[QuadList] WEAU-TV, Eau Claire's 1, 947 foot tower collapses-NBC affiliate off-air, so is WAXX-FM.

[Ted Langdell]

Gray Television's Central Wisconsin NBC affiliate lost it's tower  
about 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, in weather that was icy and windy.

The tower in Fairchild, WI was built in 1966, and was the tallest man- 
made structure east of the Mississippi River for 45 years, according  
to a report on the WEAU website, http://www.weau.com/

The tower carried an RCA TW-15A13P antenna and transmitted with 29.9KW  
ERP, Horizontal polarization. The station was in the Canadian Border  
Zone, according to the FCC TV Query database.

Learning that the tower was down forced Chief Engineer Ron Wiedemier  
to pull off the road. “I got a phone call just before I got to the  
transmitter site, they told me the county had called and the tower was  
lying on the ground. I parked on the side of the road for a few  
minutes, because it was gut wrenching,” Wiedemier told his station's  
news staff.

Competing stations in the Eau Claire-LaCrosse market offered help,  
including digital channels.  Quincy Newspapers, Inc, owned ABC  
affiliate WQOW, 18, Eau Claire is carrying its competitor on 18.3, and  
on Quincy's LaCrosse sister station WXOW's 50.1 digital channel.

Charter Cable has the WEAU feed on an SD channel. An HD feed may be  
available by Thursday.  SD feeds of WEAU are on Dish and DirecTV.  The  
station is also using the internet to connect with viewers and enable  
them to see local newscasts and NBC shows they missed.

Maverick Media's WAXX lost its 104.5 signal when the tower collapsed.  
It moved the WAXX programming to 92.9, and bumped "The Big Cheese" to  
internet only.

Video of the collapsed tower and interviews with its engineering staff  
is here:
http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/5-7am_Watch_a_LIVE_STREAM_of_WEAU_13_News_Sunrise.html

A replacement tower may take a year to arrange and erect.

We'd note that QuadList member Tim Stoffel hails from Wisconsin—Green  
Bay, if I recall correctly—and also if I recall correctly, worked for  
stations in the Green Bay, LaCross/Eau Claire markets.

Ted

Ted Langdell
Secretary
Skype: 	TedLangdell
e-mail:	ted at quadvideotapegroup.com

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