There will be one fewer radio stations for listeners in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The Federal Communications Commission says KVSJ (89.5) has been off the air – or operating at the wrong location – for so long that the Stockton market station’s license has been cancelled.
The owner, Peace and Justice Network of San Joaquin County, has been struggling to find a new home of the Class A FM since 2017 when it lost its transmitter site. That led to a series of temporary locations and FCC authorization to operate at reduced power. Most recently, the Media Bureau cleared it to use a temporary location on the grounds of Golden Valley Material Supply Nursery in 2020 before it fell silent in 2021.
It looks as though the Peace and Justice Network had found a solution in 2022 when it was granted a construction permit to build a permanent transmitter. But when field agents were called into service to see if the station was on the air in 2023, they discovered KVSJ was back on the air from the nursery site long after its temporary authority had expired…