Within the past week or two, the wrecking ball has leveled an entire block of downtown Duluth along West Superior Street. Torn down was the former Broadcast Center Building, which for roughly four decades housed KDAL radio and TV (later KDLH-TV, still later KDAL would leave, and its studios rented by a religious FM) and the Palladio Building, formerly the WEBC Building until a mid-60's fire burned out their studios.
Broadcast Center had been largely vacant the past few years as KDLH endured multiple license flips, the last of which resulted in the firing of their staff, closing of their studios, and an "operating agreement" that left the station little more than an appendage of KBJR. It's perhaps karmic/cosmic justice that the fast-buck operator who stripped the station died of a massive coronary in Florida the very morning they took the neon "K D L H" down from the building's roof.
In the 1950's, the WEBC/Palladio building also housed WFTV, Channel 38, Duluth's first TV station; a Du Mont affiliate that lasted but a couple years; though many of its people went on to long careers with other local stations. In later years, the building housed restaurants and other retail businesses and offices.
The site will become a 15-story office tower for the Dress Barn store chain.
Broadcast Center had been largely vacant the past few years as KDLH endured multiple license flips, the last of which resulted in the firing of their staff, closing of their studios, and an "operating agreement" that left the station little more than an appendage of KBJR. It's perhaps karmic/cosmic justice that the fast-buck operator who stripped the station died of a massive coronary in Florida the very morning they took the neon "K D L H" down from the building's roof.
In the 1950's, the WEBC/Palladio building also housed WFTV, Channel 38, Duluth's first TV station; a Du Mont affiliate that lasted but a couple years; though many of its people went on to long careers with other local stations. In later years, the building housed restaurants and other retail businesses and offices.
The site will become a 15-story office tower for the Dress Barn store chain.