WBZ/WBZA National Historic Landmark Site!!

[mwaters@wesleyan.edu (Martin J. Waters)]

        I've had a further thought about those rusty old towers on top of
the old Westinghouse factory in Springfield that were discussed here last
month:
        If that really is (as people keep saying it is) the original 1921
WBZ antenna, then, is it the oldest surviving broadcasting antenna
(ignoring that the wires between the towers fell down awhile ago)in the
United States, and probably North America? And, if it is the oldest, would
it possibly qualify for some category of national historic engineering
site, or landmark? Because of the unusual history of WBZ / WBZA -- the
synchronous station evolution and the fact that they kept using that
antenna up until 1962 -- it didn't get replaced by a vertical radiator, as
with all the other pioneer stations. Can anyone think of another station
that signed on in 1920 or 1921 whose original antenna is still standing?
Someone (pardon me, but I forget who) posted about having been able to go
into the building and seeing the dusty old remnants of the transmitter
room, and maybe even the original studio location, within the past few
years. If all of that also is still there, is there any other location that
dates back that far with anything even that close to an original radio
station installation from 1920-21?
        My $0.02 worth of brainstorm today. I was talking last week with
friends in Springfield who know the chairwoman of the city historical
commission, and I was thinking about this some more. And I keep circling
back to the list I received from the Broadcast Pro-File company listing WBZ
as the first station to receive a *commercial* broadcasting license. Having
a first (even though we all know other stations were on the air earlier)
always helps in these things. If you combine this first with the
possibility that it is the only surviving original facility from those
pioneer stations, you might have *something*. Thoughts, anyone?

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End of boston-radio-interest-digest V2 #33
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