WNBC and quite a few other TV s stations have back-up's at Armstrong on the Palisades.
Scott Fybush said:PTBoardOp94 said:Nick said:The wind might be over 100 mph at the top of Empire, so there's a chance that all the FMs could go off the air except for 94.7.
Not that 4 Times Square would fare any better in that regard, but there are a dozen or so FM aux facilities there. None for CBS properties (CBS has their aux just a block or two down Broadway at CBS's headquarters)
4TS is considerably more hardened than Empire, especially when it comes to backup power.
Some of CBS Radio's FM auxes are at 1515 Broadway (the HQ not of CBS but of quasi-sister company Viacom); 102.7 has its aux on one of the WINS towers out in Jersey. The Emmis stations (and former Emmis stations) have their auxes on the same tower in West Orange as 94.7. I believe 96.3's aux is still out there as well.
All of which is to say - the NYC FM dial will not fall silent if Empire were to lose power or (far less likely) suffer damage to its antennas. The stations with aux sites on 4TS will continue on with almost no difference in their analog coverage (nobody has an HD backup at 4TS, AFAIK). The most noticeable FM sign that Empire is off, unless you have an HD radio, would be the absence of WBAI, which has no auxiliary site.
TV would be rather more affected. I know of several DTV signals with aux facilities at 4TS, but there are more that don't have any licensed auxes.