Overview
The tower is located 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Blanchard, North Dakota, halfway between Fargo and Grand 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 of York, South Carolina and Kline Iron and Steel, and took thirty days to complete, at a cost of US$500,000.
Owned by Hoak Media of Dallas, Texas, the tower broadcasts at 356 kW for television station KVLY-TV (channel 11 PSIP, an NBC affiliate) which is based in Fargo. The tower provides a broadcast area of roughly 9,700 sq mi (25,000 km2) which is a radius of about 55.6 miles (89.5 km).
Its height above mean sea level is 3,038 ft (926 m). Some time after its completion, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed a policy that states, "Although there is no absolute height limit for antenna towers, both agencies have established a rebuttable presumption against structures over 2,000 feet above ground level." The FCC and FAA may approve a taller structure in "exceptional cases."
When the mast was built the call letters of the television station for which it was built were changed to KTHI, the "HI" referring to the height of the mast. The top is reachable by a two-person service elevator or ladder.
The height of the structure allows for a broader range of frequency transmission.
Read more about this topic: KVLY-TV Mast