Towers Topple in PA

Ice and severe wind wreaked some serious havoc in the Wilkes Barre-Scranton TV market yesterday morning. According to the local Times Tribune, WNEP’s 800-foot tower crashed into its equipment building and knocked out its analog signal. WVIA also saw its tower snapped in half. There was also transmission trouble at WBRE and WYOU. 

The Tribune says WNEP got a weakened digital signal up by 2 p.m. yesterday, while its solely analog customers–about 10% of the viewership–were without the ABC affiliate. 

The towers are located on Penobscot Mountain in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. 

As my tech colleage Glen Dickson mentioned, what’s a station to do about repairing a busted tower with the analog shutdown slated for a little over a year away?