The phrase “tower farm” took on a new meaning in southeast Michigan — as a tractor clipped a guy wire and brought down one of 560 WRDT(AM)’s four towers. The station broadcasts in the daytime hours with a directional 500 watts from a field in Monroe Charter Township, Mich., just southwest of the city of Monroe.
Crawford Broadcasting Director of Engineering Cris Alexander told us that on June 9, a farmer was planting soybeans in the field. Their vehicle snagged an outer guy wire of tower four, causing the 417-foot tower to collapse entirely.
The farmer has been haying the field for decades, which has saved WRDT the trouble of mowing it, Alexander said.
Thankfully, the tower did not fall on the farmer or their vehicle.
WRDT was temporarily taken off the air as a result. The station runs a Christian talk and teaching format as “The Word AM 560.” It is also heard on translator 107.1 W296DY(FM) in Detroit.
STA to operate from Detroit-metro nighttime site
However, because the station uses a separate nighttime one-tower site in Ferndale, Mich. — approximately 40 miles northeast of Monroe, just north of Detroit — Crawford filed and was granted a special temporary authority with the FCC to broadcast daytime from Ferndale at 125 watts non-directional. WRDT broadcasts with 14 watts at night from there.
Alexander said that from the 203-degree antenna on the 992-foot tower, WRDT is back on the air during the day. Even with the reduced power, the setup produces a good signal into the Motor City itself.
Cropping considerations
Going forward, Alexander recommends installing brightly painted, concrete-filled bollards around each guy anchor — and he suggests other stations that share fields with farmers consider doing the same.
He also recommends ensuring that any farmer working the site is fully briefed, uses spotters near guy anchors, and carries adequate insurance.
Insurance claims for the June 9 incident are being processed, and a new tower is expected to be constructed at the daytime site in the coming months.
