Much of the tower painting was completed Saturday, but it may be a week or more before the project is finished.
Chadrad Communications co-owner Dennis Brown says the weather forecast for Sunday and the coming week indicate rain and higher than recommended winds will likely keep the painting crew off the tower.
If that happens, completing the work will be rescheduled for better weather. If the wind and rain hold off Sunday morning, the work will go on as planned and KCSR will go off the air until it’s completed – although the music and programs will still be available online.
Broadcast towers need to be periodically repainted to prevent rust and corrosion, and transmitters need to turned off during painting as a safety precaution
ORIGINAL STORY
KCSR-AM will be off the air much of today because the broadcast tower on the west side of Chadron is being repainted and for the safety of the paint crew the transmitter must be turned off..
Just as many structures such as the Golden Gate Bridge must be painted regularly to prevent rust and corrosion, so do broadcast towers.
One big difference is that while painting the Golden Gate is essentially a non-stop project, radio towers need repainting only every few decades.
Although the over-the-air signal will be gone during the painting, KCSR’s regular programming will continue online here on our website except during the Colorado Rockies broadcast.
Major League Baseball’s rights agreement don’t allow local broadcast affiliates to offer games online as well; those rights are covered by an entirely separate agreement.
We hope the painting will be completed today; if so, KCSR will go back to broadcasting as normal.
If the project carries over to tomorrow, the transmitter will be turned on when work ends for the day and be turned off again in the morning until the painting is finished.