Radio Station WRTZ-707 is an FCC Part 90 public service station broadcasting to a local area in northern Plumas County, California. It serves communities scattered around Lake Almanor in a mountain basin that has no local commercial radio or TV station coverage. The station broadcasts noncommercial voice announcements dealing with local public events, road and weather issues, cautionary notices and emergencies, It was established by a grass roots initiative in the wake of major communications problems during the 2021 Dixie Fire, and is hosted by the Peninsula Fire Protection District. The Lake Almanor Community Foundation led the fund raising campaign that accumulated sufficient funds to purchase a RadioSAFE RSF.10X transmitter, HPR.0900 antenna and associated hardware and software to make the broadcast station possible. Station assembly and technical support is provided by volunteer amateur radio operators ("hams") that are members of the Almanor Repeater Foundation, Chester, California. Using backup generator power, the station is intended to be operational even during electrical outages. It can provide important public information even when telephones, cell phones and the internet are unavailable.

Car radios and portable AM radios (including those that use hand cranks to generate power) are especially helpful during times of emergency. If your radio has pre-selection buttons, set one of them to 1700 kHz AM so that you can rapidly tune in when things become difficult. There may be a brief delay getting a message on the air after an event while the message is composed, recorded and uploaded to the transmitter for broadcast.

Suggested brief announcements can be submitted by e-mail to AlmanorEBS@gmail.com. To ensure compliance with FCC regulations, Peninsula Fire reserves the right to review, edit or decline any submittals.