TV/FM transmitter on Willis Tower - Chicago, Illinois
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Dorcadion Team
N 41° 52.724 W 087° 38.155
16T E 447234 N 4636507
The Willis Tower is with its 442.1 m height not only the tallest Chicago skyscraper and city's key touristic attraction, but its two from a far visible roof antenna masts also serve as key TV/FM-transmitters of Chicago metropolitan area...
Waymark Code: WMVFDA
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 04/11/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Benchmark Blasterz
Views: 18

The Willis Tower is with its 442.1 m height not only the tallest Chicago skyscraper and city's key touristic attraction, but its two from a far visible roof antenna masts also serve as key TV/FM-transmitters of Chicago metropolitan area...

[source - Description and History of the Building: Wikipedia]

"The Willis Tower, built as and still commonly referred to as Sears Tower, is a 108-story, 442.1 m skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, United States. At completion in 1973, it surpassed the World Trade Center towers in New York to become the tallest building in the world, a title it held for nearly 25 years and remained the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere until 2014 and the completion of a new building at the World Trade Center site. The building is considered a seminal achievement for its architect Fazlur Kahn. The Willis Tower is the second-tallest building in the United States and the 16th-tallest in the world. More than one million people visit its observation deck each year, making it one of Chicago's most popular tourist destinations. The structure was renamed in 2009 by the Willis Group as part of its lease on a portion of the tower's space.

As of December 2013, the building's largest tenant is United Airlines, which moved its corporate headquarters from the United Building at 77 West Wacker Drive in 2012 and today occupies around 20 floors with its headquarters and operations center.

The Willis Tower observation deck, called the Skydeck, opened on June 22, 1974. Located on the 103rd floor of the tower, it is 412.4 m high and is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Chicago. Tourists can experience how the building sways on a windy day. They can see far over the plains of Illinois and across Lake Michigan to Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin on a clear day. Elevators take tourists to the top in about 60 seconds, and allow tourists to feel the pressure change as they rise up. The Skydeck competes with the John Hancock Center's observation floor a mile and a half away, which is 98.5 m lower. Some 1.3 million tourists visit the Skydeck annually. A second Skydeck on the 99th floor is also used if the 103rd floor is closed. The tourist entrance can be found on the south side of the building along Jackson Boulevard.

Many broadcast station transmitters are located at the top of Willis Tower. Each list is ranked by height from the top down. Stations at the same height on the same mast indicate the use of a diplexer into the same shared antenna. Due to its extreme height, FM stations (all class B) are very limited in power output."

Call signs/Frequencies/Channels/Broadcaster:
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_TowerR Radio stations WLIT FM 93.9 MHz main, 4.0 kW, AMFM WEBG FM 95.5 backup, 3.1 kW, AMFM WJMK FM 104.3 main, 4.1 kW, CBS Radio WTMX FM 101.9 main, 4.2 kW, Hubbard WBBM FM 96.3 main, 4.2 kW, CBS Radio WKSC FM 103.5 main, 4.3 kW, AMFM WGCI FM 107.5 main, 3.7 kW, AMFM WFMT FM 98.7, 6.0 kW WLS FM 94.7 main, 4.4 kW WFMT FM 98.7 backups WBBM-FM 96.3 backup WJMK FM 104.3 backup unknown: W264BF 100.7 MHz, 2 W Television stations WLS-TV 7 permanent digital, 4.75 kW WCPX-TV 43 digital, 200 kW, Ion Media Networks WJYS TV 36 digital, 145 kW, Oxford Media Group WCIU-TV 27 digital, 15.1 kW, Weigel Broadcasting WXFT-TV 59 temporary digital, 200 kW, Univision Communications WXFT-TV 50 permanent digital, 230 kW, Univision Communications WTTW TV 11 digital, 60.3 kW, Window To the World Communications WBBM-TV 12 digital, 8 kW, CBS Television Stations WFLD TV 31 digital backup, 475 kW, Fox Television Stations WPWR-TV 51 digital backup, 508 kW, Fox Television Stations WGN-TV 19 digital backup, 310/229 kW, Tribune Broadcasting WTTW TV 47 digital backup, 150 kW, Window To the World Communications WLS-TV 52 digital backup, 220 kW, ABC Owned Television Stations unknown: WESV-LD 40 digital, 37.2 kW, Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana WPWR-TV 51 digital, 1000 kW, Fox Television Stations WLS-TV 52 temporary digital, 153.6 kW, ABC Owned Television Stations WMAQ-TV 29 digital, 350 kW, NBC Owned Television Stations WMAQ-TV 5 digital, 20 kW WPWR-TV 50 digital, 5000 kW WXFT-TV 60 digital, 5000 kW WFLD TV 31 digital, 690/1000 kW, Fox Television Stations WCIU-TV 26 digital, 5000 kW WCIU-TV 27 digital, 590 kW, Weigel Broadcasting WSNS-TV 44 digital, 5000 kW WSNS-TV 45 digital 467/665 kW, NBC Owned Television Stations WTTW TV 47 digital, 300 kW, Window To the World Communications WJYS TV 36 digital, 50 kW, Oxford Media Group WGN-TV 19 digital, 645 kW, Tribune Broadcasting WWME-CD 39 digital, 4.4 kW, Weigel Broadcasting WEDE-CD 34 digital, 50 kW, First United WMEU-CA 48 analog STA, 150 kW, Weigel Broadcasting WMEU-LD 32 digital, 15 kW


URL reference to transmitter tower/antenna: [Web Link]

Opening hours visitors platform:
October-February: 10 am - 8 pm March-September: 9 am - 10 pm


Backup transmitter tower/antenna: yes

Legacy transmitter tower/antenna: yes

URL Webcam: Not listed

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