KSCO Radio for Sale, By Jondi Gumz

COMMUNITY NEWS

KSCO Radio for Sale

By Jondi Gumz

Michael Zwerling has been in love with KSCO since he was a high school kid broadcasting Santa Cruz High On The Air in the mid1960s. As the station owner since 1991, he’s created a radio station that’s a voice for pretty much everyone.

But now, at 71 — his birthday was Nov. 9 — he has a new love in his life, Amy Hao, co-host of the China Watch show on KSCO and a veteran traveler, and he wants to spend his time traveling with her.

The couple, who met in 2019, are “totally into free speech,” Zwerling said.

They recently returned from a two-week safari in Africa.

“Amy’s not happy unless she’s traveling, and she wants to take me to all these places,” Zwerling said.

That’s why he’s looking for a buyer for KSCO 1080 AM, with sister station KOMY 1340, and the one-acre of flat land at 2300 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz, overlooking Corcoran Lagoon.

Asking price is $1.5 million cash for the two radio stations and the broadcasting business.

Asking price is $6 million cash for the property, which includes the Art Deco studio building, garage, parking lot, concrete event patio, plus the three broadcast towers in the lagoon, which give the 10-kilowatt station the power of a 50-kilowatt station on dry land, according to Zwerling.

He said he’s open to keeping the land and leasing it to the next radio station owner for $15,000 a month.

Of course, a developer admiring the view at Silicon Beach could buy the property and go through the often onerous county permitting process, seeking to change the zoning from broadcasting to something else.

Every Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon, Zwerling — who dubs himself MZ — hosts the Saturday Special, an eclectic show that might feature him singing karaoke, proponents and opponents of a proposed empty home tax in Santa Cruz, or the recently fired CEO of the Santa Cruz County Fair.

In an earthquake — remember Loma Prieta in 1989 — a wildfire or major winter storm, KSCO provides a lifeline, replacing regular programs with news updates on current conditions, road closures and the like.

Zwerling leans conservative, but not all the listeners are.

In fact, Zwerling boasts that former Sen. Henry Mello (from 1980 to 1992) listened to KSCO on his way home from Sacramento.

Conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh held the morning slot from 9 a.m. to noon until he died. Now Rob Carson, who used to write jokes for Limbaugh, fills that spot.

Local Talent

Watsonville local Charles Freedman offers local news talk from noon to 2 p.m. His claim to fame is you can call and actually get on the air. He has encyclopedic knowledge of tunes from the 20s and 30s, used for his bumper music, playing requests, too.

Program director Rosemary Chalmers, with her delightful British accent, helms God Morning Monterey Bay from 6 to 9 p.m.

Other local hosts include: • Gary Shapiro, From the Bookshelf, interviewing authors • Pamela Fugitt-Hetrick of Money Moves, financial tips and tools • Jonathan Parkhurst, My Empowered

Hour, talking to people who have made a new life for themselves after incarceration and inspired others • Conservative Kristin Hurley of Mama

Bears Radio • Dave Michaels, co-pilot of Flight 1080 from 4 to 7 p.m. and selling supplements produced by Dr. Joel Wallach, 82, the veterinarian-turned-naturopathic doctor who discovered that remedying nutrition deficiencies is the way to health.

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz

General manager Michael Olson at KSCO radio, which boasts an Art Deco studio.

Sales of those Youngevity products by Dave Michaels help finance KSCO operations. But the radio operation isn’t a big money-maker. In fact, Zwerling said he always operated the station at a deficit because he hasn’t had the heart to lay off any of his “great” staff. “Not a smart way to run a business I know, but if I can’t have a radio station with a heart, a soul, and a personality, I don’t even want to be in that business,” he said. He has about a dozen employees, and he’s loath to pay a sales staffer a salary because that person might not generate any advertising. Other radio stations have gone automated, with message machines to answer calls instead of humans, but that’s no option for Zwerling. It just wouldn’t be KSCO. Zwerling’s mother Kay, who introduced her son to talk radio, was often on KSCO, using her distinctive voice to comment on current events. She died at age 95 in 2017. The KSCO lineup includes a few nationally known figures: Dr. Joel Wallach’s show, “Dead Doctors Don’t Lie,” same title as his 1999 book, “Pharmacist Ben” Fuchs, a Youngevity rep, on Flight 1080 on Fridays, and George Noory’s Coast to Coast at 10 p.m. Michael Olson, KSCO general manager and host of the Saturday morning Food Chain show, is active in Think Local First Santa Cruz County, a nonprofit formed to support locally owned businesses.

Local Local Local Local News ... Sports ... News ... Sports ... LocalLocal PoliticsPolitics ......

For several years until the pandemic, KSCO hosted Think Local First mixers on its concrete patio overlooking the lagoon. In August, Zwerling revealed on the Saturday Special that county planning department staff had ordered removal of much of the patio because there was no permit. Zwerling said he didn’t think a permit was needed. He signed an agreement that he hoped would resolve the matter, and afterward realized he had signed, in his words, “a blank check,” which he cannot afford.

The patio is still there, fenced off.

Another recent development: Rosemary Chalmers made a public service announcement to say KSCO can no longer be heard after sunset. Listeners must tune in to KOMY, the sister station at 1340 AM that KSCO bought in 1997.

Zwerling elaborated: KSCO has a 10,000 watt non-directional signal during the day, which is why it’s so strong, and a 5,000 watt directional signal at night, which resulted in losing 80% of the coverage area.

For years, Zwerling said, he had operated the non-directional signal at 20% at night because he believed it was in the public interest.

For years, Federal Communications Commission, which grants the radio station license, “looked the other way,” Zwerling said.

This year, surprise FCC inspections found the station not conforming with its license.

“In October, they got real tough with us,” Zwerling said.

The FCC has rules on “harmful interference,” and the enforcement bureau responds to complaints.

Zwerling contends there has not been a single complaint of interference.

After sunset, listeners must turn to 1340 AM, or listen online via the free KSCO app, but Zwerling expects the FCC problem to be resolved “fairly soon.”

Longtime followers of KSCO might recall that KSCO was put up for sale in 2007 but no sale took place.

Zwerling said he’s enjoyed his run, keeping the station alive for nearly 32 years, but it’s time for someone else to take over.

“I’m done,” he said.

What is the future of KSCO?

Only time will tell. n

Interested parties should send an email with qualifications and questions to Michael Zwerling at mz@ksco.com.

Rabbits and Guinea Pigs … Oh My!

This week the Pet of the Week for the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter are all of our bunnies and guinea pigs!

We are having severe overcrowding of bunnies and guinea pigs at the Shelter and need to find foster homes and adoptive homes to help make space. We have 7 adoptable rabbits and 12 guinea pigs. Sometimes “pocket pets” like bunnies and guinea pigs are said to be a starter pet but these animals do need care just like any other pet. Both need fresh hay, special food, produce snacks and lots of cuddles.

When rabbits are happy they do a little jump in the air called a “binky”- this is like a purr for bunnies. Guinea pigs love to squeak when they here the rustling of plastic since they expect snacks to come their way. Both species can be very human social and be tolerant of other animals in the home. Rabbits can also be litterbox Photos ©Maurice Q. Liang trained which makes clean up easier. If you are an experienced rabbit or guinea pig owner, or willing to put in the work to learn about and raise these special creatures, please visit us at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter today and see all of our tiny furry pals!

Now through the end of December SCCAS is having a “Home for the Holidays Adoption Special” where all Shelter pets will be available for a “Pay it Forward” adoption donation of the adopters’ choice.

The suggested donation is between $50-$200 and adopters can select a fund for their donations to go to: Planned Pethood Fund (low cost/free spay/neuter) or Extra Mile Fund (specialty lifesaving procedures for homeless animals).

The adoption fee includes spay/neuter, microchip (including registration), age-appropriate vaccinations, routine treatment for worms/fleas, and a free pet wellness exam with a local participating veterinarian. If you are looking for a furry friend for the holidays, come to the Shelter and meet your new best cuddle buddy!

Adoptions are first come, first served! Please view available animals on our website and then visit the Shelter to turn in your application. All adoptions require proof of home ownership or landlord approval. Please have this information prepared. If an animal is in Foster Care, please bring in your adoption application and schedule an appointment to meet the animal. Call 831454-7200 x0 during business hours or visit www.scanimalshelter.org for more information! n ••• Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter’s full-service, open-admission shelter:

Santa Cruz Location (Public Entrance): 1001 Rodriguez St., Santa Cruz, 95062 Hours: Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Watsonville Location: CURRENTLY CLOSED 580 Airport Blvd, Watsonville, CA 95076 SCCAS Main line: 831-454-7200. Animal Control: 831-454-7227. After-Hours Emergency: 831-471-1182 • After Hours: jillian.ganley@santacruzcounty.us

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Classic Toys

© Statepoint Media “Cabrillo Name” from page 16

She added, “We conducted rigorous outreach to ensure all voices, demographics and perspectives had an opportunity to receive the information and voice an opinion, and prioritized historically underrepresented and emerging student populations. This was an incredibly thorough and academically rigorous process, and I feel like all involved learned something significant about the namesake of Cabrillo College.”

Donna Ziel, who chairs the Cabrillo governing board and was re-elected Nov. 8, said the board decided “the right action at the time is to change the name.”

She added, “As stated in the report, the harm caused by colonial expansion is real and it is a harm that represents trans-generational trauma to this day. As many people pointed out during the community dialogues, now that we know the name Cabrillo does continuing harm to members of the College’s public, we have a responsibility to correct that harm.”

Trustee Adam Spickler said, “I’m really proud of the education and outreach effort that the College engaged in and I’m hopeful that we’ll continue to have strong community input moving forward, as we work to select a new name for this great College.”

The other trustees are Felipe Hernandez, Dan Rothwell and Steve Trujillo.

The student trustee this year is Devine Hardy. n

•••

To read the Board Name Exploration Subcommittee Report, please visit: www.cabrillo. edu.

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