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Nature's Fireworks and the Kindness of Strangers
Although June is my favorite month of the year (the sun is high in the sky, the spring wind has calmed, and the outdoor temperature has moderated), June 2006 has had its share of issues. First, our transmitter coupler was hit by lightning, an expensive event. A few years ago, MSSU invested in limited lightning protection, and we have discovered some of those limitations. When the station is off air, we discover who our most avid listeners are. One of them is Isa Shott, whose lifestyle was disrupted enough to call and ask about the disruption of service. This is not unusual, but then she followed up with a generous check to help defray some of the cost of repair. Thank you, Ms. Shott.
Another listener called during the outage to say the public should be informed. We agree, and we use our Web site to announce service disruptions when they occur. Sadly, it is precisely these times when we find out that a sizeable number of listeners do not have access to the Internet. In fact, I don't have Internet access at home myself (my fortress of spam-less solitude) , so I cannot judge others too harshly in this matter. Perhaps we should have put a message on the out-going voicemail. But we could not say when service would resume, nor would describing the electronic apparatus that failed be of any help. I have never seen that transmitter part before and I've been in radio for almost 34 years. Anyway, we appreciate the calls, and we especially appreciate those who helped us return to air. You missed our product; we missed giving it to you.
Also in June, 88.7KXMS began the process of updating its satellite downlink. We had no choice in the matter. A new, innovative (expensive) system is coalescing that will provide more flexibility in access to radio programs we deliver to your home and car. This project also involves moving our satellite dish closer to our studios, a decision we hope will improve the sound. The old equipment was installed in 1986 and has been updated little in the intervening score of years. The change is overdue. We only wish we had more notice of the changeover. We expect some bugs in the system, but we must have it in place by the end of August, regardless.
So, thank you to those of you who expressed disappointment in the disruption of service in June. We missed you, too. And a really big THANK YOU to those such as Isa Shott who helped us pay some of the unforseen bills of June 2006.
As always, we'd like your reaction, the e-mail address is .
88.7KXMS is an international cultural resource of Missouri Southern State University