DATE: Saturday, October 18, 1997            TAG: 9710180347

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NAGS HEAD                         LENGTH:   69 lines

BROADCASTERS SEEK TO BRING PUBLIC RADIO TO OUTER BANKS

The familiar voices of National Public Radio filled the Nags Head fire station Friday, doubtless the clearest anyone has ever heard them on the Outer Banks.

It was only a recording of a sampling of WUNC Chapel Hill's public radio programming, but if the smiles on the faces of the packed audience was any indication, station representatives hit their mark.

At the invitation of state Sen. Marc Basnight, senate leader and Manteo resident, the public broadcasters met with local government leaders and residents to talk about a proposal to bring a satellite affiliate of WUNC-FM to the Outer Banks.

And unlike an earlier proposal, this public radio service would include local programming produced at a station in Nags Head or Manteo, staffed with an engineer and two other employees.

``We're doing this because we think this is the right thing to do,'' WUNC general manager Bill Davis told the crowd of more than 100 people. ``This is not a tremendously rich area. But it is an underserved area for public radio.''

``Finances is not what is driving us coming out here,'' he said. ``Public service is what's driving us.''

Nine radio stations cover the Outer Banks area, but a public radio station has never been within range of the once-isolated barrier islands. Reception from Hampton Roads is poor and undependable.

``I've traveled all over the country and I have never been without public radio,'' said a woman in the audience. ``We're really hungry.''

Davis said the station has permission to put an antenna on UNC-TV's new tower in Columbia. The state recently appropriated $7.1 million to replace the 37-year-old, 1,000-foot tower with a new structure that will be 600 feet taller. Construction will be completed in about two years.

In the meantime, the station will explore putting repeaters on existing towers in Buxton, Waves and Manteo, said David Wright, director of engineering. Talks with Sprint telephone, owners of the towers, are in the very early stages and no agreements have been made, he said.

Once the antenna, transmission lines and signal delivery are completed on the Columbia tower, along with the three proposed 250-watt translator stations on the Outer Banks, the UNC signal will range from south Elizabeth City to the Pamlico Sound, Wright said. The signal probably will be at the 88.9 frequency on the radio dial,

Need is obvious, Davis said. Public support, in the form of letters and, most certainly, money is key. The Federal Communications Commission considers an unserved area a prime candidate for frequency approval, but there are slim pickings of public funds available for public broadcasting, Davis said.

Although listeners are expected to pick up the bulk of the tab, vocal support could bring more public money for a station.

UNC-Chapel Hill is 71 percent listener supported, a ``phenomenal number,'' Davis said. Most of the remaining amount comes from corporate sponsors. He said the state does not contribute money toward programming, and there are no plans to ask it for funds.

The proposed Outer Banks public radio station would probably have about a $100,000 annual budget. The initial start-up costs for transmission alone, not including a station of about 1,000 square feet, would be about $250,000. Once UNC submits the application to the FCC, Davis said, public radio lovers should keep letters of support pouring into the agency. It usually takes up to a year for the application and a construction permit to be approved, Davis said. He said the public can be kept posted through media releases or on the NPR Internet Web page.

If all goes as hoped, the station could be up and running within three years, Davis said.

``I have deep roots in eastern North Carolina,'' Davis said, ``and it really means a lot to me personally to bring service down here.''

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