Here's an aerial view of that building, with what looks to be that antenna array, though blurry:
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Lexington, KY (December 7, 1981)
- Thread starter Bluenoser
- Start date
Here's an aerial view of that building, with what looks to be that antenna array, though blurry:
WKYT may have thought they could get by with it, "if they want to watch the CBS show instead of our pre-emption, let them watch WCPO or WHAS".
Reminds me when I was in college and graduate school at the University of Kentucky in the early to mid-1980s, I lived in married student housing (that had been constructed in the mid-1950s). It had an (old) MATV system that utilized antennas mounted on the top of the nearby sky-scraper Kirwan Towers (built in the 1967 time frame). The MATV system offered the Lexington stations, plus WCPO and WKRC from Cincinnati. Unfortunately it appeared that the (probably very old) distribution amps were failing, as the reception from the MATV system was snowy for all the stations, even the Lexington stations, but WKRC was watchable. However, the longer I lived there, the worse the reception, probably due to the old and failing distribution amps.
However, given the height of the Kirwan Towers, it would've been awesome reception had the distribution amps been working properly at that time! However, during this time, the university campus was also being wired for CATV, including the student housing. As a result, the old MATV was disregarded and fell by the wayside, similar, I suspect, to other MATV systems in Lexington once CATV arrived.
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Those old MATV systems were great. I lived for several years in a 13-story high-rise near Tysons Corner VA, and they had an MATV system that provided 4/5/7/9 as well as WETA and WDCA, converted to (IIRC) channels 6 and 12 respectively. I found out about it quite by accident when I discovered the antenna jack (pretty sure it was 300 ohm) on the wall, decided to connect it to the TV, and voila, six channels, crystal-clear (this was analog days), all on VHF.
I deliberately rented an apartment on the top floor for rabbit-ear TV reception (very hard to cool in the summer due to the roof directly above me, had to learn that the hard way) and was able to get everything from DC, as well as Baltimore with a fairly watchable signal. I tried hooking up a rooftop bowtie antenna to get WYVN-60 Martinsburg WV, propped it up in a window, but the picture was barely viewable. I could also get WPMT-43 York PA on occasion. I hadn't yet gone hardcore enough in the TV hobby to put up a small yagi on a tripod, if that were now, I'd do it.
Into the mid-2000s, the medical care facility in Manistee had an MATV system with only four channels:
4 - WFQX (FOX) [converted from UHF 33]
7 - WPBN (NBC)
9 - WWTV (CBS)
13 - WZZM (ABC)
No PBS (even though there is a satellite of the local PBS member in Manistee) and no in-market ABC (Manistee is about equidistant between the transmitters of WZZM and in-market ABC WGTU, but WZZM was likely an easier grab as it was analog VHF while WGTU was analog UHF)
4 - WFQX (FOX) [converted from UHF 33]
7 - WPBN (NBC)
9 - WWTV (CBS)
13 - WZZM (ABC)
No PBS (even though there is a satellite of the local PBS member in Manistee) and no in-market ABC (Manistee is about equidistant between the transmitters of WZZM and in-market ABC WGTU, but WZZM was likely an easier grab as it was analog VHF while WGTU was analog UHF)
This discussion on antenna arrays and MATV systems got me to thinking how commonplace they were in Lexington, back then.
All the department stores that sold TVs had them. When Turfland Mall opened in 1967, the 3 anchor stores (McAlpins, Grants and Wards) all sold TVs and all had large arrays on towers. All the display TVs were connected and you could watch Louisville Cincinnati and Lexington stations on them.
While Mom and Dad shopped, I would usually hang out in the Wards TV dept. The TV salesmen knew me by name and were cool with me hanging out and watching TV.
The older hotels had MATV systems as well. The Campbell House array was up until the mid 90s and the Springs Motel array was up until it was demolished a few years ago. And of course all the local hospitals at the time had them, as well.
Even all the Fayette County schools had mini MATV systems installed in all the schools in 1967 when educational TV became a thing.
Most had a parabolic UHF for WKLE, WLEX and WKYT. CBS came via WCPO with a small high band VHF at the top of the mast. All the UHF stations were remodulated onto VHF dial positions .
All the classrooms had wall plates for the antenna connections. The limited number of TVs at the time were on large carts and shared among classrooms. Watched a lot of Apollo missions and things like inaugurations ect, during the school day.
Back in 2007 WKYT printed this very nice book about the history of WKYT on their 50th anniversary.
These were placed in everyone's seat at a home UK basketball game that year. (Back when I was a season ticket holder)
When Garvice Kincaid bought WKYT, in 1967, he stated he was into "localism" and developed local half hour programs that would air in primetime. Thus frequent pre-emptions.
As I stated before, when cable came along, things began to improve. That, and I believe into the late 80s, networks were becoming more intolerant of affiliates pre-empting network shows.
Pre-empting network shows is almost non existent today.
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Ah, yes, the big black and white institutional-style TVs on those carts with the TV raised high enough to watch it from the desks. They put me in charge of adjusting the antenna (loop on the back) and the UHF tuner because I knew how to do it. Those literature anthologies narrated by Clifton Fadiman, math and reading lessons (Wordsmith, and I forget the name of the math show), seems like yesterday.
I would really, really like one of those books.
Wordsmith.
Now that's a blast from the past! That seems to be the show we watched the most. And yes there were math and science shows, as well, but the names escape me.
This one lives on my coffee table along with Lexington history and train books.
If I had an extra, you would be welcome to it but it's the only one I have.
You might contact WKYT to see if the have one in their archives albeit in digital form.
I had to look it up. It was on the tip of my tongue, so I took a stab at it online, and there it was.
There was some other show called "Mathema", but I can't find it.
If there are any large used book stores in Lexington, that might be another option. You never know what you are going to find in such places.
All of this Lexington talk is making me want to take a road trip up that way, and drive around town seeking out antennas to take pictures. I could go for some Sir Pizza and a burger from Columbia Steak House. Wouldn't be something I could do in a day or two, it's just too far (I don't speed and don't try to drive mammoth distances in one day, I prefer to take my time and enjoy the trip), but it's on my mind. Lexington was antenna heaven in the 1970s for a teenage TV geek.
I have one, and it nicely traces WKYT’s history.
Sir Pizza. It's as good as it always was!
Columbia's has the Nighthawk Special going on right now. Named after the overnight DJ, Tom Kendall who worked at WVLK in the 60s.
And always thought that I was the only teenage TV geek back then.
Never had the Nighthawk Special, I've heard of it, might need to give it a try.
I used to go to the Sir Pizza on North Broadway, near New Circle Road, in the strip mall where Begley Drug Store was. Cut in squares, toppings all the way to the edge, pretty salty, with that pepperoni that was cut in tiny cubes instead of slices. I've had SP in High Point and Siler City (home of Frances Bavier, I visited her grave, people bring pickle jars and leave them there), but it wasn't quite the same. When you had one of those pizzas, you knew you'd had a good meal. None better.
Was in Lexington this weekend and took a picture from the street of the MATV tower —
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Yes, if you go back a block or two on Rose Street on Google Street View, you can see it:
Yet one more reason to take a trip up that way (that and Sir Pizza 🍕). I have to think there are others in Lexington.
Just guessing, it looks like the two antennas facing west are for WAVE and WHAS, and the one facing north is for WCPO (or maybe WLWT, hard to tell if those elements are cut for 5 or 9 from that angle). The WHAS antenna would still be usable.
(The emoticon for Sir Pizza isn't quite right, as they cut it in squares instead of wedges.)