio adds two stations
By GINA B. GOOD
KNPR 88.9 FM is a news and information station while KCNV 89.5 FM plays classical music. The two stations broadcast 24-hours a day, all week long. KNPR was the first National Public Radio affiliate in Nevada, signing on the air in 1980. "After six years of petitioning the FCC, we were able to split the station in two," explains Lamar Marchese, president and general manager of the station. "Part of the deal we made with the FCC was moving our translator from Henderson to Mt. Potosi. Most radio stations in Las Vegas broadcast from Henderson, that's why you can't get them in Pahrump. Mt. Potosi is about 9,000 feet high, so with our transmitter located there we can provide service to Pahrump, as well as Sandy Valley. In fact, my wife and I drove to Death Valley a few weeks ago and we could pick up our signal through Amargosa Valley and out to Death Valley Junction. When you start getting into Death Valley, where the canyon begins to narrow, you begin losing the signal." A translator is a small transmitter that brings in a signal from where it originates and rebroadcasts it. In this case, it allows Nevada Public Radio to expand coverage to Pahrump. "Our stations are coming in loud and clear," affirms Marchese. "A lot of the topics we cover on our news station are those of interest to rural areas, not just Las Vegas Valley. When we split the station, we were lucky enough to hire longtime, veteran newsperson Gwen Castalda. She covers topics like Yucca Mountain, water issues and the incredible growth Nevada is now seeing." Before joining Nevada Public Radio, Castalda worked in Las Vegas at ABC, CBS and NBC television affiliates as well as launching the news department at FOX 5 in 1998. Her 27 years of media experience also encompass radio and print reporting. At KNPR, Castalda produces and hosts a one-hour public affairs program called 'KNPR's State of Nevada'. Pahrump residents are urged to participate in call-in discussions on the locally produced program that airs weekdays from 9 to 10 a.m. Classical 89.7 FM is the only one of its kind on the FM band. Evening "Symphony Hall" concert broadcasts start at 7 p.m. featuring groups such as the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonic orchestras and other world-renown groups. Nevada Public Radio also operates three other rural stations and a network of ten translators. They can be reached at (702) 258-9895 or you can access their extensive websites for program listings and other information at www.KNPR.org or www.KCNV.org. |
