ASPEN —With more radio stations seeking space on Pitkin County's translator system than its capacity allows, the county will retool the criteria it uses to evaluate applicants and overhaul the board that oversees the system.

The moves come as a county operation that once labored in relative obscurity becomes a focal point for broadcasters looking for an edge in reaching local audiences. Access to the tax-supported translator system is limited, but interest in using it has grown. The mountaintop translators transmit broadcast signals into the nooks and crannies of the county and beyond, providing radio and television reception that otherwise would be blocked by the mountainous terrain.

It is the key to television service for rural residents without cable or satellite TV and allows radio broadcasters to extend their reach. It's often what makes listing to a radio station in a moving vehicle possible.

Capacity on the system remains for TV stations, but its FM radio capabilities are maxed out. There are 11 radio stations on the system currently, and eight more want one or more spots on one or more of the 11 radio translators sites that extend from Sunlight Peak outside Glenwood Springs to Aspen Mountain, according to Jodi Smith, county facilities manager.

"This is a very hot market, and radio stations want to be here," said Phylis Mattice, assistant county manager.

Read more about Aspen radio stations.