WCOP & WBZ

[Dan.Strassberg]

Most likely, if the WBZ aux tower was used originally by WCOP (or
whatever its calls were then), it was one of a pair and its mate
ascended to the great broadcast history book in the sky when WBZ (AM
and TV) took over the site more than half a century ago. In other
words, when it was at that site, WCOP almost certainly used a
horizontal-wire antenna and like most such antennas, it was probably
suspended between two towers. Yes, there were horizontal-wire antennas
that used only one tower and the last of them in regular service is
still in use after a brief retirement a year or so ago, at KYPA 1230
in Los Angeles. Scott Fybush, who has photographed the KYPA antenna,
can probably explain the mechanics of how the antenna is suspended
from one tower. Actually, the WBZ aux tower itself must provide clues.
As I understand it (and Scott and others can confirm or correct), the
WBZ tower does not radiate (except incidentally). It acts only as a
support for one end of the horizontal antenna, which stretches from
the building to the tower. An interesting question for which Scott may
be able to provide an answer, is whether a ground system for the
horizontal-wire antenna exists beneath the tarmac of the WBZ parking
lot. Unlike ground systems for vertical MW antennas, ground systems
for horizontal-wire antennas obviously do not consist of radial wires
emanating from the tower base. I don't know what the typical ground
for a horizontal AM transmitting antenna looked like. Perhaps it was a
rectangular screen. Can anybody enlighten me?

I suspect that 1150's first and only DA is the one that still stands
at 75 Concord Ave in Lexington, which means that it dates only back to
1946--a mere 62 years. After looking at the building, which was in
horrendous shape until Greater Media rehabilitated it more than a
decade ago prior to the sale of 1150 to American Radio Systems (the
site and towers are still owned by ARS's successor, American Tower
Systems), I had assumed that it was built before World War II.
Imagine, though, only about six months elapsed between the grant of
the CP and the grant of a license! Does anyone think that, with all of
our modern technology, a three-tower DA could be built and tuned up so
quickly? Or is there more to the story? Were the building and towers
in place before the US entered the war? Did the station operate under
STA until the war ended?

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Martin Waters" <martinjwaters@yahoo.com>
To: <boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 1:32 AM
Subject: WCOP & WBZ


>
> Donna Halper helpfully provided, in the WCOP/1150
> timeline she posted:
>
> 3/20/46  Granted a C.P. for 1150kc, 5kw, DA-2,
> unlimited.  License
> to cover the C.P. granted 8/26/46.
> --------------------------
>
>    Does that coincide with WCOP moving to its present
> transmitter site from the spot on Soldiers Field Road
> that Westinghouse at just about that time purchased to
> put up a building to house the radio and the TV
> station it was in the process of getting ready to put
> on the air (air date June 1948)?
>
>    I've seen the WBZ location referred to as the
> former WCOP transmitter site.
>
>    Connected with this, I'm curious about the history
> of the AM tower in the WBZ parking lot that's now the
> 10 kW backup for the main site in Hull. Is it,
> perhaps, the leftover WCOP tower? That would mean it
> also was there when the TV tower so famously fell over
> onto the building around 1954.
>
>    That backup tower is amusing to see -- they have a
> belt-and-suspenders thing going on there. It's a
> self-supporting tire with guy wires anyway.
>
> --Marty Waters
>
>
>
>