[BC] Negativity

[Scott Fybush]

RichardBJohnson at comcast.net wrote:

> I did do my homework and I do know what I am saying. Do you see the tree 
> growing at the base of a tower at Clear Channel's WKOX? 
> http://gallery.bostonradio.org/miscellany/100-01124-med.html I wonder it 
> this was included in their pattern calculations. Here is another view of 
> the all too typical Clear Channel transmitter site. 
> http://gallery.bostonradio.org/miscellany/100-01122-med.html Just like I 
> said, just satellite dishes and weeds. Note that tree is between the 
> towers!

Without wishing to start any kind of a fight about this...I believe I 
was there the day those pictures were taken, in the company of another 
member of this list, and those images are a little deceptive.

The doghouse photo was taken with a long lens, from a distance, and 
while it may appear that the tree is growing at the tower base, it's 
well outside the fence. The tower itself is in a small clearing within 
the fence, and the area just behind it is, I believe, off the station's 
property.

No, the WKOX site isn't a showplace of much of anything (though at least 
one of the stations that shares the site is) - and considering what's 
being spent on a new site, I wouldn't spend a ton of money making the 
old site a showplace either, since the station will be gone from there 
before long. But what you don't see in the pictures is that an 
investment was made in a new BE transmitter just a year or so ago, 
replacing the old Continental that was in use when I was an intern there 
way back when. I've seen nothing to suggest that WKOX doesn't stay 
within its pattern, day and night, and have never heard any sign that it 
fails to power down at night.

I believe there are also some longstanding issues with wetlands that 
limit the extent to which CC can groom this particular site. It's 
certainly far - very far - from the worst I've seen in my travels.

s