WBZ-AM Allston backup is no more

[A Joseph Ross]

My family moved to Allston in the summer of 1949, when I was 4 1/2 years 
old.  I do remember seeing the two towers at that time, though I didn't 
know at first what they were.  I think both towers were probably erected 
together, along with the WBZ building, which was erected to provide 
television studios when WBZ-TV opened in 1948.  I think I remember 
hearing on one of the WBZ-TV anniversary celebrations (mostly back when 
Westinghouse was the owner) that WBZ-TV started out using temporary 
studios somewhere until the Soldier's Field Road building was ready.  I 
also remember seeing, in one of those anniversary specials, an excerpt 
from remarks by Mayor James Michael Curley when the station went on the 
air in June 1948.

My parents bought our first TV set sometime in the fall of 1949.  I 
remember the day it was delivered, and when it was turned on, all that 
was on was the test pattern, and then some sort of station sign-on (all 
I remember from that was a "Westinghouse" sign, which I couldn't read at 
the time, but they were still using it by the time I was able to read 
it).  Then there came Kukla, Fran, and Ollie, which my father had seen 
when he visited his brother in Connecticut, and then Howdy Doody.

We moved to Albany, NY just after Thanksgiving 1953 and moved back to 
the Boston area in May 1957.  I remember Hurricane Carol.  It was the 
first hurricane that I was aware of, and I remember seeing the wreckage 
of the big WBZ-TV tower on TV in Albany.  When we came to Boston in the 
spring to visit the grandparents, I remember seeing the stub of the 
tower from up on the Commonwealth Avenue hill in Brighton.

On 10/15/2020 10:39 PM, Kevin Vahey wrote:
> On October 6th the tower that was used as a backup transmitter for
> WBZ-AM in Allston was dismantled.
>
> My research indicates the tower was erected around 1950 as a backup to
> the taller tower used by Channel 4 and was only used when there was an
> ice buildup on the taller tower. That tower collapsed during Hurricane
> Carol in 1954 and the small tower was used by Channel 4 until they
> were able to use the old WEEI-FM tower in Medford before moving to
> Needham in 1957.
>
> The tower was then used as a backup for WBZ-AM.
>
> The tower had to be taken down to clear space for the new Channel 4
> studios which will replace the current facility built in 1948.

-- 
A. Joseph Ross, J.D. · 1340 Centre Street, Suite 103 · Newton, MA 02459
617.367.0468 · http://www.attorneyross.com