QUICK TAKES - Jan. 29, 2009

There’s a reason classical music fans may have had trouble listening to KUSC-FM (91.5) this week.

Lightning struck both the station’s transmission line and antenna in the San Gabriel Valley on Sunday afternoon, said General Manager Eric DeWeese, eventually causing the station to operate with a temporary antenna at a reduced power of 2,000 watts. The station normally operates at 39,000 watts, he said.

“The further you are from Mt. Wilson, the more trouble you’ll have picking it up,” he said.

DeWeese said the station’s engineers were working on the problem but didn’t know for sure when full power would be restored.

-- Mark Medina