• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

WBAP-FM tower

H

Horns

Guest
All of this talk of the AM/FM simulcast has lead me to look at the KPMZ (WBAP) FM tower. I wasn't really paying attention to North Texas radio when this was built. It is an amazing structure, located out in the middle of nowhere. With Mr. Google, I can get a good look from the nearby road. It looks like several stations are mounted on the tower. Who else is on this tall tower so far from DFW? Was it just built as an FM tower? That seems like a tremendous amount of money to spend on a rim-shot station, did ABC build it? I know they are trying to get into the Metroplex, but dang they sure have to cover a bunch of open country in North Texas.
 
Yes, it is 2000 feet...in very open country...
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=33.43694,+-97.48472+(KPMZ-FM)&om=1
 
I've got a 2002 picture of it (it was KMEO then) here:

http://www.fybush.com/site-021121.html

It's certainly a mighty structure!

ABC didn't build it. It was built by Liberman Broadcasting, I'm pretty sure, for what's now KZZA 106.7. At a time when a Dallas full-market FM might have been worth as much as $100 million (and yes, there was such a time), it was reasonable to think a high-powered rimshot might go for $40 or $50 million, and against that potential reward, a few million bucks to build a tall tower was pocket change by comparison.

It now has four stations on it: 96.7, 106.9, 101.7 and 98.3.
 
You wanna see something cool...?

got to Bing Maps www.bing.com/maps

paste in these coordinates 33.43694, -97.48472

click the Aerial drop down button and select Bird's Eye view.

You get an awesome view of the WBAP-FM tower.

Then, go look at your house... also cool.
 
Scott Fybush said:
I've got a 2002 picture of it (it was KMEO then) here:

http://www.fybush.com/site-021121.html

It's certainly a mighty structure!

ABC didn't build it. It was built by Liberman Broadcasting, I'm pretty sure, for what's now KZZA 106.7. At a time when a Dallas full-market FM might have been worth as much as $100 million (and yes, there was such a time), it was reasonable to think a high-powered rimshot might go for $40 or $50 million, and against that potential reward, a few million bucks to build a tall tower was pocket change by comparison.

It now has four stations on it: 96.7, 106.9, 101.7 and 98.3.
Click to expand...

And similar big sticks in the northeast Wise/southwest Cooke neighborhood house KDKR 91.3, KNOR 93.7, KFZO 99.1, and KRNB 105.7
 
Leiberman didn't build the tower either. That tower is the property of the former owner of KBOC, 98.3. Even though KBOC wasn't on that tower, it moved to that tower, near Slidell, as part of the upgrade done for the sale to Leiberman.
 
Well, then, why didn't the guy lease out space to others on the tower in order to save KBOC? He just shut the KBOC doors and let it go dark. I'm sure Lieberman bought it for a song. In terms of rimshots, KBOC is holding its own with their Hispanic programming. An English-language rimshot could never do what they've done so quickly.

(Jay, how many times did you accidentally say "KBOX" on the air there?) ;D
 
Interesting. Thanks for the info everyone. That "Birds Eye View" thing on Bing is a great way to look at towers.
 
Jay Weaver said:
Leiberman didn't build the tower either. That tower is the property of the former owner of KBOC, 98.3. Even though KBOC wasn't on that tower, it moved to that tower, near Slidell, as part of the upgrade done for the sale to Leiberman.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that this was one of the several Dick Witkovski (BESCO) move ins. The towers that were built were very "frugal" and at least one of them was a bolt shedder (bolts would pop out during freezes) and had to be brought down by toppling it, losing all the copper in the process.
 
The tower was built by Ron Unkefer's First Broadcasting. It was sold, along with 101.7 to Z Spanish, which later became Entravision ABC became a tenant of Z-EVC. Not certain if Entravision included the tower in their sale to Liberman. This was not a Dick Witkowski tower (although one of his move-ins located to it) nor did the original KBOC operator ever own it.
 
analog420 said:
The tower was built by Ron Unkefer's First Broadcasting. It was sold, along with 101.7 to Z Spanish, which later became Entravision ABC became a tenant of Z-EVC. Not certain if Entravision included the tower in their sale to Liberman. This was not a Dick Witkowski tower (although one of his move-ins located to it) nor did the original KBOC operator ever own it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification; I've seen some of the towers put up to convert a $2 million station into a $20 million one, and I would not want to be on the same property, let alone climb one of 'em.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom