Rural Radio Station Plan Hits Static : Some Santa Clarita Neighbors Opposed

A Canyon Country man’s plan to bring the Santa Clarita Valley its first radio station has drawn opposition from nearby residents who say the operation will intrude upon the peace of the desert.

Larry Bloomfield, a former broadcasting engineer, said he has felt the need for a radio station in the fast-growing area for several years.

“At times, we can’t get the local Los Angeles stations,” he said. “We could be completely isolated in the event of a disaster. This way, we at least would have a way to broadcast disaster news to residents.”

Last year, Bloomfield found what he considered to be the perfect site for a radio station, a vacant 14-acre commercially zoned lot at 15550 Sierra Highway not far from his own home in the Mint Canyon area of Canyon Country. He formed a limited partnership with a few other local investors, proceeded to buy the property, hired a consultant and began to draw up plans for the station.

Expects to Gain License

On March 24, Bloomfield applied for a permit from the Federal Communications Commission for a license to operate an AM station at 1220 on the dial. He said he is confident that he will be granted the license. An FCC spokesman said he has a good chance of receiving it.

Opposition to Bloomfield’s $1-million plan surfaced after he applied for the conditional use permit he needs from Los Angeles County to allow him to transmit from the location.

Patricia Forg, the leader of a group of residents trying to persuade county officials to deny the permit, complained that Bloomfield’s planned 7,000-square-foot building and the three 183-foot towers he intends to erect would be in a flood plain.

“In 1983, we were trapped in our homes because of flood waters,” Forg said. “We’re afraid the building will change the pattern of the water flow in case there’s another big flood and endanger our lives.”

No County Objections

Bloomfield told residents this week at an informational meeting that county Flood Control District officials have no objections to the location. County officials confirmed his version.

He also informed opponents that, because the transmission towers are less than 200 feet high, they do not require flashing lights at night or bright paint to warn aircraft of their existence. The FCC said he is correct.

“At night, you won’t even know we’re there,” he said.

Bloomfield said that the station will not interfere with other radio stations or television reception, increase fire danger or emit radiation. He said the station will operate with 1000 watts of power during the day and 500 watts at night. Programming will include soft rock and country music, local talk shows and local and network news, Bloomfield said.

The radio station would serve an area roughly bounded by Gorman on the north, the junction of Interstate 5 and Highway 14 on the south, Lancaster on the east and Fillmore on the west.

“This concerns more than just Mint Canyon residents,” Bloomfield said.

Residents also expressed concerns that their property values would decrease.

‘A radio station would be nice, but in someone else’s backyard, not mine,” said a neighbor at a protest meeting held by opponents who live near the station’s proposed site--an area noted for its large horse ranches.

Forg said residents will oppose the plan at a county Regional Planning Commission public hearing on the matter scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

‘Don’t Want Businesses’

“We don’t want businesses out here,” she said. “This is a rural area and we want to preserve our rural life style.”

Bloomfield pointed out that the property in question is zoned for commercial use and that, if he does not build a radio station, another business the residents might dislike even more could locate there.

However, not everyone who lives in the area is opposed to Bloomfield’s venture. Wilhelmime Schaefer and her daughter, Ria Arlette Schaefer, were planning to organize a petition-gathering drive over the weekend to support the station.

“I cannot get a decent radio station without a cable,” Wilhelmime Schaefer said. “What I can pick up is of no concern to me or to the community. This is desert country. Mother nature poses problems. You learn to live with the flash floods. But to have a radio station to tell us which roads are washed out, when the school bus is going to be late and when all the traffic lights on Lyons Avenue are out would be great.”

Besides, she said, “I think a radio station is better than a factory belching smoke. The zoning is commercial and businesses are going to come whether we like it or not.”