In March 2014 the Federal Communications Commission granted the Pacific Coast Conservation Alliance (PCCA) a Construction Permit extension to build a 100 watt station in Paso Robles (San Luis Obispo County, CA), which will broadcast at 107.9 MHz (FM) with call letters KZSR (“Community Radio of the Salinas River”). This local 501c3 nonprofit organization will have 18 months to complete installation of the transmitter, antenna, and ancillary equipment necessary to apply for the actual broadcasting license. PCCA’s Executive Director and Station Manager, Bill Haas expects to have the station fully functional, licensed, and broadcasting sometime in late 2016.
Haas estimates that equipment, broadcast facility rent, and program support (engineering, broadcast personalities, and administrative costs (including fund-raising) will cost approximately $40,000. Fundraising efforts, grant, and underwriter solicitations are underway to raise the needed money as a true community project.
When complete, the KZSR-LP will have “Grade A” coverage within about 10 miles of downtown Paso Robles and slightly lower-grade coverage that should extend to San Miguel to the north, Templeton to the south, and east to Creston. Programming will be a mix of local news and weather; current science that focuses especially on local agriculture and the environment; a calendar of community events, especially in support of local outdoor opportunities; and theme-oriented music that will vary from early and contemporary blues; alt-punk; dance/new wave/electronic; reggae/ska/dub; to specialty programs featuring the plucky guitar work of the early 60s surf scene; big band era sound combined with vocal greats of the 40s, 50s, and 60s; to a variety of rock and classic country programming with emphasis on progressive and “underground” styles of the former and the historic roots of the latter.