A tall FM Radio mast added in 1970 on top of the Tower of the Americas building (built 1967), the centerpiece of Hemisfair Plaza, hosts transmitters for 8 radio stations, either as the location of their primary broadcast transmitter or as the location of their FM translators.
2023 update: The Tower of the Americas closed in 2021 for renovations, including updates and upgrades to wiring and infrastructure. The 8 radio stations that used this tower have built a new tower off the I-10 on Lombard Street. Therefore, I will legacy this waymark since I believe the stations are no longer transmitting from this site.
From RadioLocator.com: (
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The Tower of the Americas FM antenna mast is 2.9 miles from the center of the City of San Antonio. Therefore, the tenants on the Tower of the Americas Antenna Mast as of 30 Jan 2018 are:
Call Sign - Frequency - Distance - City - Format
K227BH (KZEP-HD2)- 93.3 FM - 2.9 mi. - San Antonio TX - Country
KQXT - 101.9 FM - 2.9 mi. - San Antonio, TX - Adult Contemporary
KJXK - 102.7 FM - 2.9 mi. - San Antonio, TX - Adult Hits
K277CX (KTFM) - 103.3 FM - 2.9 mi. - Terrell Wells, TX - Top-40
K279AB (KAHL-AM) - 103.7 FM - 2.9 mi. - San Antonio, TX - Nostalgia
KZEP - 104.5 FM - 2.9 mi. - San Antonio, TX - Spanish Pop
K289BN (KQXT) - 105.7 FM - 2.9 mi. - San Antonio, TX - Adult Contemporary
K296GK (KTSA-AM) - 107.1 FM - 2.9 mi. - San Antonio, TX - News/Talk
From Wikipedia: (
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"The Tower of the Americas is a 750-foot (230-meter) observation tower-restaurant located in the Hemisfair district on the southeastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. The tower was designed by San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford and was built as the theme structure of the 1968 World's Fair, HemisFair '68.
It was the tallest observation tower in the United States from 1968 until 1996, when the Las Vegas Stratosphere Tower was completed. It is the tallest building in San Antonio, and the 27th-tallest building in Texas.
The tower is located in the middle of HemisFair Park and has an observation deck that is accessible by elevator for a fee. There is also a lounge and revolving restaurant at the top of the tower that provides panoramic views of the city.
The fastest recorded time up the tower's 952 steps is 5 minutes 18 seconds on January 29, 1981.
Construction history
Construction of the tower began on August 9, 1966 and was completed in approximately 18 months, just in time for the opening ceremonies for the fair held on April 6, 1968. The tophouse of the building was constructed at ground level and hoisted to the top of the poured concrete shaft. As the tophouse was being hoisted into place, on October 30, 1967 some of the cables used to hoist it snapped, leaving it resting on and precariously tilted on the Tower’s shaft. Eventually, oil field pipes were used in lieu of cables to complete the job.
Building heights
750 ft (229 m) to top of the antenna.
622 ft (190 m) to top of roof.
579 ft (176 m) to indoor observation deck.
560 ft (170 m) to outdoor observation deck.
550 ft (168 m) to restaurant and stationary level.
FM radio
Since 1970 the roof has hosted a 30-meter-tall (98 ft) tapered steel mast, used as support for three FM antennas; 101.9 KQXT (then known as KCOR-FM), 102.7 KJXK (then KTFM), and 104.5 KZEP (then KITE-FM). In 2007, the three individual antennas were replaced by a 16-bay master antenna that radiates all three FM signals including the HD signal for KQXT. Clear Channel Radio and Electronics Research Inc. headed up the project along with their contractors and involved the City of San Antonio and Landry's Restaurants. The new antenna system improved coverage for all three radio stations. An option existed for several years to add facilities for a move in signal on 97.7 (requiring rearrangement of ten other stations) to share the site. This was organized by Bret Huggins and David Stewart of Rawhide Radio, LLC (partly owned by Hispanic Broadcasting now Univision radio).
Transmitters are located between the public areas of the observation deck and the revolving restaurant in equipment bays along with air conditioners and plumbing."