Friday, March 25, 2011

WAXX Races Return to 104.5 FM After Tower Collapse

The collapse of WEAU-TV's broadcast tower near Fairchild Tuesday night also left top-rated WAXX-FM (104.5) exiled from its home on the dial, according to a story by Jon Swedien, Eau Claire Leader-Telegram.

But Maverick Media, which owns the country music radio station, is working "at a breakneck speed" to return WAXX to 104.5 FM, said George Roberts, vice president and market manager.

In the Eau Claire area, Roberts said, the station could return to its normal frequency by Tuesday, if weather permits.

"I'm literally having a transmitter trucked here from Nova Scotia," Roberts said Thursday, noting the company is planning to attach it to a tower behind its office in Altoona.

The station also is working to secure several leases for other broadcast towers in the region in an effort to duplicate the reach of the fallen 1,998-foot broadcast tower in eastern Eau Claire County, Roberts said.

Before the crash the station's signal reached as far north as Rice Lake, as far west as Hudson, as far east as Marshfield and as far south as Portage, according to a company statement.

In the meantime, the company is broadcasting WAXX from sister station 92.9 FM, which reaches listeners in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties. Roberts said Maverick Media had moved WAXX to 92.9 by early Wednesday - temporarily ousting the classic rock format known as "The Big Cheese" from the airwaves - because of WAXX's popularity.

Read more here.

Also Must Read:

NORTHEAST RADIO WATCH: WEAU-TV Transmitter Site, Eau Claire, WI, 1966-2011

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