Old 92 ZEW "Antenna" Gone From Bank Building

[KEVIN Country]

I was driving through Mobile today and noticed they have removed the old antenna (it's really a pole that used to house 92 ZEW's antenna bays up until a few years ago) on top of the Bank Building! Man-What a disappointment!! I'm not sure if it's been used for anything else since 92 ZEW was using it, but it sure looked so cool. It kinda had that TV antenna on top of a tall building look.

Several months ago, I saw cranes up there and thought, "Oh, no..They're taking the cool pole down!" I later found out it was all part of the construction of the "Moonpie drop" for New Years and thought, "whew." But, it looks like today my nightmare came true-LOL!! (Forgive me-I'm a tower enthusiast...and Fybush fan!)

Wow! How long has that thing been up there on that building? I can remember it at least in the early 90s being there. It's been there so long, I always just picture it as part of the building. I HOPE they will put it back, but I don't think that will be happening.

 

[fybush]

Several months ago, I saw cranes up there and thought, "Oh, no..They're taking the cool pole down!" I later found out it was all part of the construction of the "Moonpie drop" for New Years and thought, "whew." But, it looks like today my nightmare came true-LOL!! (Forgive me-I'm a tower enthusiast...and Fybush fan!)

And I've never been to Mobile to see that one, either...

 

[tomservo]

Even though it's mentioned on my own site's history for WZEW, it never dawned on me that that tower atop the bank building was WZEW's. That's a shame, it did look pretty cool. I don't think the "antenna atop a building" feature is real common in the south.

 

[KEVIN Country]

And I've never been to Mobile to see that one, either...

What a shame! Oh, well-I've got the next best thing for you (While it lasts.) If you plug these coordinates into Bing Maps and turn on "Birds Eye View," it'll give you a pretty good view of it. (And maybe Street View in Google Earth will let you see it some, too.)

30 41'33.16"N, 88 02'31.14W

http://www.bing.com/maps/

 

[J Alex Bowab]

This oldtimer can give some history about the top of that building. I was working at WLPR 96.1 in 1965-67. Our studio/xmtr (short tower) was on Schaub Avenue in west Mobile, off Airport Blvd. What was then called the First National Bank building was completed in 1965. We moved our studio to the 12th floor of that bldg, and had a 4 bay horiz-only antenna (40 kw erp) mounted on the top of the bldg, tho it was not on the big pole mentioned. That came later.

The big pole was originally used for WBLX 92.9 which came on the air, I believe, in 1973, ERP I seem to remember, was 63 kw. BLX used it until about 1984-85, when it and 3 other stations (KSJ JLQ WIZD) went to the 1500 ft level of the new WPMI tower in the middle of Baldwin County. WBLX kept FNB for aux purposes only. I remember about 1986, when I was owner/operator of WDLT 98.3, then 3 kw, and one of my listen-at-work listeners in close proximity was unable to tune us in because BLX was back on the aux facility and its RF swamped some receivers. Maybe 1987 or 1988, when an ice storm did major damage to the PMI facility.

Meantime, WZEW was a Class A facility on a Pollard Road (Daphne) tower, and not getting into Mobile well enough. That was as close to Mobile as the Fairhope-licensed station could get and still put a citygrade signal over Fairhope. About 1988, a new owner (George O'Rear) was able to upgrade the station to a C3, making it possible to move to the old BLX pole on the FNB building, cover Mobile better, and still deliver the requisite signal to Fairhope. WZEW studios were on the 32nd floor of the building. From 1990-92, my WDLT was in an LMA with ZEW, and we shared the studio. I put a 2-bay auxiliary antenna on top of the building, and used it occasionally with about 300 watts. It was there in case the STL failed, or there was a problem at our xmtr site on Wolf Ridge Road. The new owner of DLT moved back to Wolf Ridge, and I think my 2-bay stayed there for a long time after.

I sold WDLT 1992, the LMA ended shortly afterward, and WZEW moved its studio elsewhere in the building, I suppose as an economy move. I've been out of radio since then, but it's my understanding that the pole was abandoned as an xmtr site when the new RSA tower went up very close by, rendering that site less than ideal. Their new site, at the south end of Mobile, would apparently be a move to make ZEW more listenable at the beaches.

Of course, over time, AmSouth acquired FNB, and the building's name changed. Around 1990, the Home Shopping Network put a UHF LPTV xmtr/tower up there. It may still be in operation, though I know it changed from channel 52 to 30 (?).

 

[J Alex Bowab]

As a C3, WZEW would max at 25 kw @ 328 ft. Since the center-feed of the "pole" would put you at about 450 feet, the ERP was reduced accordingly, I believe to about 13 kw.

There were a lot of other communications antennas atop the building, and I'm sure that was a good revenue stream for the building owners. Over the years, though, there was some opposition to putting them there on the grounds that it compromised the aesthetics of the structure. One will note that the new RSA building, 200 feet higher, does not appear to have any place where antennas can be located.

 

[tomservo]

That HSN translator is still licensed for the RSA-Bank Trust Building (does every building in Mobile have the name RSA in it? ) They also have a CP to flash cut to digital from the same site, so I guess it's still in use. The pattern for the station is highly directional to the west, not counting what the RSA Battle House Tower must do to its signal.

 

[Poledo]

The big pole was originally used for WBLX 92.9 which came on the air, I believe, in 1973, ERP I seem to remember, was 63 kw. BLX used it until about 1984-85, when it and 3 other stations (KSJ JLQ WIZD) went to the 1500 ft level of the new WPMI tower in the middle of Baldwin County. WBLX kept FNB for aux purposes only.

My memories of WBLX from the early '80's were that it only came into Pensacola at night. Would this have been cause by atmospheric conditions or did they bump up the power after dark? Neither sounds plausible to me, but for some reason WBLX was almost never on the Pensacola dial in the daytime but was there most every night.

 

[J Alex Bowab]

No FM had different power day vs night. An atmospheric condition called, among other things, tropospheric bending, is more pronounced at night than during the day along the coast, and it would explain a slight improvement in a BLX signal into Pensacola, but not a drastic one. With 63 kw at 450 ft from downtown Mobile, the signal in Pensacola would not be fantastic. That is why they eventually moved to Baldwin County.

 

[KEVIN Country]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the info! I've always had an interest in Gulf Coast and Alabama radio history. Zach, between your ABMP website (which I have bookmarked) and J Alex Bowab's history, you have answered a lot of my questions.

BLX used it until about 1984-85, when it and 3 other stations (KSJ JLQ WIZD) went to the 1500 ft level of the new WPMI tower in the middle of Baldwin County.

I have been curious as to where KSJ FM used to broadcast from before they moved to the WPMI stick. I remember they used to simulcast their FM on 1270, and I've been curious if they were on that tower in Prichard that 106.5 FM/1270 AM is now on, or did they transmit from somewhere else?

 

[tomservo]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the info! I've always had an interest in Gulf Coast and Alabama radio history. Zach, between your ABMP website (which I have bookmarked) and J Alex Bowab's history, you have answered a lot of my questions.

That's a double compliment to J Alex then, as he has probably provided more history for the Gulf Coast stations than anyone else.

 

[J Alex Bowab]

WKSJ FM was originally on that Prichard tower, sharing it with co-owned WKSJ 1270. It was 100 kw at 400 ft as I recall, which is about the equivalent of a C2 in terms of coverage. And I appreciate the compliments ... I've been described as The Compendium of Useless Knowledge. I'm trying to toss it all out there before senility renders me unable to do so.

 

[J Alex Bowab]

I seem to remember there was one other use for the top of the FNB/Amsouth Bldg. after WBLX relocated its xmtr site to the WPMI tower. BLX studio was at 1204 Dauphin, in the Dauphinway Historical District, whose authority vetoed their request to erect an STL tower sufficiently tall to beam program output to the tower, probably 25 miles away ... so they had to double-hop the STL ... from a short tower at the studio to the bank building, and a second hop from there to the xmtr at Wilcox Road exit.

 

[K4WRF]

Didn't one of the early TV stations start out on one of the older downtown buildings? Seems I remember seeing a TV antenna on top of a building with a peaked or gabled roof. period would have been late 50's early 60's.

 

[J Alex Bowab]

I think not. WALA TV 10 started out on a 300 ft tower behind their 210 Government Street studio. It was blown down in a storm. Then they moved to a 500 foot tower at Spanish Fort in the late 50s. Then they donated that tower to Alabama Public TV (it's still in use by WEIQ 42) and moved to the 1200 foot tower in Stapleton which is where they are now. WALA came on in 1953.

WKRG studio was downtown on St Louis Street, but their first TV tower was in the Cottage Hill area. From there they moved to the 1000 ft tower in Malbis... that one is still standing and is right next to the 2000 ft one they erected in the late 80s.

WKAB TV 48 broadcast from its studio/AM xmtr site at 525 Donald Street, in the Toulminville area.

These are the only 3 possibilities and none of them had their xmitting antenna atop a building. Prior to the 1965 completion of the FNB bldg, there was the Waterman Steamship Bldg, Van Antwerp Bldg, etc ... no TV xmitting antennas on them.

 

[J Alex Bowab]

WKAB came on 1952, and was gone in 2 years or so ... WKRG came on in 1955 ... WEAR 3 came on in 1954, but their xmtr site of course was in Pensacola. Can't think of any Mobile FM that was atop any building other than the FNB bldg (WLPR, WBLX, and later WZEW).

 

[J Alex Bowab]

You sure you're not thinking about New Orleans? ... WDSU's (ch 6) original xmtr was atop the Hibernia National Bank Bldg ... and WGNO (then WWOM TV) 26 was atop the building at the foot of Canal Street... name of bldg escapes me momentarily. And several New Orleans FMs were atop downtown buildings ... not only that, an AM (!) was atop the Jung Hotel (990 khz) on Canal Street.

 

[J Alex Bowab]

WWOM/WGNO was atop the International Trade Mart, renamed World Trade Center (really!) of New Orleans.

 

[K4WRF]

You sure you're not thinking about New Orleans? ... WDSU's (ch 6) original xmtr was atop the Hibernia National Bank Bldg ... and WGNO (then WWOM TV) 26 was atop the building at the foot of Canal Street... name of bldg escapes me momentarily. And several New Orleans FMs were atop downtown buildings ... not only that, an AM (!) was atop the Jung Hotel (990 khz) on Canal Street.

I remember that large WDSU turn-style antenna on top of Hibernia Bank and wondered if I had the two confused. I also remember the tower on top of the Three-Foot building in downtown Meridian Mississippi and could have it confused with that one. BIRTHDAYS stealing my brain! Last time I was in NOLA, that tower was still on top of what was the old Jung hotel.

 

[Doctor_Technical]

NOLA remains a hotbed (lake-bed?) of building-top towers, including the former WBYU (now an often-used aux FM) on top of 1001 Howard, a single-bay aux FM on top of Place St. Charles, at least one translator (97.5) licensed to the top of One Shell, WGSO 990AM on top of the dead hotel, and WWOZ's 3-bay next door on top of what was the Tidewater Bldg. Interesting to note that 'OZ is holding a CP for 100KW on the same tower.