Anchorage Daily News

UNALASKA -- The public radio station in Unalaska is boosting its power, jumping to a different spot on the radio dial and, maybe, changing its name.

KIAL radio has announced it will move from AM 1450 to FM 89.7 as early as this summer, after an approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

With the change in frequency, Unalaska Community Broadcasting has the option of changing KIAL's name if it acts within a month. As of its February board meeting, the top three options are KUCB, KUNL or keeping KIAL, said general manager Lauren Adams.

"Try saying 'KIAL' a few times," Adams said. "It's a bit of a tongue twister."

Unalaska resident Jaime Robinson agrees.

"Those diphthongs just do not work," Robinson said. "And 'KIAL on the dial?' Come on."

Henrietta Callewaert had a slightly different take on the switch.

"Those KIAL T-shirts and mugs will become collectors' items I suppose," Callewaert said. "Otherwise, I don't think it's going to make a difference. It's the local station and people are going to find it."

KIAL currently broadcasts at 50 watts from a long-wire type of antenna, one of the few stations in the nation to operate in such a way. After the changeover, KIAL will operate at 1,000 watts.

Adams said the boost in signal power is much-needed.

"Our low signal strength means that residents who work in metal buildings can't hear our station at their desks," said Adams in an e-mail.

She noted that KIAL also fades out on the drive to Summer Bay, parts of the valley, Captain's Bay and other locations on the island.

"We expect that, once the station is up and running, we will broadcast to all of Unalaska Bay from Cape Cheerful to Priest Rock," she said.

The UCB board of directors applied for an AM construction permit under previous general manager Michael Edenfield. However, the project fell through due to lack of suitable real estate.

Since then, the board directed its efforts toward constructing a new FM station.

"This is an extremely cost-effective option; we can use our existing FM tower and transmitter shack on Haystack Hill," Adams said.

UCB applied for an FM construction permit last October and received the go-ahead in mid-February.

UCB has three years to construct the station, until Feb. 8, 2011, but Adams said she expects to install equipment as soon as this summer.

In preparation for the new digital FM transmitter, UCB has received a grant from Alaska Public Broadcasting, which Adams said would cover a modest studio upgrade to make the station "digital ready."

Also, an engineer is on contract to complete the project in April.

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