JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The “antenna farm” along Southside Boulevard is about to see some changes: WCWJ-17's 996-foot red-and-white tower is being dismantled over the next two weeks.
The tower along Hogan Road was the tallest man-made structure in Northeast Florida when it went up in 1966 when the station signed on as WJKS. The first broadcast on the fledgling ABC-network station was a Saturday-morning "Porky Pig" cartoon.
Over a half century, the tower has deteriorated and it wasn't up to holding the weight of a new digital antenna. In fact, structural upgrades were needed before it could be safely be taken down.
Having transitioned in the 2000s to become WJWB, then WCWJ, the station was acquired last year by Graham Media, the owner of WJXT. The Channel 17 transmitter is moving to Channel 4's tower on the east side of Southside Boulevard. Without the need for its own tower, it's coming down.
WJXT/WCWJ Chief Engineer James Lowery said people will notice a little bit of activity on and around the old Hogan Road tower, starting Saturday. He said there'll be people on the tower, with a crane and cable system using baskets and counterweights to lower 20-foot sections of tower, one at a time.
No disruptions to traffic or neighboring businesses or residences were expected.
While taking down Channel 17's tower won't be much of a spectacle, Lowery said switching out antennas at the top of Channel 4's tower late next month will be.
On July 30-31, a massive Erickson A-64 Skycrane helicopter will remove Channel 4's current antenna and raise a new one to accommodate a change in frequency spectrum mandated by the Federal Communications Commission.
The chopper is so powerful that at low altitude it could rip shingles off roofs and blow down small outbuildings. To not cause problems for anyone, a helipad is being built for it on site so it will not need to fly over the surrounding neighborhoods while doing the work.