Crank up the bass, sit back and enjoy an epic video ride alongside pilots of the Erickson Air-Crane, the Swiss army knife of helicopters as it lifts a repack antenna to the top of a broadcast tower in Jacksonville, Florida, courtesy of NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association. The breath-taking video focused on the topic of Helicopter Lifts as the first …
Last big broadcast tower portfolio sale being considered by Cumulus to reduce debt
As part of its post-bankruptcy strategy, Cumulus Media is considering selling its tower assets, CEO Mary Berner said during their Q4 earnings conference call on Friday. Discussing non-core assets that they want to sell to buoy their balance sheet, Berner they are “considering strategic alternatives regarding our tower portfolio, which consists of over 250 owned tower sites across 32 states, …
Ice is unkind to Nebraska 1,500-foot tower, causing it to collapse in Beaver Crossing
Service has been restored to the majority of Channel 10/11 viewers in Nebraska who lost signal when a KOLN tower collapsed early Saturday morning, but some over-the-air viewers may still be unable to receive their signal. The main KOLN tower in rural Beaver Crossing, collapsed during a severe ice storm. There were no injuries when the 1,500-foot guyed tower fell …
Bill proposes over $1 billion to develop 5G alternatives to Huawei
A bipartisan group of leading national security Senators introduced a bill to encourage and support U.S. innovation in the race for 5G, providing over $1 billion to invest in Western-based alternatives to Chinese equipment providers Huawei and ZTE. Heavily subsidized by the Chinese government, Huawei is poised to become the leading commercial provider of 5G, with far-reaching effects for U.S. economic …
Scripps pays $1,130,000 to FCC to settle tower lighting issues
Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC has agreed to pay a $1,130,000 penalty to settle an FCC investigation into malfunctioning TV tower lights used to alert nearby airplanes. The settlement order adopted by the FCC concludes an agency investigation that began after a small plane crashed into a TV tower near Kaplan, Louisiana in 2018. The tower was operated by a subsidiary …
Six drones capture picture-perfect Virginia 540-foot guyed tower drop
Typically shaky cell-phone videos of communication tower demolitions were bested by six drones Saturday morning when a crew from Electronics Research Inc. (ERI) felled a 540-foot guyed tower in Norfolk, Virg. Once the guy wires were cut, the bottom third of the tower built in the mid-1970s hit the ground and the rest fell within a radius of 200 feet. …
As Apollo courts Tegna, InSite takes on role of managing Tegna’s towers
Last week, InSite Wireless Group, one of the largest privately-owned tower and wireless infrastructure companies in the U.S., announced the expansion of its broadcast tower portfolio by entering into a management agreement with Tegna Inc., a TV broadcast group, to provide operational support as well as marketing services for Tegna’s wholly owned broadcast towers. However, at the time, it’s not known if …
The Wall Street party for tower owners may be ending leads Fast-Forward Friday articles
Article Media For tower owners, the Wall Street party may be ending Light Reading FCC set hearing for St. Louis AMs allegedly controlled by convicted felon Inside Radio How Eco-Site plans to benefit from the rush to build 5G infrastructure The News & Observer FCC proposes new rules to govern communications at multiple tenant buildings The National Law Review “This …
Anatomy of a triple fatality citation: Judge rules OSHA didn’t understand industry standards
An OSHA Review Commission Judge has vacated a proposed $12,934 OSHA penalty against tall tower erection firm Tower King ll, Inc. of Cedar Hill, Texas that was issued following a tragic accident on Sept. 27, 2017 when a gin pole broke loose from a 958-foot WSVN TV tower in Miami Gardens, Florida after its bridle slings failed, killing three erectors, one of whom was the …
‘Catastrophic’ repair ends in death for tower tech who fell 1,000 feet
A 47-year-old tall tower technician died this morning after falling approximately 1,000 feet from the KDSM FOX tower near Alleman in Polk County, Iowa. The worker was employed by Precision Communications, Inc. of Grove, Oklahoma. Wireless Estimator will release the tech’s name after family members have been notified. According to Lt. Heath Osberg of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, two …
Free Press: FCC broadband gains overstated leads Fast Forward Friday news
Article Media Free Press: FCC broadband gains overstated B+C Huawei sues U.S. as ‘last resort’ to fight government ban UPI Was a cell tower illegally built in an Atlanta neighborhood AJC South Korea delays commercial 5G service over phone and carrier issues VB AT&T expects to hit second FirstNet buildout Milestone by year-end Missiona Critical Interoperability debate dominates carrier-selection panel …
Exclusive interview with FCC Commissioner Carr addresses industry issues and our 5G future
Wireless Estimator Publisher Craig Lekutis and National Association of Tower Erectors Executive Director Todd Schlekeway recently conducted an exclusive interview with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr in late December. In this extensive feature article, Commissioner Carr discusses the FCC’s role in paving the way for a 5G future, the nation’s networks’ resiliency, and restoration lessons learned, the importance of industry workforce development initiatives …
‘Early warning signs’ point to tower crew shortages delaying next nine repack phases
Since 2015, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has been informing the FCC that a shortage of qualified tower crews and other concerns will prevent many broadcasters from meeting the ambitious repack window. They were correct, according to Curtis LeGeyt, NAB Executive V.P. of Government Relations, who testified during a House Communications and Technology hearing yesterday. He said, “early warning signs …
A dozen tall towers come with Nexstar Media’s acquisition of Tribune Media for $6.4 billion
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and Tribune Media Company announced today that they have entered into a merger agreement whereby Nexstar will acquire all outstanding shares of Tribune Media for $46.50 per share in a cash transaction that is valued at $6.4 billion including the assumption of Tribune Media’s outstanding debt. The proposed transaction will combine two leading local media …
Leaving cell sites far below, FCC Commissioner Carr breaks through the clouds at 2,000’
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on Friday conducted a site visit to the KDLT TV broadcast tower located near Rowena, S.D. and climbed the top portion of the 2,000-foot tower. On Thursday, it was an almost balmy – for South Dakota – 50 degrees. But when Carr arrived on site it was 30 degrees and snowing. During his site visit, …
Hurricane Michael mauls cell service in three states after cutting through Georgia
When Hurricane Florence slammed into North Carolina on Sept. 17, it kayoed 718 cell sites, according to the FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) which listed the counties that could suffer service interruption in four states. Hurricane Michael, the third-most powerful storm on record to hit the U.S., and the worst in 50 years, has almost doubled the number of …
Repack cuts commercial UHF broadcast stations to below 1,000
According to newly released statistics by the FCC, the nation saw an addition of 110 broadcast stations added to its ranks during the third quarter, with the total number of commercially licensed UHF stations dipping below 1,000. In addition, there are fewer AM radio stations and far more FM translators and boosters. (VIEW BROADCAST CATEGORY COUNTS BELOW) Translator stations are primarily not new stations, …
CTIA’s tower tech shout out leads dozens of Fast-Forward Friday articles
Fast-Forward Friday is Wireless Estimator’s latest news offering that provides an overview of relevant industry news stories presented during the week by other media that were not covered by our staff, along with a link to the article to go upstream and read it in its entirety. After all, the articles’ authors did all the heavy lifting, and capsuling their content and …
Crop duster pilot killed as he topples 1,040-foot Oklahoma tower
Update: May 31, 2018 -Andrew Deterding, 57, of Pond Creek, Okla., owner of Andy Deterding Ag Aviation, who was flying an S2R-T34 Thrush plane on Wednesday when the aircraft struck a radio tower guy wire, has been identified as the deceased pilot. A post on his Facebook page, written by one of his children, states Deterding’s memories and stories will live on through “every …
Lawsuit targets multiple companies in Ernie Jones’ tragic death
The widow of a well-respected and prominent Indiana structural engineer who died on Oct. 21, 2015 when he was crushed to death between an elevator and a guyed tower’s structural members has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Oklahoma, where the incident occurred, against the owner of the tower, the manufacturer of the structure, the elevator manufacturer, and a contractor …
