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AM array in northwest Durham?

W

w00t

Watching WRAL's flyover of the brush fire in Durham today and I saw what appears to be a 2 tower AM array. The towers were 4-leg self supporters and appeared to be right on 85. Whose towers are these? 620?
 
Lol. It's the radio bug. It does not relent. I'm watching Sky5 flying over neighborhoods filled with smoke but then suddenly "OMG THAT LOOKS LIKE A TOWER!! OH NO THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!!"

It looked like the tower bases were surrounded by sand??? The entire field was black but perfect squares around each base were tan.
 
That site goes back to 1949, and is, indeed, WDNC-620. For many years, G-105's antenna was on the middle stick in the array. The site was supposedly built to accommodate a TV station transmitter, but things didn't happen to bring it to pass.

Later . . . .
 
I heard about the brush fire over there (I'm in Durham), but didn't think about the close proximity to the WDNC site (which is actually owned by WRAL-TV parent Capitol Broadcasting Company now). That site, on Shoccoree Drive, actually went live on Leap Day (Feb 29th), 1948, which was a big day in Bull City Broadcast History:

  • WDNC moved from 1490 kHz from a 250-watt plant on South Street (south of downtown) to 620 kHz with 5kw daytime/1 kw night
  • WSSB (now WDUR) signed on at 1490 kHz
  • WDNC-FM (now WDCG/G-105) debuted at 105.1 MHz, broadcasting from the tower closest to Durham (the pole is still visible atop the tower). In 1983, they moved to the old WRDU-TV tower at Terrel's Mountain with 100,000 watts and, just a few years ago, moved to the old WLFL -TV tower in Apex with 78,000 watts

The WDNC site used to be really impressive at night from Hillsborough Road when it was still lit with red aviation beacons. Around 2003 or 2004, they added strobe beacons.

Interestingly, on a ride along I-85 through Durham, one can see the directional arrays of three of the four AM stations licensed to Durham: coming from the west, of course, is WDNC; then, near the Guess Road exit, you get your first view of WTIK 1310's three, guyed towers (located at the end of Leon Street, off N. Duke (US 501 BYP); and finally, at the East Club Blvd exit, you see the unlit, nondescript three towers of WRJD 1410 AM (the former WSRC which built this site in 1978).
 
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