WIVB-TV Tower facts for kids
The WIVB-TV Tower is a very tall metal tower in Colden, New York, USA. It stands about 322 meters (1,056 feet) high. That's taller than many skyscrapers! This tower helps send out TV signals for WIVB-TV, a local TV station.
The tower was built in 1948. When it was finished, it was the second-tallest building or structure on Earth. Imagine how impressive that was! The tower is in a farm field and has a fence around it. There are actually two towers there: the original one from 1948 and a newer one.
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The Tower's History and Use
The WIVB-TV Tower has been used for broadcasting for a long time. It first helped Buffalo Evening News send out signals for WBEN-TV. This station is now known as WIVB-TV. Today, Nexstar Media Group owns WIVB-TV.
A Temporary Move for WIVB-TV
In 2018, WIVB-TV moved away from the tower for a short time. This happened after 70 years of using the site! WIVB-TV shared a channel with its sister station, WNLO. They also sold some of their signal space in an auction.
For about a year, WIVB-TV broadcast from a different tower. This was the WNED-TV tower in Grand Island, New York. During this time, new construction happened at the WIVB-TV Tower site. They upgraded the equipment that sends out TV signals.
Returning Home
WIVB-TV came back to its original tower site in July 2019. Both WIVB-TV and WNLO now use the upgraded tower. This change helped improve the TV signal for viewers in the Southern Tier area. Before, the signal from Grand Island didn't reach them as well.
Other Stations Using the Tower
Besides WIVB-TV, another radio station also uses this tower. This is WTSS (102.5 FM), which used to be WBEN-FM. WTSS is special because it can broadcast with a lot of power. It uses 110,000 watts! This is more than double what most stations in the northeastern United States are usually allowed to use. This is thanks to a special rule called a "grandfather clause."
