CMU public radio to go off air

By: Amanda Crabtree


Central Michigan University’s Public Radio station, 89.5 FM, will temporarily go off air for repairs as soon as the bad weather breaks.

The transmission line, which delivers the signal to an antenna, has a hole. If not repaired, moisture could cause rust and major problems, said John Sheffler, director of CMU public radio.

“This is a problem we didn’t anticipate having to deal with at all,” Sheffler said.

While the problem at hand is not incredibly expensive, if it is not fixed properly and soon, it could damage more parts on the tower.

The station was already off the air on February 3 for eight hours while the tower was under repair. However, due to the bad weather, the rest of the work has been put off.

The repairs have to be done on the 1000-foot high tower, at the height of 500 feet and higher, according to Sheffler. The wind, snow and ice will be a problem for the workers.

While waiting for round two of repairs, the station is operating at a lower power. This means the sound is lower than usual. Currently the station has received no complaints. The main listeners affected are in the fringe area, where the station does not come in well normally.

The rest of the work will be done as soon as it is safe for people to work on the tower. It is unknown how long the repairs will take.

Edited by Kelly Morse, Sarah Schuch and Meredith Mayberry