<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Gray Television's Central Wisconsin NBC affiliate lost it's tower about 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, in weather that was icy and windy. </div><div><br></div><div>The tower in Fairchild, WI was built in 1966, and was the tallest man-made structure east of the Mississippi River for 45 years, according to a report on the WEAU website, <a href="http://www.weau.com/">http://www.weau.com/</a></div><div><br></div><div>The tower carried an RCA TW-15A13P antenna and transmitted with 29.9KW ERP, Horizontal polarization. The station was in the Canadian Border Zone, according to the<a href="http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=7893"><b> FCC TV Query </b></a>database.</div><div><br></div><div>Learning that the tower was down forced Chief Engineer Ron Wiedemier to pull off the road. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; ">“I got a phone call just before I got to the transmitter site, they told me the county had called and the tower was lying on the ground. I parked on the side of the road for a few minutes, because it was gut wrenching,” </span>Wiedemier told his station's news staff.</div><div><br></div><div>Competing stations in the Eau Claire-LaCrosse market offered help, including digital channels. Quincy Newspapers, Inc, owned ABC affiliate WQOW, 18, Eau Claire is carrying its competitor on 18.3, and on Quincy's LaCrosse sister station WXOW's 50.1 digital channel.</div><div><br></div><div>Charter Cable has the WEAU feed on an SD channel. An HD feed may be available by Thursday. SD feeds of WEAU are on Dish and DirecTV. The station is also using the internet to connect with viewers and enable them to see local newscasts and NBC shows they missed.</div><div><br></div><div>Maverick Media's WAXX lost its 104.5 signal when the tower collapsed. It moved the WAXX programming to 92.9, and bumped "The Big Cheese" to internet only. </div><div><br></div><div>Video of the collapsed tower and interviews with its engineering staff is here:</div><div><a href="http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/5-7am_Watch_a_LIVE_STREAM_of_WEAU_13_News_Sunrise.html">http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/5-7am_Watch_a_LIVE_STREAM_of_WEAU_13_News_Sunrise.html</a></div><div><br></div><div>A replacement tower may take a year to arrange and erect.</div><div><br></div><div>We'd note that QuadList member Tim Stoffel hails from Wisconsin—Green Bay, if I recall correctly—and also if I recall correctly, worked for stations in the Green Bay, LaCross/Eau Claire markets.</div><div><br></div><div>Ted</div><div apple-content-edited="true"> <div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; font-size: 14px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Ted Langdell</span></font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Secretary</span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Skype: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>TedLangdell</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">e-mail:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span><a href="mailto:ted@quadvideotapegroup.com">ted@quadvideotapegroup.com</a></span></font></div></div></div></div> </div><br></body></html>