The three-tower site in Downers Grove, Ill., formerly used by Chicago’s 1000 WMVP(AM), “ESPN 1000,” was dismantled Monday.
[Also see: “WMVP(AM) Engineer Explains Its Transmitter Move to Joliet”]
Drone footage captured by reader Lucas Pacheco in the late morning shows the dramatic takedown. This was a capture of the last tower falling.
He said that after the first of the three towers fell, nearby residents began gathering to watch.
This next video shows the collapse of the tallest of the three towers, standing at 489 feet. It was located in the center of the array, and Pacheco believes its guy wires may have become intertwined with those of the smaller towers.
Scott Clifton, the senior director of engineering at WMVP owner Good Karma Broadcasting, sent us this clip of the center tower collapsing.
Good Karma received approval last March to move transmission operations from Downers Grove to Joliet, where it now shares a site with WCPT(AM) 820’s nighttime operations.
[Related: “Good Karma Can Move and Diplex WMVP(AM)”]
The 50 kW WMVP began broadcasting from Joliet under a special temporary authorization granted in September. Its license to broadcast from Joliet was granted on May 30, clearing the way for the Downers Grove’ demolition.
This clip Pacheco captured shows the first tower collapsing, as seen from the ground.
The Downers Grove site has deep roots, dating back to 1928 and the early days of WCFL. As Scott Fybush recounts, the station had outgrown its original Navy Pier transmitter and relocated to the DuPage County site in 1932, which encompasses 19.2 acres.
A major renovation took place in 2006, when three new guyed towers were erected: one 489-foot tower and two measuring 410 feet.
Now, the property is primed to become housing in the future, under M/I Homes.
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