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Which is the “best” FM/TV transmitting site in the Pacific Northwest?

Three Boise rimshotters (KDBI, KRRB, and KRBX) broadcast from a high ridgeline just east of Owyhee Dam and Reservoir. CSN has a CP to move their KAWS up there on a new adjacent tower at 100kw ERP.

Do any readers know how this Oregon site pans out for covering the valley? KDBI's contour pretty much covers Boise from that distant site.
 
What about smack on top of the Spaceneedle?
 
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Kelly A said:
No, that would be a poor location. There would be terrain blockage from Queen Anne Hill to the North, Capital Hill to the East, and West Seattle to the West-Southwest.
Click to expand...
I think many people think the Space Needle is like the CN tower of Toronto. In reality, the Space Needle is much shorter and plays no role in local broadcasting. I believe the same would be true for the Columbia tower, though an antenna up there would likely be better than the Space Needle. If the topography of Seattle was flat like the Midwest, I’d imagine some broadcasters would try it.
 
RF101 said:
Three Boise rimshotters (KDBI, KRRB, and KRBX) broadcast from a high ridgeline just east of Owyhee Dam and Reservoir. CSN has a CP to move their KAWS up there on a new adjacent tower at 100kw ERP.

Do any readers know how this Oregon site pans out for covering the valley? KDBI's contour pretty much covers Boise from that distant site.
Click to expand...
They don't do well many parts of Boise. KDBI KRBX KRRB have translators for Boise.
KDBI's translator was for 730 AM but they moved it to KZMG-HD3 and shut the AM off.
 
Broadcast Services, Inc. was pushing the Columbia Center pretty hard as a good site for FM and TV transmitters. As far as I know, only KBGE and K58DP ever transmitted their TV signals from there and both have long since moved (coincidentally, to Tiger Mt.). KOMO-TV at one time had an ENG receive site there and a "tower camera" on the Columbia Center, maybe they still do. As you can see from the attached, two towers were proposed for the top along with two dedicated floors for studios (?) and transmitters. I'd love to see what is left up there as I only see some microwave equipment and two way antennas.
Inexplicably, KBGE was built out in a suite on the 43rd floor.
 

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That KIRO FM (KIRO-FM (1948-75); KSEA (1975-91); KWMX (1991-92); KIRO-FM (1992-99); KQBZ (1999-2005) now KKWF is 100.7

The current KIRO FM 97.3 never was on Queen Anne. I think the calls for 97.3 went>KTNT>KNBQ>KBSG> to the current KIRO FM, can't remember the years.

Both now transmit from WTM on the same tower.
 
xmtrland said:
That KIRO FM (KIRO-FM (1948-75); KSEA (1975-91); KWMX (1991-92); KIRO-FM (1992-99); KQBZ (1999-2005) now KKWF is 100.7

The current KIRO FM 97.3 never was on Queen Anne. I think the calls for 97.3 went>KTNT>KNBQ>KBSG> to the current KIRO FM, can't remember the years.

Both now transmit from WTM on the same tower.
Click to expand...
KSEA-FM (owned by Bonneville at the time) 100.7Mhz, was located at the KIRO-TV QA site. And of course, KING-FM 98.1Mhz was at the KING-TV QA site.

There was a lot of concern when the Colombia Tower ('box that the Space Needle came in.'.) was built, that it could carve a QA-no-signal-swath from Queen Anne Hill toward key areas Southeast of downtown. In the end, that never happened, although one could argue there was likely increased multipath to vehicles passing, or homes in the shadow of the Colombia Tower.

The only reason those stations abandoned QA hill, was that the majority of stations were consolidating to Cougar and WTM. They rightfully felt coverage parody with competition would be important. Ironically, there were a lot of nay-sayer's about KUOW-FM choosing to remain on the KCTS-TV tower on Capital Hill, rather than signing an expensive long term lease on Cougar, or WTM, not to mention the significant capital expense of moving. I guess KUOW got the last laugh on that, because history has shown their programming out-performs any perceived flaws in coverage verses the mountaintop sites.
Ultimately, content is still King.
 
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valvashon said:
Broadcast Services, Inc. was pushing the Columbia Center pretty hard as a good site for FM and TV transmitters. As far as I know, only KBGE and K58DP ever transmitted their TV signals from there and both have long since moved (coincidentally, to Tiger Mt.).
Click to expand...
There were plans to attach an antenna mounting structure to the top. I attended a few meetings of Broadcast Services Group, (B.S. Group) who purchased the radio/TV leasing rights to the Colombia Center. Initial analysis (at the time 'shadowgraphs') showed respectable coverage up and down the I-5 corridor, with of course shadows North of QA Hill, some areas West of West Seattle, and East of Cougar Mt. Ultimately there were two reasons no major stations considered moving there:
1. Cost. The lease was super-expensive with undetermined escalator increases along the way. Nobody was willing to commit to the possibility of open-ended rent increases.
2. NIMBY's. Seattle City Council and various businesses were fighting like Hell mounting any 'ugly' structures on the top. There were already concerns over NIER levels from the QA and Capital Hill towers, so the thought of potentially 'nuking' occupants of the shining example of urban vertical space, became a topic of concern that ultimately wasn't worth fighting, considering the undetermined legal costs and time it would take to fight the NIMBY's.
 
Kelly A said:
KSEA-FM (owned by Bonneville at the time) 100.7Mhz, was located at the KIRO-TV QA site. And of course, KING-FM 98.1Mhz was at the KING-TV QA site.

There was a lot of concern when the Colombia Tower ('box that the Space Needle came in.'.) was built, that it could carve a QA-no-signal-swath from Queen Anne Hill toward key areas Southeast of downtown. In the end, that never happened, although one could argue there was likely increased multipath to vehicles passing, or homes in the shadow of the Colombia Tower.

The only reason those stations abandoned QA hill, was that the majority of stations were consolidating to Cougar and WTM. They rightfully felt coverage parody with competition would be important. Ironically, there were a lot of nay-sayer's about KUOW-FM choosing to remain on the KCTS-TV tower on Capital Hill, rather than signing an expensive long term lease on Cougar, or WTM, not to mention the significant capital expense of moving. I guess KUOW got the last laugh on that, because history has shown their programming out-performs any perceived flaws in coverage verses the mountaintop sites.
Ultimately, content is still King.
Click to expand...
parity
 
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