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Student-run radio station KXLU 88.9 FM has returned to the airwaves in the eastern areas of Los Angeles and cities in the San Gabriel Valley, ending a long-running dispute over interference from another station. Since 2002, Loyola Marymount University has been working with the Federal Communications Commission to resolve the infringement on KXLU’s radio “contour” – a geographic area where a radio station’s broadcast frequency is protected. “We’re all excited and stoked that finally, after all this time, we can finally see some progress,” said Alison Potoczak, KXLU’s general manager and a student DJ. “Those areas, Downtown and Silver Lake and Pasadena, are a great area for underground music, and KXLU is the perfect outlet for them.” KXLU is a rarity in Los Angeles, where many college radio stations are staffed by professionals rather than students. Founded in 1957, KXLU broadcasts an eclectic mix of music, and its DJs and programs are regularly featured in local publications’ “Best of Los Angeles” lists. Listeners first reported interference with KXLU’s signal eight years ago, after Lancaster-based broadcaster KTLW set up a translator in the San Gabriel Mountains, which repeated its signal on the 88.9 FM frequency. That created interference for KXLU, in areas ranging from Pasadena to Echo Park, and in parts of the San Fernando Valley. LMU challenged the signal encroachment, and the FCC sided with the university earlier this year. Though the dispute took nearly a decade to resolve, staff at the station are focusing on the positive aspects of the resolution. “The feedback from listeners, even that first night, was fantastic,” said Lydia Ammossow, KXLU’s adviser. “We’re just so excited to be able to bring our music back to those folks.” |
