More on my morning commute
I work on the ninth floor of The Oklahoman building on the corner of the Broadway Extension and Britton Road. Most mornings I travel to work on I-235 to the Broadway Extension and exit at Britton Road.
The view that greets me every morning, except when the fog is particularly bad, is the twinkling lights from the antenna farm.
Most Oklahoma Cityans are familiar with the radio and television towers located both north and south of Britton Road and mostly east of the Broadway Extension. Looking east from my ninth floor breakroom, I can count at least 17 large towers and there are numerous smaller communication towers.
Some of the radio towers that make up the antenna farm. - Oklahoman Staff Photo by Jim Beckel
The first tower to arrive east of Britton was WKY’s 915 foot tower, then the tallest in the world. WKY was relocating from their station at NW 39 Street due to the expansion of air traffic. This was announced in 1941, but due to World War II, it was in the April 2, 1944 Daily Oklahoman that featured a photograph with the announcement of the completion of the tower. On December 21, 1944, the radio station switched it operations to its new studio/transmitter building on Britton Road. That building, now nearly 65 years old, is still standing between the KOMAradio station building and the KFOR-TV studios.
Best of all for me, is seeing the red-sparklng towers rise above the horizon each morning. One of my landmarks and touchstones is still there.
Mary Phillips
mphillips@opubco.com
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Pretty sad that we can get a rush of nostalgia from a field of transmission towers. I pine for the good ol’ days of concrete and rebar. Oh yeah, they’re still with us.