WTAO-TV/Channel 56

["PETER GEORGE, N1GGP" <PGEORGE@WELLESLEY.EDU>]

     Though I do not know the exact date that WTAO-TV left the air, I can
tell you that Channel 56 was off the air from early 1956 until the summer
of 1962, when Harvey Radio Laboratories (owners of WXHR-AM and FM) participated
with the FCC study on now well UHF TV stations could do (signalwise) in the
20 largest markets.  The most memorable station of the UHF study was WUHF-TV
Channel 31 (now WPXN-TV) of New York City.  For six months in 1962, these
UHF stations broadcast test programming to see how well their signals would
do in the world of big buildings (a major stumbling block for any UHF station) 
and competitive full powered VHF's.  After the study was concluded, WUHF-TV
was given as a gift to the City of New York.  WXHR-TV returned to silence
until it was sold to Kaiser Broadcasting in 1965.  Channel 56 returned to
the air in the fall of 1966 with a Celtics game with full color BUT no
audio.  The audio exciter failed on the transmitter, leaving the new WKBG-TV
to put a super-imposed message to tell viewers to listen to the game on
WHDH/850.  Ironically this was weird as Channel 56 was partially owned by 
Boston Globe and WHDH was owned by the Herald-Traveler.  The Channel 56
station that left the air in 1956 is the SAME station we know now as WLVI-TV
(WB 56).  The original transmitter site for 56 was Zion Hill in Woburn.
WKBG-TV returned to the air using the same antenna from the 1950's until
a more efficient antenna was installed later in the fall to provide the
full 1 million watt authorization.  Channels 25, 38 and 56 moved to the
Needham UHF tower in 1968.  Channel 25 was of course WREP-TV, a station
that never made it to the air.  But, WXNE used the same stick that WREP-TV
was to use.

- -Pete-

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Peter Q. George, N1GGP                  *  "Scanning the bands since 1967 !" 
33 Stetson St., Apt. 2                  *                  +
Whitman, Massachusetts  02382           *                  |
USA                                     *      73         +|+    de N1GGP
PGEORGE@wellesley.edu                   *                +\|/+
XERB@bigfoot.com                        *               + \|/ +
W221AG@hotmail.com (my FM translator)   *               + \|/ +
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