Re: Time to update at least one interesting tower site

["Dan Strassberg" <Dan.Strassberg@att.net>]

I believe that Channel 5 has been on the Channel 4 tower since 1972. That's
28 years--longer than a generation. Actually, it's more like 28-1/2 years,
since as I recall, WCVB finally replaced the original WHDH-TV on channel 5
sometime in the spring of 1972. Those of us who were around back then,
remember that WHDH wasn't about to allow WCVB to use its facilities, because
doing so would have enabled WCVB to take over channel 5 at least a year
before it did. And since WHDH was, for all practical purposes, providing the
only financial support for the old Boston Herald, Herald management did
everything in its power to delay what had become the inevitable so that it
could keep its business alive as long as possible. That's hardly new news,
but I guess that it does take a while for some people (for example, the
person who posted the message to which Marty replied) to get the word!

Right after WHDH-TV went off the air, the only station on the old Channel 5
tower was WHDH-FM 94.5. At the time, the tower was the tallest (in terms of
height above ground--not HAAT--of the four (or was it still three at that
time?) in the Newton/Needham area. However, when Sconnix bought the WHDH
stations, the tower quickly became the home of most of the major Boston FMs.
Now, however, most of those have departed for the Hancock tower. What
stations remain? The only ones I know of are WCRB (which was exiled from the
Channel 4 tower) and WBUR (which is directional and hence cannot share an
antenna, which makes finding space somewhat of a problem). There must be
others. I haven't checked the Boston Radio Archives for a while. Is the list
there up to date?

Also, does anyone know how much power WGBH-FM will be allowed (and from what
HAAT) when it moves to the Channel 4 tower? If memory serves, WGBH is
currently running 100 kW H and V from slightly under 200m HAAT. Will the new
facilities grandfather the existing coverage or will WGBH become just
another Full Class B signal. Right now, you'd have to call the station a
Class C although it doesn't run 100 kW H and V from 600m HAAT, which would
make it a _full_ Class C. (Relatively few Class C's operate from 600m AAT,
however, although many operate from well over 300m.) Still WGBH-FM is the
only Class C signal in southern New England.

--

Dan Strassberg, dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net
Phone: 1-617-558-4205, eFax: 1-707-215-6367

-----Original Message-----
>
>--- "Martin J. Waters" <mwaters@mail.wesleyan.edu>
>wrote:
>
>Channel 5 has been using the Ch 4 tower for many
>years.  The "Old Channel 5 " tower is known to most
>as the "FM 128" tower, and is used by a number of FM
>stations.  It's the one right behind "You Do It"
>(a.k.a. You Blew It) Electronics.
>