High Desert Radio Race Is Wide Open

A reporter for a metropolitan daily visits two northern Los Angeles County radio stations, out of which comes “High Noon in the High Desert.”

The story focuses on deejays for the two stations, and how they and the stations are “out to beat L.A.’s heavyweights.”

Reporter Michael Arkush tells of there being eight AM and FM stations in the Antelope Valley “with formats from country to Christian music.”

From that point on, six of the stations are dismissed.

He writes only of the two stations he visited, KAVS and KGMX, stating “the quest for valley supremacy is clearly a two-team race.”

But wait.

We’re then informed that, “since the valley is too small to qualify for the Arbitron rating system,” each valley station “comes up with its own numbers.”

Oh, well.

We then have KAVS meeting L.A.’s challenge with “hopes to improve its signal by going from 1,000 watts to 5,000 watts this summer or fall.”

Country station KUTY is already 5,000 watts and has been for some time.

And since increasing watts takes money, and money comes from billing--well, why go into it?

Obviously, the quest for valley supremacy is not a two-team race.

ROD BARKER

Palmdale