It could not have been easy hauling it here. But for those who brought it to these parts, they'd certainly be proud to know it still rings out today, louder than ever.

There has been some discussion in the local media lately about KSL Radio potentially silencing the Nauvoo Bell. It is accurate that the bell has been noticeably absent from the airwaves of Utah's most-listened-to radio station lately.

In becoming the Wasatch Front's first radio station to begin transmitting a digital signal, it has become necessary for KSL Radio to implement a seven-second delay to accommodate new HD Radio receivers.

This delay has created numerous problems. Reporters are no longer able to take their cues off the air. Remote broadcasts have had to be reworked. And then there is the issue of the Nauvoo Bell.

For those not aware, KSL Radio has broadcast the live ringing of the Nauvoo Bell from Temple Square every hour for more than four decades. Quite an engineering feat if you ask me. Many people set their watches and clocks on the precise time of the tone.

In our effort to implement this new delay for high-definition radios, we could no longer take the live feed of the bell and make sure it sounded at the exact moment the new hour began. So, we temporarily removed the bell from our airwaves while the issue was resolved. We now believe we have come up with the solution. The bell will be heard in a recorded format at the exact moment each hour begins.

We have heard from some who believe the discussion of this issue has been overblown in the local media. They ask how a little bell could be so important. Maybe I can help explain why it is.

The history of this bell is quite compelling. A marker near the bell tower on Temple Square briefly tells the story of the 1,500-pound instrument. It's generally believed the bell was a gift from English converts to the LDS Church when they arrived in Nauvoo. It was hung by early Latter-day Saints in the tower of their temple.

After their leaders were murdered and Brigham Young revealed he was taking those early Mormons westward, some fleeing that city on the river climbed the tower and brought it down. Brigham Young asked the second major group of pioneers crossing the Plains to bring it with them.

As the pioneers moved west, they rang it each morning to signal when it was time to begin that day's travels. Then, after sunset it was rung to signal that the pioneers had night watchmen on duty protecting their families.