In response to the broadcast tower real estate I described briefly a couple of days ago, self-described radio nerd Scott McAuley googled a bit and found that...

...there aren't any active transmitters at 1050 Montecito Drive now, but it is a backup site for KXOL-FM (96.3) and there is some talk for its temporary use by KFI when their La Mirada tower finally undergoes its upgrade after being hit by a small plane in 2004. More on that...from Garrett Wollman-- these guys are serious!

McAuley also mentions a "very thorough piece by Scott Fybush" on his radio site of the week blog: "Last August's 'Former 1150/96.3 site, Montecito Heights, Los Angeles' tells us all we want to know, and more."

I am not a radio nerd, but I loved Fybush's site. Not least for the information it contained that the silent towers on the hill are now owned by Clear Channel, by default somehow. They own the sky and all the towers, too!

I miss the days (1990s) of KBLT, the Echo Park/Silver Lake pirate radio station out of someone's house, or was it a garage? They didn't have a tower, but eventually KBLT had to duck for cover as the FCC took notice. KBLT moved to the net, but it isn't the same. There's magic in the air.

********************

Echo Park Film Center made a late addition to its calendar with an event that African magic in Germany nerds may love. Tonight at 8.

Straight from Austin, Texas, A German and A Mexican Tour showcases work from filmmakers Katja Straub and Miguel Alvarez. Both love, tell, and collect stories - narrative or documentary - always with an emphasis on visual exploration. Their rather non-traditional shorts range from personal documentary to narrative film, from experimental to cinema verité. Drawing upon their unique cultural roots, Katja and Miguel offer up stories of Bavarian weather candles, inherited music toys in the forest of Latin America, imprisoned African magic in Berlin, and the like. FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE!