RADIO HISTORY COMES DOWN

Photo by Jon Mayhew/TCS
A giant crane prepares to lift the 205-foot WLON radio tower from it's base Monday morning.

By Jon Mayhew

LINCOLNTON -- Fans of the Hometown Radio Network got a surprise Monday morning when they turned on their radio dial.

They were treated to silence.

The reason for the silence was in the backyard of the five-station HRN Broadcasting facility on Startown Road: a new, studier tower.

General Manager Lanny Ford said Monday morning the tower, which sends out signals for two Shelby stations; one Gastonia station; a Cherryville station and WLON in Lincolnton, needed to be replaced because it was becoming a hazard.

"As best I can tell, the tower coming down was the original tower when the station signed on the air," said Ford.

A new black and orange tower will be installed by Monday night; stations WGNC-AM (1450); WCSL-AM (1590); WOHS-AM (730); and WADA-AM (1390) should be back on the air sometime Tuesday according to Ford.

WLON-AM (1050) may return to the air as early as Wednesday.

As a crane moved the tower Monday morning, the top part of the tower folded over. Ford said the tower was designed to fall in a folding motion in case the tower ever collapsed.

The old tower will be cut up and hauled away after the new tower is in place.

It's the first of several technical upgrades the station will be going through in the months to come.

According to Ford, the next step will be to clean up the back of the property on Startown Road and move the transmitter out to a new transmitter building, closer to the tower.

WLON Radio is part of the Hometown Radio Network, which are a total of six stations broadcasting in Lincoln, Cleveland and Gaston Counties. The sixth station is licensed to the Black Mountain/Asheville area.

They are all owned by Lincolnton businessman Mark Boyd, who is also the owner of Times Oil Company of Lincolnton.

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