Three KCIM Towers Coming Down to Make Way for One New Tower

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Two guyed, steel towers out of a three-tower array for KCIM-AM in Carroll, IA were taken down on Tuesday. Owner Carroll Broadcasting Company (CBC) said on its website the towers were erected in 1949. A crew from Kilowatt Broadcast Specialists took down the structures in 20 seconds, according to the video posted by CBC.

The station owner said it’s making room for a new, “unidirectional tower and transmitter building” at the site. The new tower for the Class B station is expected to arrive next week. Once erected, the third tower will be taken down.

KCIM is licensed for 1 kW day/night using a directional antenna. The station is operating with reduced power under Special Temporary Authority from the FCC. In October, 2017, CBC asked the Audio Division for permission to transmit using its antenna system in non-directional mode after experiencing “multiple component failures” within the DA system. KCIM planned to use the center tower until the extent of the damage could be ascertained, repairs performed, and operation returned to authorized technical parameters.  

The FCC approved the STA, and limited daytime power to 300 watts. The agency said nighttime power may not exceed 0.25 kilowatts, according to an Inside Towers examination of the document.

In the meantime, Carroll broadcasting applied for an FM translator and plans to release details soon about what its new FM frequency will be. CBC plans to complete the tower work before the STA expires on April 16.

February 9, 2018   

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