Mystery Tower Quiz #5

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Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby jon » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:08 pm

Last week's teaser (for this week's quiz) said:
"Next week's Mystery Tower Quiz is in an Urban setting, as will be clearly apparent from the pictures. What is less clear, at least to me, is whether it is actually still used for a television station transmitter site. I'm pretty sure that it is, but, having seen it from time to time over the last 42 years, I keep thinking it used to be taller. I haven't grown any taller since then, so it should be a problem with my perspective. Anyway, until 2005, the tower was also used to carry an FM station. Between 1947 and 1959, the site, and possibly the same tower, was used as an AM transmitter site. Today, a building on the same site is used as the studios for one TV station, two FMs and an AM. And they are not even co-owned!"

Well, I got off my duff and phoned the Engineering Department. The TV station's transmitter moved away from this site "quite a few years ago", moving about as far away as possible, while still serving the same coverage area. But the towers were not shortened until the FM left in 2005.

The pictures were taken a week ago. Name That Tower:

Image

Image
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby Howaboutthat » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:15 pm

jon wrote: Name That Tower:


TERRY !! (Terry the Tower)
Houston, We're dealing with morons!.
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby jon » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:21 pm

Yeah, I thought about that possibility before I pushed the Submit button. "Nah, nobody'd be that...."

Unfortunately, I didn't ask Engineering whether they had named the tower. In fact, the gentleman who answered the phone clearly was very uncomfortable about giving me even an approximate location of the current TV tower. Must have thought I was either planning to bomb it. Or steal the metal to support a drug habit.

Interesting assumption: that bombers and metal thieves can't just Google the CRTC site to find the exact location. Last time I checked, CRTC approvals on tower moves still include the exact tower location.

By the way, I'm sure Terry Reid would be pleased to know that you thought a tower had been named after him, for all his years of service at QM-FM.
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby Steve Sanderson » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:33 pm

After searching on Google Earth....
I'm going to say it looks like.........CFRN-TV (CTV Edmonton)
Located at 18520 Stony Plain Road, Edmonton.
8-)
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby Howaboutthat » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:35 pm

jon wrote:Yeah, I thought about that possibility before I pushed the Submit button. "Nah, nobody'd be that...."


Ha ha! You really didn't think anyone would...? C'mon Jon, you have the world's largest collection of smart alecs here! Thanks for the soft lob! :mrgreen:
Houston, We're dealing with morons!.
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby Dan Sys » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:44 pm

CTV's CFRN-TV and Astral's CFRN-1260, CFBR-100.3, & CFMG-104.9 all use that same address on Stony Plain road.
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby jon » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:46 pm

Ding! Ding! Ding!

We have a winner: sandclan.

{what follows was written before Dan's post above}

Yes, the site and tower was most recently used as a transmitter for CFBR-FM, once known as CFRN-FM. But is best known for its days as CFRN-TV's transmitter. CFRN-AM used the site, and likely the same tower, beginning when the site was initially purchased and built in 1947. I had assumed that the radio studios moved out there at that time, but, No, when I joined the Edmonton Broadcasters Club two years ago, I found pictures of the CFRN-AM studios downtown, in the old CPR Building, which were in use at least through the 1950s.

By the time I visited in 1967, the site shown was home to CFRN AM, FM & TV, in what looked like a log cabin. Although the totem pole is still there, a modern building has replaced it, which houses studios for CFRN-TV, a large studio rented out to local producers of TV ads, CFRN-AM, CFBR-FM and CFMG-FM. The three radio stations are owned by Astral. CFRN-TV is owned by CTV.

CFRN-TV has had its studios on this site since signing on in 1954, as Northern Alberta's first TV station. They initially aired CBC programming by kinescope. A live network link by Microwave came later.
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby Steve Sanderson » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:50 pm

Damn!!!...I'm good!!
:D
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby Dan Sys » Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:06 pm

Congrats Sandclan. I think Jon should do the traditional thing and reward you with lunch and a coffee. Perhaps something with an Edmonton flavour, like perogees and kielbasa sausage.
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby radiofan » Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:30 pm

Dan Sys wrote:Congrats Sandclan. I think Jon should do the traditional thing and reward you with lunch and a coffee. Perhaps something with an Edmonton flavour, like perogees and kielbasa sausage.


That sounds somewhat more appetizing than a Williams Lake breakfast .. :blackeye:
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby Dan Sys » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:13 pm

I did some research hoping to find out exactly what the difference is between a Williams Lake breakfast and a Prince George breakfast. I found my answer on the Caribooster Connaisseur Magazine website. Both meals consist of a half can of warm beer (from the night before) with a cigarette butt floating in it. However the Prince George breakfast features a can of Molson Canadian with a Players Light butt, while the less costly Williams Lake breakfast features a can of Old Style and an Export A plain butt.
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby jon » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:25 pm

Sandclan: be sure to arrive in Edmonton between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on a Tuesday or Thursday morning to collect your prize. And I'll buy you an all-you-eat breakfast buffet at the River Cree resort. In the Off Track Betting bar, it is $1.99 per person.

Nice buffet, in fact. Talk to Radiofan for his personal critique.
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby Steve Sanderson » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:52 pm

jon wrote:Sandclan: be sure to arrive in Edmonton between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on a Tuesday or Thursday morning to collect your prize. And I'll buy you an all-you-eat breakfast buffet at the River Cree resort. In the Off Track Betting bar, it is $1.99 per person.

Nice buffet, in fact. Talk to Radiofan for his personal critique.


HA!HA! ...I might take you up on that later this summer.
My wife and I are taking the G35 coupe on a road trip to West Edmonton Mall. ( I've never been to it. )
8-)
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby another dog » Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:45 pm

First off, congrats SC. And on the Mall thing, ask anyone, including me. I've been there 3 times and still haven't seen it all.

Soooooooooooooooo, one thing, don't forget to pack the roller skates. :cheers: :cheers:
CKDJ RADIO P.D. ( 1967 ) for Metropolitan Burnaby
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Re: Mystery Tower Quiz #5

Postby Russ_Byth » Sat Feb 28, 2009 7:16 am

Dan Sys wrote:I did some research hoping to find out exactly what the difference is between a Williams Lake breakfast and a Prince George breakfast. I found my answer on the Caribooster Connaisseur Magazine website. Both meals consist of a half can of warm beer (from the night before) with a cigarette butt floating in it. However the Prince George breakfast features a can of Molson Canadian with a Players Light butt, while the less costly Williams Lake breakfast features a can of Old Style and an Export A plain butt.


Damn! I KNEW I was doing something wrong when I lived in Willie's Puddle! I always had a Blue! :drunken:
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