Voice of Vashon, the Island’s public radio station, could soon have its second radio tower installed, a move that would help the nonprofit organization significantly expand its now-limited emergency broadcast system.
The organization has one tower at Sunrise Ridge and broadcasts 24 hours a day on 1650 AM. Called “Voice of Vashon Standing By,” the Traveler Information Station plays a 15-minute loop of information helpful to Island travelers. The loop changes once a week, and several different Islanders record the loops.
And in the event of an Island emergency or catastrophe that affects travelers — from a change in ferry schedules to an earthquake that cuts off ferry service altogether — Voice of Vashon Standing By will have a frequently updated bulletin with the latest information posted on the radio.
But with just one radio tower, the 10-watt AM signal can reach only about 60 percent of the Island. That’s why Voice of Vashon (VoV) volunteers, VashonBePrepared members and Vashon Island Rotary Club members have been working hard to secure the funding and the locations for the final two radio towers, enabling the station to cover all of Vashon with a clear radio signal.
The signal currently extends from Shawnee, in south Burton, up to S.W. Cedarhurst Road, said Jeff Hoyt, the emergency broadcasting coordinator for Voice of Vashon Standing By.
The first radio tower was installed in October 2007, and funding for the second tower came from two sources: a Michelle Shocked concert that Vashon Youth & Family Services and the Vashon Island Rotary Club co-sponsored and a matching grant Rotary gave. All told, this brought in $10,000, and although the radio tower costs slightly more than that, the company VoV is purchasing it from is giving the organization a deal, said Rex Stratton, Vashon Rotary’s past president. Rotary just handed over the money to VoV last week, according to Stratton.
The second tower and the electronics to power it were ordered two weeks ago, Stratton said. Hoyt is very close to securing a location for the tower on the north end.
Since its inception, the radio station has posted special bulletins about a dozen times, according to Hoyt. Islanders, however, don’t currently have a way of knowing if there is an Island-wide advisory on 1650 AM.
In an effort to raise awareness of the always-on-the-air station, VoV volunteers installed red Burma Shave-style signs along Vashon Highway, several of which were recently destroyed by vandals.
Hoyt said he’d like to see VoV replace the Burma Shave signs with permanent signage — with lights that could be switched on when there is an advisory on Voice of Vashon Standing By — placed at strategic Island locations.
Ten different DJs contribute to the 15-minute loops featured on the station when there are no emergency broadcasts. Some work in pairs, such as Susan McCabe and Karen Biondo.
“She’s the funny one, and I’m the smart one,” McCabe joked.
She said the pair, “the Spice Girls of Voice of Vashon Standing By,” try to make their show entertaining as well as informative.
“It would be great if people would send us things that they would like announced,” McCabe said. “In fact, I would even like it if people would come and record their own announcements.”
The only way VoV could get a license for an AM radio station was as a Traveler’s Information Station, and as part of that, no businesses can be mentioned on the air.
Another stipulation of Traveler’s Information Stations is that they find a government municipality to hold their license, and the Vashon Park District was willing to do so.
