Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Friday, July 18, 2008

MPR gets knocked off the air

By RYAN STOTTS / La Crosse Tribune

LA CRESCENT, Minn. — Minnesota Public Radio’s La Crescent stations, KXLC 91.1 FM and KLSE 88.1 FM, had unexpected programming this week — dead air.

The facility that houses the transmitter for 91.1 FM was struck by a tree at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night, said regional network manager Chris Cross from her Rochester, Minn. office.

Repairs to the facility went on throughout the night, she said, and broadcasting resumed by 9:40 a.m. Thursday.

“We work as fast as we can,” Cross said. “Sometimes the (damaged) parts have to be taken back and repaired on the bench in St. Paul. But sometimes our engineers bring parts to the site.”

The transmitter for 88.1 FM failed Tuesday night, Cross said, and was not broadcasting from 10:30 p.m. until 9 a.m. Wednesday. The cause was not weather-related but a mechanical failure.

Storms have been a bugaboo in a season of flooding and heavy winds, she said.

“It’s happened a lot this year,” Cross said. “We’ve had several trees fall on the facility this year and need to be repaired.”

Cross urged listeners to report any broadcasting failures directly to her at (507) 259-7774

Ryan Stotts can be reached at (608) 791-8446 or ryan.stotts@lee.net.