From The General Manager:

May 2, 2008

News Release

It’s now easier to listen to WGTD 91.1 FM in the western halves of Racine and Kenosha counties and in some previously ‘weak’ pockets in the eastern parts as the result of a five year-long signal expansion project.  

WGTD—the NPR and Wisconsin Public Radio affiliate owned and operated by Gateway Technical College—began broadcasting this week from a new antenna mounted on a taller tower. The tower,  and WGTD’s studios, are both located on the Kenosha campus of Gateway Technical College. 

“WGTD had a much wider coverage area when the station went on the air in the mid-70’s,”station General Manager David Cole explained. “But as time passed equipment aged to the point where the signal started to break up around Highway 45 as it runs through both counties,” he said.  

The new state-of-the-art panel antenna replaced original, deteriorating equipment and is designed to maximize signal strength as allowed by the Federal Communications Commission. FCC rules, among other things, require WGTD to limit its penetration to the northwest in order protect a nearby station on the dial. That station happens to be WGTD’s ‘sister’ station, WHAD 90.7 in Delafield.  Both stations carry programming from Wisconsin Public Radio.  

The new antenna is mounted on a tower built two years ago by cellular service provider Cingular—now AT&T—and signed over at no cost to WGTD and Gateway Technical College. The deal included a lease-free arrangement that allowed the company to install its equipment on the tower to better serve its customers on Kenosha’s north side. 

At 300’, the new tower, located just north of the Madrigrano Conference Center, is about 60’ higher than the original tower located immediately south of the building. 

With the new antenna and taller tower, WGTD ‘s signal in Kenosha County now pushes the Walworth County line and can be heard in the Burlington and is stronger in the Kansasville and Union Grove areas, according to Cole. The signal also appears to be better to the north, benefiting Wind Point, Oak Creek and South Milwaukee. 

Still, indoor listening in some of the fringe areas would benefit from a good external antenna hooked up to your stereo, Cole said. 

Building a tower and installing a new antenna required the cooperation and coordination with several governmental entities, including the City of Kenosha, the Federal Aviation Administration, the FCC and the Wisconsin Technical College Board. Several hurdles delayed the project. For instance, it turned out that existing city ordinances weren’t conducive to the project so the initiative was put on the backburner for almost a year as city officials worked to revise its telecommunications dealing with the placement of towers and electronic gear. Another delay occurred when business pressures forced Cingular to delay the project for several months. 

Even though the 91.1 coverage area is greatly expanded, work continues to fine-tune a pair of low-power translation stations that are bringing WGTD to Walworth County for the first time. The Lake Geneva transmitter broadcasts at 103.3 while the station in Elkhorn is on the air at 101.7. The operation of both stations will require some fine-tuning, Cole said.  

In addition, a few loose ends still need to be taken care of in Kenosha. For instance, the old, 240’ tower will soon be dismantled and hauled away.  

More information about the station and its programming is available online at www.wgtc.org or by dialing Cole at 262-564-3030.

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