The propane-fueled generator was financed entirely by community donations and a $6,000 grant from the California Endowment. With the new backup, KHSU can operate up to five days without refueling in the event of a Pacific Gas & Electric Company service interruption at the transmitter.
Elizabeth Hans McCrone, KHSU's General Manager, underscored that the system is in place well before the onset of winter. "We are so grateful to the California Endowment, Wildberries Marketplace and the many individuals who came forward with the funds that allowed us to purchase and install the generator, prior to this year's winter storm season. Our listeners have let us know we are important to them, especially during times of emergencies. With backup power, we're now better equipped to deal with our responsibilities as community broadcasters," she said.
Hans McCrone recalled that last year's severe New Year's Eve storms knocked the station off the air for three and a half days as PG&E struggled to restore power to businesses and residents throughout Humboldt County.
Immediately afterward, the station renewed its effort to raise the more than $20,000 needed to purchase and install a backup generator, which could have prevented the long-term outage. A total of $24,600 was given to complete the project.
With studios on the campus of Humboldt State University in Arcata, KHSU can be heard at 90.5 FM Arcata, 91.9 FM Crescent City-Brookings, 89.1 Ferndale-Fortuna, 89.7 Garberville, and 99.7 Willow Creek and on-line at http://www.khsu.org/.
For more information, contact Ms. McCrone at 707/826-6085, 707/826-4807, or blh10@humboldt.edu.