When radio stations broadcast from the then tallest buildings in your area

[stormy01]

Remember when AM or FM radio stations in your area broadcast from what was the tallest building(s) in your area at the time?

This link is for Chicago area stations, but we would like to see pictures from other cities too!

http://71.57.24.170/public/zecom/museum/ghostowers/index.htm

Of course, there are sites that have many pictures of recent installations, but we're talking about a long, long time ago!

 

[radioman148]

It was big news in Chicago when WGN moved to the top of the Prudential Building in the late 50s.
If you went to the observation deck on the 41st floor you walked right by their transmitting facilities.

 

[stormy01]

It was big news in Chicago when WGN moved to the top of the Prudential Building in the late 50s.
If you went to the observation deck on the 41st floor you walked right by their transmitting facilities.

This is, of course, WGN-TV. WGN-TV must've been at Pru until 1961 when the 2501 W. Bradley Place facility was completed.
Since 1961 WGN Radio was also at Bradley, until 1986. Then WGN Radio moves back downtown to 435 N. Michigan Avenue (Tribune Tower) in 1986.
Located from 1935-1961 in a four-story building built as an addition to Tribune Tower.

 

[FreddyE1977]

This idea never really caught on here in Pittsburgh. I think because the hilly terrain would have caused you to have a lot of signal blackout areas, particularly on FM. (If you stand on top of some of the taller hills here, you are looking directly at roof level at many of the downtown buildings.) The only stick I can think of that is atop a building here is WPTS, the 13-watt student FM station at the University of Pittsburgh. It is atop the 42-story Cathedral of Learning on campus. Carnegie Mellon University used to have their student station antenna atop a campus building, but moved it several years back when they got a power increase. Before that you'd have to go all the way back to the 1920's, when WCAE (later WTAE, now ESPN 1250) ran it's signal on a horizontal wire between two buildings on Smithfield St. The US Steel Tower was once the tallest building between New York and Chicago, and would have made an excellent platform. But the roof contains an operating helipad, which precludes such use.

 

[stormy01]

This idea never really caught on here in Pittsburgh. I think because the hilly terrain would have caused you to have a lot of signal blackout areas, particularly on FM. (If you stand on top of some of the taller hills here, you are looking directly at roof level at many of the downtown buildings.) The only stick I can think of that is atop a building here is WPTS, the 13-watt student FM station at the University of Pittsburgh. It is atop the 42-story Cathedral of Learning on campus. Carnegie Mellon University used to have their student station antenna atop a campus building, but moved it several years back when they got a power increase. Before that you'd have to go all the way back to the 1920's, when WCAE (later WTAE, now ESPN 1250) ran it's signal on a horizontal wire between two buildings on Smithfield St. The US Steel Tower was once the tallest building between New York and Chicago, and would have made an excellent platform. But the roof contains an operating helipad, which precludes such use.

Speaking of Smithfield St., isn't the Monongahela Incline right there? When I went up the Monongahela Incline in the early 90's, I remember seeing a radio tower up on the bluff, and one of the stations might have been WDVE 102.5 at the time, since moved, I believe. I have no idea who is operating from that tower between Shiloh/Wyoming Sts. & Grandview Ave. now.

 

[radioman148]

It was big news in Chicago when WGN moved to the top of the Prudential Building in the late 50s.
If you went to the observation deck on the 41st floor you walked right by their transmitting facilities.

This is, of course, WGN-TV. WGN-TV must've been at Pru until 1961 when the 2501 W. Bradley Place facility was completed.
Since 1961 WGN Radio was also at Bradley, until 1986. Then WGN Radio moves back downtown to 435 N. Michigan Avenue (Tribune Tower) in 1986.
Located from 1935-1961 in a four-story building built as an addition to Tribune Tower.

I should've been more clear--this was WGN-TV's transmitting facility. You could see the equipment up there which fed their tower which at the time was on top of the Prudential building.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

In the days before the skyscrapers were built in Indy, WNAP 93.1 was on top of the Merchant Bank building at 11 S Meridian St. They moved to a 1000' stick on the east side in the late 70's. WZIP FM 92.5 in Cincinnati was on top of a building before their early 70's relocation to a taller TV tower. There's still one that seems to be a keeper...WNCI/Columbus on 97.9. They were on a tall building in downtown Columbus when I became aware of them in 1970...they're still there and cranking out 6 digits worth of power.

 

[FreddyE1977]

This idea never really caught on here in Pittsburgh. I think because the hilly terrain would have caused you to have a lot of signal blackout areas, particularly on FM. (If you stand on top of some of the taller hills here, you are looking directly at roof level at many of the downtown buildings.) The only stick I can think of that is atop a building here is WPTS, the 13-watt student FM station at the University of Pittsburgh. It is atop the 42-story Cathedral of Learning on campus. Carnegie Mellon University used to have their student station antenna atop a campus building, but moved it several years back when they got a power increase. Before that you'd have to go all the way back to the 1920's, when WCAE (later WTAE, now ESPN 1250) ran it's signal on a horizontal wire between two buildings on Smithfield St. The US Steel Tower was once the tallest building between New York and Chicago, and would have made an excellent platform. But the roof contains an operating helipad, which precludes such use.

Speaking of Smithfield St., isn't the Monongahela Incline right there? When I went up the Monongahela Incline in the early 90's, I remember seeing a radio tower up on the bluff, and one of the stations might have been WDVE 102.5 at the time, since moved, I believe. I have no idea who is operating from that tower between Shiloh/Wyoming Sts. & Grandview Ave. now.

That particular tower at the corner of Shiloh and Grandview, near the Mon Incline upper station, is for Duquesne University's WDUQ-FM 90.5. In the days before cell phones it also held the Airsignal Pittsburgh paging service, and originally held the stick for WNEU, an LPTV station on Channel 63. It would later move to the old WJAS tower in Beechview, and appears to have gone dark a few years ago. The tower at the opposite end of Grandview Ave is WBZW, the current incarnation of B-94. It was originally constructed as the studio and transmitter for WKJF-TV 53 in the 1950's. Like many early UHF's it failed, but the FM station on 93.7 hung in there and has broadcast from it ever since. There is a very large studio building which is now empty, as B-94 studios moved to Foster Plaza with the rest of the CBS cluster (except KDKA, which is still in Gateway Center downtown).

 

[stormy01]

WZIP FM 92.5 in Cincinnati was on top of a building before their early 70's relocation to a taller TV tower.

There's still one that seems to be a keeper...WNCI/Columbus on 97.9. They were on a tall building in downtown Columbus when I became aware of them in 1970...they're still there and cranking out 6 digits worth of power.

Has any AM, FM or TV station ever operated from Carew Tower? Are there any plans for any station to operate from the upcoming Great American Insurance Building at Queen City Square?

"they're still there and cranking out 6 digits worth of power" - No problem with building penetration, but I would guess that WNCI had better be your favorite station downtown, or people probably have to listen to their favorite station on the web.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

WZIP FM 92.5 in Cincinnati was on top of a building before their early 70's relocation to a taller TV tower.

There's still one that seems to be a keeper...WNCI/Columbus on 97.9. They were on a tall building in downtown Columbus when I became aware of them in 1970...they're still there and cranking out 6 digits worth of power.

Has any AM, FM or TV station ever operated from Carew Tower? Are there any plans for any station to operate from the upcoming Great American Insurance Building at Queen City Square?

"they're still there and cranking out 6 digits worth of power" - No problem with building penetration, but I would guess that WNCI had better be your favorite station downtown, or people probably have to listen to their favorite station on the web.

I don't ever recall the Carew Tower being a transmitter site. Downtown Cincy is in hole, not far above river level. So even the tallest building can't compete with the host of 1000' TV towers, all of which are on higher ground. It would literally take something along the lines of the Sears Tower to trump the TV towers in the Queen City.

WNCI has a good thing going & they know it. They have to own Over The Air in-office listening.

 

[kd8hho]

1240 WHBU used to have there AM tower on the Union Building in downtown anderson from 1923 till 1999/2000 IIRC i remember them taking that tower down it kinda brought a tear to my eye as it was actually something historic for this city.

i think they moved out of there when backyard broadcasting bought them up. and had the tower razed

 

[gar hi]

The only thing I can think of is way back when they moved the New York TV stations from the Empire State Building to the World Trade Center. We were 80 miles away and didn't get the best picture anyway but the difference was enough to notice a little. The relatives we knew in Jersey City also has less of those "ghosts" on their TV screens. Before that, reception with the rabbit ears there was awful because of so many ghosts on their local channels. At the time, I remember my uncle telling me it was mainly due to the twin towers. Unfortunately because of what happened 8 years ago, the tramsmitters are now somewhere else.

Are they back on the Empire State Building or are they elsewhere?

 

[radioman148]

The only thing I can think of is way back when they moved the New York TV stations from the Empire State Building to the World Trade Center. We were 80 miles away and didn't get the best picture anyway but the difference was enough to notice a little. The relatives we knew in Jersey City also has less of those "ghosts" on their TV screens. Before that, reception with the rabbit ears there was awful because of so many ghosts on their local channels. At the time, I remember my uncle telling me it was mainly due to the twin towers. Unfortunately because of what happened 8 years ago, the tramsmitters are now somewhere else.

Are they back on the Empire State Building or are they elsewhere?

I'm pretty sure they're back on the Empire State Building.

 

[KE4KLS_Radio]

Another station I would mention is WMFR 1230 in High Point, NC. The tower resides on the rooftop and the studio resides on the top floor:

http://www.radiobuilding.com/

Also an article by Scott Fybush with pic of the tower:

http://www.fybush.com/site-030626.html

 

[BobOnTheJob]

1240 WHBU used to have there AM tower on the Union Building in downtown anderson from 1923 till 1999/2000 IIRC i remember them taking that tower down it kinda brought a tear to my eye as it was actually something historic for this city.

i think they moved out of there when backyard broadcasting bought them up. and had the tower razed

Many AM's on top of buildings have poor coverage...WHBU broke that rule. 60 miles to the south for them was typical.

 

[stormy01]

1240 WHBU used to have there AM tower on the Union Building in downtown anderson from 1923 till 1999/2000 IIRC i remember them taking that tower down it kinda brought a tear to my eye as it was actually something historic for this city.

i think they moved out of there when backyard broadcasting bought them up. and had the tower razed

Many AM's on top of buildings have poor coverage...WHBU broke that rule. 60 miles to the south for them was typical.

WHBU must have a decent ground plane and really good grounding in order to have that kind of reach. I would suspect that some of the AM stations towers that were on the top of buildings got behind on maintenance and that's why their signal reach worsened. If the station found out right away that their coverage was terrible, I would guess they would have taken measures to improve coverage with the tower atop a building, and then eventually move to a ground based (terra firma) tower site if changes didn't give better results. Back in the day, before suburban sprawl started, possibly the station owners/engineering department may not have cared if their coverage extended far beyond the urbanized area, but that couldn't have been the case for stations that also served rural listeners, like farmers.