There’s still no telling when Chama’s radio station will repair its equipment and get back on the air after a lightning strike fried its transmitter last month.
Ralph Hamilton, contract engineer for KZRM Radio 96.1 FM, said he expected to receive parts for the transmitter this week, but he wasn’t sure whether that would allow him to fix the electrical problem that has kept the station offline for more than three weeks. A direct lightning strike to the equipment, located on Rabbit Peak southwest of Chama, damaged the equipment Sept. 15 at about 1:15 a.m., Hamilton said.
Parts of the electrical circuitry seem to have been ruined, he said, but there are no burn marks, so its difficult to tell if the new parts will actually replace all the damaged equipment.
“If there’s more damage then we’ll have to fiddle with it,” Hamilton said, adding that the station, owned by Lance Broadcasting in Fresno, Calif., would come back on the air regardless of how long it took to make repairs.
He said he’s given the Federal Communications Commission notice the station may be off the air more than 30 days, although he hopes to have the problem fixed sooner.
Meanwhile, station manager Scott Flurry said KZRM’s five employees aren’t being paid and local residents have been calling the station frequently for updates on its status. In the area of rural Northern New Mexico near Chama, KZRM is the only daily source of local news, weather and sports, he said.
Several local residents said they’ve missed the station which provided everything from news to birthday announcements.
“It’s made us realize how much we depend on that radio station,” said Village of Chama Deputy Clerk Gloria DeYapp.