City to monitor TV network’s noise levels

Trinity Broadcasting Network will be allowed to film up to 12 shows in the gardens of the company’s ornate white building near South Coast Plaza thanks to a unanimous decision by Costa Mesa’s Planning Commission, but there’s one big caveat.

Costa Mesa will continuously monitor the noise made by the Christian television station through a new electronic system TBN will pay to have installed in the next four months.

It might seem like a moot point to most, but noise generated by the facility over the years has been the cause of police calls, lawsuits and countless visits to City Hall for the Schofro family, whose house backs up on the TBN building.

Planning Commissioner Jim Righeimer thinks the noise monitoring system is the solution to the problem that has been around almost as long as the Life Styles neighborhood where the Schofros live.

“The system will keep the data on the record if they break rules during filming or anything else,” Righeimer said.

The family is still skeptical, though. Stacy Schofro doesn’t think the new monitoring system will do much good because the city allows TBN to make more noise than it should later than it should.

“I don’t believe for a minute it will change anything. I think they think I’m going to be happy because they put this little box in,” Stacy said.

Her husband, Steve, is more optimistic and thinks the city did all it could, but he says the success of the proposed methodology depends on whether the data from the monitoring system is collected and the laws are enforced.

“It could help. It depends who sets it up and reads it,” Steve Schofro said.

The system should be installed within the next four months, according to Righeimer.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.