Generators at the transmitter site keep WAWZ on the air. Radio World contributor Curt Yengst, based at WAWZ(FM) in Zarephath, N.J. isn’t exactly discounting the “Frankenstorm” experiences, but after his station’s dance with Hurricane Irene last year (see story, Thanks a Whole Lot, Irene), well, he’s suffered worse.
Curt told us, “We actually did remarkably well.”
He reminded us that they had built new studios after Irene’s inundation and those studios were worth the effort. “The studios never lost power during the storm and everything worked perfectly. Actually, other than the storm surge that hit the Jersey Shore especially hard, flooding was nowhere near as bad as Irene. Our old campus didn’t even flood.”
He provided some pictures of Sandy’s wrath.
Downed power lines in the brush near WAWZ’s transmitter site.
“Our transmitter site is currently running on generator power, and likely will for another week or two.”
“The power lines that feed the transmitter site climb the mountain through thick woods, and there are several trees on the lines and poles down as can be seen in the photos. The road leading to the little cul-de-sac where we access the site looks just as bad. PSE&G won’t get to our lines for at least a week so we’ll be buying a lot of diesel fuel.”
This is what greeted WAWZ’s Chief Engineer upon visiting the transmitter site.
But most importantly, he notes, “We never missed a beat, and we’re still on the air.”
