Engineer for third rate, brokered AM daytimer manages to burn down island

[John McNary]

From the AP:

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2007-05-12-wildfires_N.htm?csp=34

>The 4,200 acre fire that engulfed Catalina Island appeared to have been ignited by contractors working on antennas at a radio station in the island's interior, Avalon Fire Chief Steven Hoefs said.

>Bill Agresta, chief engineer at station KBRT-AM, said three contractors had been cutting steel antenna cable with a gas-powered circular saw Thursday when the fire ignited.

>Agresta said he saw a small blaze and ran inside the station to call 911. By the time he returned, it had moved several hundred feet downhill and engulfed the contractors' tool truck.

Way to go, KBRT. Millions of dollars spent, thousands of lives disrupted. all so KBRT could improve its daytime-only dollars for jesus format.

This turns my stomach.


[Link added as a courtesy by Radio Info]

 

[CW]

From the AP:

>The 4,200 acre fire that engulfed Catalina Island appeared to have been ignited by contractors working on antennas at a radio station in the island's interior, Avalon Fire Chief Steven Hoefs said.

>Bill Agresta, chief engineer at station KBRT-AM, said three contractors had been cutting steel antenna cable with a gas-powered circular saw Thursday when the fire ignited.

>Agresta said he saw a small blaze and ran inside the station to call 911. By the time he returned, it had moved several hundred feet downhill and engulfed the contractors' tool truck.

Way to go, KBRT. Millions of dollars spent, thousands of lives disrupted. all so KBRT could improve its daytime-only dollars for jesus format.

This turns my stomach.

Too bad your title is WRONG...It wasn't the ENGINEER who started it...it was the dumba** contractors who should have been more careful in drought stricken southern CA.....Let's keep the story and title straight ok?? DUH!! A radio station, regardless of the format, has the right to improve their signal or pattern or whatever....
Guess its somewhat ironic justice the flames engulfed their tool truck...ahhh, tooo bad!

 

[DaleGriffin]

Way to go, KBRT. Millions of dollars spent, thousands of lives disrupted. all so KBRT could improve its daytime-only dollars for jesus format.

This turns my stomach.

Let me preface this by saying I hate Crawford Broadcasting and Don Crawford in general. The format of this station in no way affects what happens here. Your ignorant, intolerant rant sounds no different then Don Crawford's TSL killing "Crawford Stands" every single shift.

 

[John McNary]

The engineer was there and in charge.

 

[John McNary]

Here's the best part: after the idiots burn down the island's eastern quarter, they post a note on the web site KBRT.com that says, and I quote exactly, thanking listeners for their hopes and prayers regarding the "KBRT transmitter on Catilina Island.

Damn them. They can't even spell Catalina right.

 

[halloaaryn]

pictures of the transmitter site, studio and engineer (BEFORE the fire) at
http://sakrison.com/radio/KBRT.html

 

[smedge2006]

Think this will cause them to finally sell out so KFMB can run 50 KW days?

 

[radiohistory]

I heard, but had not confirmed that they were working on installing new guy wires for the 3-towers on Catalina, which needed replacing.

Jim Hilliker

 

[ercjncpr]

Way to go, KBRT. Millions of dollars spent, thousands of lives disrupted. all so KBRT could improve its daytime-only dollars for jesus format.

This turns my stomach.

Let me preface this by saying I hate Crawford Broadcasting and Don Crawford in general. The format of this station in no way affects what happens here. Your ignorant, intolerant rant sounds no different then Don Crawford's TSL killing "Crawford Stands" every single shift.

How is criticism of an idiot like Crawford an "intolerant rant"?

 

[IFB64]

John: Thanks for your comments. It is high time that us broadcast engineers get the recognition we deserve. We control everything. Yep. Its true. We can be in several different places at once, we can be experts on everything...from plumbing to proper glue selection. Now, no matter what the real reason, a broadcast engineer is "responsible" for a fire.

You perhaps worked a 10pm to 2am airshift at one of my stations. Glad to know that you have finally attained inhuman status.

Free Masons? What chumps!

Conrats!

 

[John McNary]

the radio apologist writes:

If the fire had been started in the trash can of an unpopular restaurant, would you be ranting about the lack of clientele at the restaurant?

I didn't complain about the people who LISTEN to KBRT, I said the radio station itself is a third rate operation that just showed it true colors.

And if a federally-licensed restaurant just cost the taxpayers of LA county, where I pay taxes, $2.1 million because of what should be criminal negligence, you bet I would holler.

 

[davideduardo]

I didn't complain about the people who LISTEN to KBRT, I said the radio station itself is a third rate operation that just showed it true colors.

The fire was caused by a contractor... not the station. The engineer present was more than likely there only to comply with OSHA RF emission requirements.

And if a federally-licensed restaurant just cost the taxpayers of LA county, where I pay taxes, $2.1 million because of what should be criminal negligence, you bet I would holler.

Agaim, the feds have no jurisdiction in anything except licencing. Labor practices, taxes, OSHA, building permits, etc., etc., etc., are all handled by different entities.

 

[John McNary]

So somehow the station, which had its engineer on scene, escapes responsibility for the actions of its agents and assignees?

Remind me not to hire anyone connected with you for anything having to do with law.

And of course, the FCC has in the past revoked licenses from companies that commited crimes that were onoly tangentially related to the broadcast operations.

RKO General lost its valuable tickets for bribery crimes committed by its rubber company executives overseas. And more recently, some licenses owned by a child molester were revoked.

Using a circular metal saw in an extreme fire danger area was foreseeable, negligent, criminal. It was against the LA fire codes.

And only an uninformed corporate radio cheerleader would argue otherwise.

By the way, the KBRT fire is now up to 4,750 acres.

 

[davideduardo]

So somehow the station, which had its engineer on scene, escapes responsibility for the actions of its agents and assignees?

A contractor repairing guy wires is no more an agent and asigenee than the plumber who fixes my leaky faucet is mine. And the engineer present was probably not who hired the contractor, and likely is the on-site engineer only needed because the station is so remote and inaccessable.

And of course, the FCC has in the past revoked licenses from companies that commited crimes that were onoly tangentially related to the broadcast operations.

Fraud (double billing) and pederastry (moral qualifications of a licencee), which are part of FCC administrative law. The hiring of contractors, and all mannner of legal matters not related to FCC rules has nothing to do with FCC rules. And it is a real streach to think that an accident caused by a contractor has anything to do with the licence.

RKO General lost its valuable tickets for bribery crimes committed by its rubber company executives overseas. And more recently, some licenses owned by a child molester were revoked.

Character qualifications in both accounts. Hiring a contractor who caused an accident is hardly that.

Using a circular metal saw in an extreme fire danger area was foreseeable, negligent, criminal. It was against the LA fire codes.

Then the injured parties have recourse against the contractor. Whether there was cause or not remains to be seen.

 

[DanStrassberg]

Then the injured parties have recourse against the contractor. Whether there was cause or not remains to be seen.

However, you KNOW that Crawford Broadcasting, as the party with the deepest pockets, is going to be sued, regardless of whether or not suing Crawford has any merits and regardless of whether there is any possibility of collecting from Crawford or its insurers. When suits are filed, the party with the deepest pockets ALWAYS gets sued and is usually the first to be sued. Isn't it the responsibility of the trial judge to throw out suits against parties who cannot be held liable in the eyes of the law?

Also, regardless of whether anyone collects a penny from Crawford, you can bet that the liability insurance on the KBRT transmitter site is going to cost A LOT more from now on. I guess, in the extreme, the insurance could become so expensive that Crawford would have to abandon the site, notwithstanding that it is unquestionably the best AM site in North America and possibly the entire world.

 

[dbdigital]

I realize that we live in an age when few people (and companies) willingly take responsibility for their actions but are we sure that a contractor working on KBRT's towers was responsible for the Catalina fire?

From what I've been reading, including Sunday's Long Beach Press-Telegram, a homeless man who fell asleep with a lit cigarette was the one who started the fire.

db

 

[davideduardo]

I realize that we live in an age when few people (and companies) willingly take responsibility for their actions but are we sure that a contractor working on KBRT's towers was responsible for the Catalina fire?

From what I've been reading, including Sunday's Long Beach Press-Telegram, a homeless man who fell asleep with a lit cigarette was the one who started the fire.

That was the cause, allegedly, of the Griffith Park fire.

 

[davideduardo]

I guess, in the extreme, the insurance could become so expensive that Crawford would have to abandon the site, notwithstanding that it is unquestionably the best AM site in North America and possibly the entire world.

Hardly. It is the best site for a datytimer that has to protect San Francisco on its cochannel. The truly great sites are in the salt water, not on rocks near salt water.

But there are many equally good sites in the world that employ salt water grounds and either high power or directional systems to their best advantage. VOA Marathon (Radio Martí Progream) is among those superior sites, with 100 kw and a directional system that is footwet in the ocean (KBRT is not in a salt water ground) to broadcast to Cuba.

Probably the best use of a salt water ground, though, is KGO in San Francisco, with 50 kw and towers sitting in the Bay.

The 610 WIOD site in Miami on an iland in the inland waterway is also superb. And like those there are many more where the antenna is actually in the salt water.

 

[John McNary]

A contractor repairing guy wires is no more an agent and asigenee than the plumber who fixes my leaky faucet is mine. And the engineer present was probably not who hired the contractor, and likely is the on-site engineer only needed because the station is so remote and inaccessable.

First off, no one said there was a contractor there. The station engineer was there with a work crew. The work was being done under the direct supervision of the station employee. If there was a contractor there, and that is a big is, it lessens the responsibility of the station not one bit. In fact, it increases it, as the contractor (if any) would have been performing work under the station's direct supervision.

And it is a real streach to think that an accident caused by a contractor has anything to do with the licence.

What contractor? The fire department said nothing about contractors.

Character qualifications in both accounts. Hiring a contractor who caused an accident is hardly character qualifications.

And felony violations of fire codes isn't a character violation?

Then the injured parties have recourse against the contractor. Whether there was cause or not remains to be seen.

Yank the license. Their reckless and criminal actions should earn them a one way trip to darksville.

 

[davideduardo]

First off, no one said there was a contractor there. The station engineer was there with a work crew.

Any crew capable of replacing guy wires is very unlikely to be anything else but a team of riggers contracted by the staiton management. I don't personally know any or of any broadcast engineers who could guy and tension a tower themselves even with the aid of the cast of Ben Hur.

But, it is true, we don't know this for a fact. But the presumption, based on every other tower job, is that it was a crew of riggers. Generally, a station's insurance would not cover "in house" tower repairs.

The work was being done under the direct supervision of the station employee. If there was a contractor there, and that is a big is, it lessens the responsibility of the station not one bit. In fact, it increases it, as the contractor (if any) would have been performing work under the station's direct supervision.

Again, the engineer was likely there, as is normal, to cut power to the tower being worked on and to reduce the RF from all towers to OSHA specified levels. That is how it is always done, whether for tower painting, guy work, relamping, mounting of stuff on an active tower, etc. There is little probablility that the engineer was there to direct the job; he was likely there to insure OSHA compliance.

What contractor? The fire department said nothing about contractors.

Just about all tower work is done by contractors.

And felony violations of fire codes isn't a character violation?

First, if the work was contracted out, no. Second, accidents are not the things licences are yanked for.

Yank the license. Their reckless and criminal actions should earn them a one way trip to darksville.

The FCC has no jurisdiction in anything like this.