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The mightly 1190 WIXE tower falls

A

Art Sutton

Guest
Our good friends at WIXE in Monroe, NC lost their tower yesterday. A truck accidentally backed into a guyed wire and down came the 189 stick. We understand a long wire is being installed and a new tower will be erected as soon as possible. From a revenue and ratings standpoint, WIXE is one of the most successful surburban AM only operations in the South, maybe the nation, so our best wishes to station owner/manager Archie Morgan and his staff. I understand the station may have an audio channel on the local cable system and continues to broadcast over it. Broadcasters from around the two Carolinas and throughout the region were on the phone yesterday trying to line up some assistance for the Mighty 1190.
 
Art Sutton said:
WIXE in Monroe, NC lost their tower yesterday.
Click to expand...

Unless WIXE's tower has been replaced (or moved) since the station signed on just over 40 years ago, it is (or was) a tower with a story.

The original WIXE tower was purchased new in 1956 by J. Olin Tice for WBLR/Batesburg, SC. After the then owner of WBLR, Ed Crapps (that was his name...I swear), moved the studios and transmitter to a co-located site in the mid-60's, that original tower became available for sale.

One of WIXE's original owners, Monroe native Dave Hedrick, bought the tower from WBLR, had it dismantled and re-erected in Union County for WIXE.
 
J. Olan Tice is a name I have not heard in years. He also owned WCAY, 620 in Cayce, SC as well as the Mighty WBER, 950 in Moncks Corner, SC as well. He had a nack of owning small town radio stations that have had long heritages.
 
WKDK had it's tower felled in 1957 by a Huckabee Hound truck. In the 70's same company snared a guy wire, and the only reason it didn't fall was the tower was leaning and it pulled it more upright. A few years ago a City of Newberry Garbage truck snared a guy wire. It bent the tower base AND cracked the base insulator. Now the guy wire that crosses the road is held up by a "mini" tower. Earlier last week another garbage truck came down there and cleared the wires by a few inches. THERE ARE SIGNS saying no trucks and low clearance.

Powell
 
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