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Weather Takes Down WWVA Wheeling

WBBD/1400, in fact, will assume the WWVA identity and format until a temporary tower array can be built. Those three towers date back to the late 1930s and are even considered a tourist attraction in St. Clairsville, Ohio.

Rebuilding a tower is not as easy as one would think. The most extreme case of which was KFI's tower in Los Angeles, which was destroyed in 2004 and took two years to replace (they had to operate from an auxiliary tower at 10,000 watts instead of their normal 50kW signal during that time).

I don't know if this means that the paid religious programming, will also move to WBBD or not. WBBD is an affiliate of the Pirates, and those dollar-a-hollar preachers purchased time to be on the 50 kW signal, not on a tiny 1kW signal. It may not be a shock to see refund checks issued and contracts canceled because of this. And if the situation is long-term, could WWVA have to get out of the paid religion practice entirely?
 
It is time for a long wire!

I spent many a day and night maintaining that site and its heartbreaking to see what has happened.
 
A few years ago when CC had filed to move 1170 to Cleveland the plan was to shift the WWVA identity to
1400 permanently. Conspiracy theories, anyone?
 
Nathan Obral said:
Rebuilding a tower is not as easy as one would think. The most extreme case of which was KFI's tower in Los Angeles, which was destroyed in 2004 and took two years to replace (they had to operate from an auxiliary tower at 10,000 watts instead of their normal 50kW signal during that time).
Click to expand...

The problem KFI had was not related to the actual rebuilding. It was the NIMBYs out there. I have had a 500' tower stacked and ready to go in a week. They could get one tower done in that time, operate 10 kwatts during the day then file for an STA to operate something like 5 kwatts a night, then work on the rest of the towers. They could have the whole thing done in a couple/three weeks with tuning touchups unless they run into any major problems like an ATU being crushed or ground system damaged.
 
Bengalsfan said:
Nathan Obral said:
Rebuilding a tower is not as easy as one would think. The most extreme case of which was KFI's tower in Los Angeles, which was destroyed in 2004 and took two years to replace (they had to operate from an auxiliary tower at 10,000 watts instead of their normal 50kW signal during that time).
Click to expand...

The problem KFI had was not related to the actual rebuilding. It was the NIMBYs out there. I have had a 500' tower stacked and ready to go in a week. They could get one tower done in that time, operate 10 kwatts during the day then file for an STA to operate something like 5 kwatts a night, then work on the rest of the towers. They could have the whole thing done in a couple/three weeks with tuning touchups unless they run into any major problems like an ATU being crushed or ground system damaged.
Click to expand...

Right, and I doubt anyone in St. Clairsville would be that adamant a NIMBY. Especially as the WWVA tower site is a tourist attraction, and is far enough from the town to not pose an 'eyesore' threat (if there ever was one).

Reduced power at night with an STA is a foregone conclusion, simply to keep protecting the class-A clear channel 1170 signal in Tulsa, OK - the former KVOO-AM, now KFAQ - towards the southeast.
 
For what it's worth, from WWVA's website this morning ...

OUR ENGINEERING CREWS ARE ON SITE NOW WORKING TO GET SOME TEMPORARY TOWERS IN PLACE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE….HOPEFULLY THE 1170 SIGNAL WILL BE BACK ON THE AIR SOMETIME THIS AFTERNOON.

CHECK BACK HERE OFTEN OR STAY TUNED TO AM 1400 FOR THE LATEST UPDATES.
 
Being weather related, did the come down because they were old and in disrepair or was this just a really really bad storm? I've unfortunately never had the pleasure of visiting the WWVA site. (Well, unless you count WWVA-FM in Canton, GA. :) )
 
This was a bad storm. The towers were repainted and spruced up last week even. Lots of people are still without power, especially in Belmont County, Ohio (where the tower site is at). Sister station WOVK/98.7 is also operating on reduced power, their tower isn't that far away from WWVA's.

CC/Wheeling operations manager Chad Tyson had this video of the destruction: [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5ByhpBFriM ]
 
Seeing as weather is a side hobby of mine, I'll take this one:

Winds at the time of the tower's collapse were likely above 70 miles per hour. This was the result of something called a "Derecho", or in layman's terms, a long-tracked line of storms which bows out at its center. It's possible this could have been a microburst, as well, but the best guess is straightline wind damage.
 
Tri-State Media said:
Seeing as weather is a side hobby of mine, I'll take this one:

Winds at the time of the tower's collapse were above 70 miles per hour. This was the result of something called a "Derecho", or in layman's terms, a long-tracked line of storms which bows out at its center. It's possible this could have been a microburst, as well, but the best guess is straightline wind damage.
Click to expand...

UPDATE: According to WTRF-TV out of Wheeling, the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh has confirmed that the damage to the WWVA site is a result of a downburst. A downburst is when rain cooled air rapidly sinks, hits the ground and then spreads out in all directions.
 
They returned to the air at 10:30PM this evening (August 5) with a temporary tower. That's an impressive feat, no doubt about it. :)
 
Nathan Obral said:
They returned to the air at 10:30PM this evening (August 5) with a temporary tower. That's an impressive feat, no doubt about it. :)
Click to expand...

Kudos to the top notch Clear Channel Engineering team for pulling it off so quickly!
 
I notice that WEGW, usually easy to get here in the South Hills, is very weak and spotty, likely at reduced power.
Are the two related? Is their tower close to this 1170 site? Might they be trying to string a long wire?

I know the US Army has some very impressive temporary broadcast equipment that can be deployed around the globe
on very short notice. I recall they were testing it from Maryland when the extended band first opened up in the 90's.
Maybe CC should see if they could pick one up surplus and keep it on hand for these emergencies?
 
Tri-State Media said:
Tri-State Media said:
Seeing as weather is a side hobby of mine, I'll take this one:

Winds at the time of the tower's collapse were above 70 miles per hour. This was the result of something called a "Derecho", or in layman's terms, a long-tracked line of storms which bows out at its center. It's possible this could have been a microburst, as well, but the best guess is straightline wind damage.
Click to expand...

UPDATE: According to WTRF-TV out of Wheeling, the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh has confirmed that the damage to the WWVA site is a result of a downburst. A downburst is when rain cooled air rapidly sinks, hits the ground and then spreads out in all directions.
Click to expand...


Correct.

From personal experience and from the pictures (no twisting of the metal) it looks like a “microburst” which often has tornado speed winds only instead of spinning these winds often come straight down and flare out. Microbursts became “famous” after Delta lost a L1011 jumbo jet at DFW in the 1980’s. With the snow and ice load these towers have endured over the lost sixty + years the winds must have been over 100 MPH. I think the 70MPH is a little low. The towers falling at slightly different angles leads me to suspect that the “center” of the down flow was no more than a kilometer away. Looking at the video, there was enough wind to take off the paint off. I did not see much rust so the towers where in good shape. The National Weather Service should have some recorded radar returns showing in flows and out flows. The one weakness with most Doppler radars is the inability to get and accurate high reading. They can track a tornado but they can not tell if it is on the ground or a couple of hundred feet from the ground at a distance. That is why there are a few tornado warnings but no touch out in rural areas away from the radar site. That is OK with me. I am still going to the basement!
 
Anybody have an idea how much of the revenue at the CC Wheeling cluster is because of the religious programming on 1170?
And if it isn't a whole lot, would they consider putting WWVA on an FM eventually? Question is, which one? My guess would be 95.7
 
Ohio radio man said:
Anybody have an idea how much of the revenue at the CC Wheeling cluster is because of the religious programming on 1170?
And if it isn't a whole lot, would they consider putting WWVA on an FM eventually? Question is, which one? My guess would be 95.7
Click to expand...

I have heard bits and pieces of CC trying to move 1170 out of Wheeling WV. to Cleveland (?). I guess they saw what happened to WOWO 1190 Ft. Wayne and thought that a 50KW AM night signal should only be in a Million of larger market.
 
they are back on now....not sure at what power, but it's a fairly serviceable signal here in
the southern end of Allegheny County
 
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