CKX-TV Craig Television Tower facts for kids
The CKX-TV Craig broadcasting tower is a super tall structure located in Hayfield, Manitoba, Canada. It's like a giant antenna that helps send out TV signals to homes. This amazing tower is one of the tallest structures in all of Canada!
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The CKX-TV Craig Broadcasting Tower
What is a TV Mast?
A TV mast, also known as a broadcasting tower, is a very tall structure. Its main job is to send out radio and television signals. Imagine it as a huge antenna that helps your TV get channels clearly. The CKX-TV tower is a "guyed" mast. This means it's held up by strong cables called "guy-wires" that are anchored to the ground. These wires keep the tower steady and upright.
How Tall is This Tower?
The CKX-TV Craig broadcasting tower stands at an incredible height of 411.5 metres (about 1,350 feet). To give you an idea, that's taller than many skyscrapers! It is currently the second-tallest structure in all of Canada. It's a truly impressive sight to see.
A Look Back in Time
The tower you see today isn't the very first one built in this spot. The original tower was put up in 1973. Back then, it was one of the tallest structures in Canada, matching the height of another tall structure called the Cape Race LORAN-C transmitter. For a while, only one other structure built in Canada has become taller than it. That's the famous CN Tower in Toronto.
Sadly, the original tower had a big problem in 1983. A severe ice storm caused it to collapse. But don't worry, it was rebuilt and standing tall again by 1985!
Where Does it Rank in the World?
The CKX-TV Craig broadcasting tower is not just tall in Canada. It's also one of the tallest structures in the entire Commonwealth of Nations. It currently ranks as the fifth tallest among all the structures in these countries.
What Does the Tower Do Now?
The tower is still very important today. After CKX-TV stopped broadcasting in October 2009, another TV station started using it. Now, CKYB-TV, which is a re-broadcaster for CKY-DT, sends its signals from this very tower. So, it continues to help people watch television!
