Projects

KGOW-AM: Construction of a New 9 Tower AM Site

Independence Broadcast was approached by Gow Communications, LLC in the summer of 2008 to assist with the upgrade of KGOW-AM's nighttime service. In February 2009, after FCC approval was granted, we began construction of the new transmitter site located on an undeveloped 26-acre parcel of land in Katy, Texas. The FCC construction permit for the new transmitter site allowed the station to increase its nighttime power from 100 watts to 15,000 watts and to increase its nighttime population coverage of the Houston Arbitron metro from 14,000 people to over 1.2 million people.

The KGOW-AM project required Independence Broadcast to utilize a full range of services, including:

  • FCC Applications
  • FAA Applications
  • Site Evaluation
  • Site Construction
  • Zoning
  • Grading
  • Site Layout
  • Tower Erection (nine towers)
  • Ground System Installation
  • Phasor Installation and Tuning
  • Building Design and Wiring
  • Coordination of Utility Services
  • Method of Moments FCC Proof of Performance
  • FCC 302 Preparation and Filing

The Independence Broadcast team overcame numerous challenges in order to complete the KGOW-AM project, which included:

Timing: The KGOW-AM Construction Permit required the station to be on the air from its new site by July 19, 2009, giving Independence Broadcast only five months to complete construction. After completion of construction and installation of all broadcast equipment, Gow Communications filed the License to Cover and began broadcasting at night from its new site on July 13, 2009.

Complexity: The KGOW-AM upgrade involved the construction of nine 160-foot towers, installation of 27 guy anchorages, placement of a transmitter building and backup generator on 12 foot piers, and the placement of a complete copper ground system extending out 160 feet in all directions from each tower. In addition, the project also entailed complete clearing of the site, building roads to the site and each of the towers, coordinating the installation of power to the site, and installation of the transmission equipment, ATUs, phasors and feed lines.

Flooding: The tower site is located on a former rice patty at the perimeter of a Federally Protected Wetlands area. Midway through construction, the Houston area was struck by a significant rain storm that flooded the site with over three feet of water and delayed construction for approximately a month. The flood required Independence Broadcast to revise many of the original engineering plans in order to raise the towers, place the transmitter building on piers, and raise and reinforce the access roads to withstand future flooding.

Nighttime Spectrum Interference: Upon completion of the nighttime tower site, KGOW-AM began experiencing a significant amount of signal interference at night as a result of AM multipath (signal fading) in the urban areas of Houston. Independence Broadcast installed a Power Side unit to reduce the fading effect and improve the night signal, especially in the area west of downtown Houston.

In approximately five months, the Independence Broadcast team utilized all of its knowledge, expertise, and relationships to construct one of the most complex AM tower arrays in the United States. The construction project, excluding the impact of the flood, was completed on time and on budget.