| KVLY-TV mast | |
|---|---|
 KVLY-TV mast in 2018 | |
  Location within North Dakota Show map of North Dakota KVLY-TV mast (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| General information | |
| Type | TV transmission tower (effective radiated power = 316kW) |
| Location | Blanchard,Traill County,North Dakota,U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47°20′32″N97°17′21″W / 47.34222°N 97.28917°W /47.34222; -97.28917 |
| Completed | 13 August 1963 |
| Owner | Gray Media |
| Height | 1,987 feet (605.6 m)[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Hamilton Directors |
| Main contractor | Kline Iron and Steel |
TheKVLY-TV mast (formerly theKTHI-TV mast) is atelevision-transmittingmast inBlanchard, North Dakota. It is used byFargo stationKVLY-TV (channel 11) andKXJB-LD'sArgusville/Valley City/MayvilletranslatorK28MA-D (channel 28), along withKNGF (channel 27). Completed in 1963, it was once thetallest structure in the world, and stood at 2,063 feet (628.8 meters) until 2019, when the top mount VHF antenna was removed for theFCC spectrum repack, dropping the height to 1,987 feet (605.6 m).[1]
In 1974, the KVLY-TV mast was succeeded by theWarsaw radio mast as the world's tallest structure. The Warsaw mast collapsed in 1991, again making the KVLY-TV mast the tallest structure in the world until theBurj Khalifa surpassed it in 2008. The KVLY-TV mast remained the tallest structure in theWestern Hemisphere and thetallest broadcasting mast in the world until the removal of its antenna in 2019.
The mast is located 3 miles (4.8 km) west ofBlanchard, North Dakota, halfway between Fargo andGrand Forks. It became the tallest artificial structure, and the first man-made structure to exceed 2,000 feet (610 m) in height, upon the completion of its construction on August 13, 1963.
The tower was built by Hamilton Erection Company ofYork, South Carolina, andKline Iron and Steel, and required thirty days to complete, at a cost of approximately $500,000[2] (roughly $5.14 million today[3]). Construction was completed August 13, 1963.[4]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "KVLY-TV mast" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Owned byGray Media ofAtlanta, Georgia, the tower broadcasts at 350kW on channel 36 for television stationKVLY-TV (channel 11 PSIP, anNBC/CBS affiliate) which is based inFargo, North Dakota. The tower provides a broadcast area of roughly 9,700 square miles (25,000 km2), which is a radius of about 55.0 miles (88.5 km).CBS/CW+ affiliateKXJB-LD'stranslator K28MA-D also broadcasts on this tower at 15kW on UHF channel 28 (also its virtual channel).
When the mast was built, the call letters of the television station for which it was built were changed to KTHI for "Tower High".[5] The top is reachable by a two-person service elevator (built by Park Manufacturing ofCharlotte, North Carolina) or ladder.
The tower consists of two parts: alattice tower of 1,950 feet (590 m);[6] topped by thetransmittingantenna array of 53 feet (16 m). The total height of both is 1,987 feet (606 m). The antenna weighs 9,000 pounds (4.1 t), the lattice tower weighs 855,500 pounds (388.0 t), giving a total weight of 864,500 pounds (392.1 t). It takes up 160 acres (65 ha) of land with itsguy anchors.[7][8] Its height above mean sea level is 2,962 feet (903 m).
Some time after its completion, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) andFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a policy that states, "Although there is no absolute height limit for antenna towers, both agencies have established arebuttable presumption against structures over 2,000 feet above ground level." The FCC and FAA may approve a taller structure in "exceptional cases."[9]
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | World's tallest structure 2,063 ft (628.8 m) 1963–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | 1991–2008 | Succeeded by |