KDLT Tower
General information
TypeTelevision Tower
AddressCounty Highway 111
Town or cityRowena, South Dakota
CountryUnited States
Coordinates43°30′18″N 96°33′23″W / 43.50500°N 96.55639°W / 43.50500; -96.55639 (digital)
43°37′56″N 097°22′25″W / 43.63222°N 97.37361°W / 43.63222; -97.37361 (analog)
Elevation434.9 meters (1,427 ft)
CompletedAugust 19, 1998
OwnerGray Media Group, Inc.
Height609.2 meters (1,999 ft)[1]
KDLT tower rigging

The KDLT towers is the name given two towers (one analog and one digital) used by South Dakota television station KDLT. In May 2022 the analog tower was destroyed during a wind storm.[2]

The towers were built as high guy-wired aerial masts for the transmission of TV programs. The original analog tower was built in 1976 near Salem, South Dakota, and was 477 meters (1,565 ft).[3] The digital tower was erected in 1998 near Rowena, South Dakota, and is 609.2 meters (1,999 ft),[1] making it one of the tallest structures in the world. The digital tower is owned by Gray Media Group, Inc, as was the analog tower.[1]

Beacon lights

The aircraft-warning beacon lights at the top of the digital tower must be replaced when they malfunction. When it was standing, and even when it was not in use, the same applied of the analog tower.[4][5] Replacement of the beacon bulb at the top of the digital tower was featured in an episode of World's Toughest Fixes in 2010.[6] In 2015, amateur drone video footage of a man changing the light bulb on the analog tower went viral attracting more than 19 million views on YouTube and garnering attention from CNN and a newspaper in Britain.[7][8][9] On learning of the drone footage, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forbade any further flights; without its approval, drones are restricted by law to a ceiling of 400 feet (120 m), far lower than the height of the tower.[10]

Destruction of analog tower

The analog tower near Salem was destroyed on May 12, 2022 during a wind storm. It had stood since 1976.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Listing 1042104". Antenna Structure Registration database. U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. 1 2 "Storm downs Dakota News Now broadcasting tower near Salem". Dakota News Now. May 13, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Listing 1042111". Antenna Structure Registration database. U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ↑ Cooper, Kindra (16 February 2015). "The view from this South Dakota TV Tower is as grand & dizzying as any Manhattan skyscraper". The Architect's Newspaper. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  5. ↑ Moran, Lee (5 January 2015). "SEE IT: South Dakota repairman changes light bulb … on 1,500-foot TV antenna". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  6. ↑ Cruit, Nick (November 25, 2008). "Local man repairs 2,000-foot tower on TV". Sierra Sun. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  7. ↑ Hult, John (January 8, 2015). "Sky-high climb in Salem passes 1 million views". Argus Leader. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021 – via USA Today.
  8. ↑ Fast, Austin (April 27, 2017). "WATCH: Death-defying drone footage shows man changing lightbulb atop 1,500-foot TV tower". WCPO-TV. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  9. ↑ Kludt, Tom (January 6, 2015). "Spectacular drone footage brings tower repairman his viral moment". CNN. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  10. ↑ Kevin Eck (January 3, 2015). "The FAA Was Not a Fan of the TV Tower Drone Video". Ad Week. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
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