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Post by ATLinsider on Jun 1, 2006 13:58:02 GMT -3
DOERUN, Ga. -- A military helicopter has crashed after clipping a guy wire of WFXL's 1,000-foot tall TV tower near Doerun in Colquitt County. Colquitt County Sheriff Al Whittington confirms to WALB that four people are dead, and there is one survivor at the scene. Colquitt Sheriff's Department dispatcher Becky Perry says a call came in just after 8:00 that a U. S. Army helicopter had crashed. The crash occurred in the northwest corner of the county. WFXL's over-the-air broadcast is terminated, but they are seen through cable TV. The tower is still standing. The entire story: www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4974569 |
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Post by extvtog on Jun 1, 2006 15:06:33 GMT -3
WALB is reporting that WTXL 27's crew out of Tallahassee was arrested! Too funny.
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Post by ATLinsider on Jun 1, 2006 18:15:23 GMT -3
Both WSB & WAGA sent reporters to cover the story.   |
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Post by extvtog on Jun 1, 2006 18:47:42 GMT -3
I used to work for WFXL. It was my second tv station. My first was WALB.
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Post by extvtog on Jun 1, 2006 19:16:04 GMT -3
I do remember going out to the transmitter site. It is in the middle of nowhere. I feel for the families of the lost.
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Post by gartv on Jun 2, 2006 2:14:17 GMT -3
My thoughts go out to the crew lost and their families in this terrible accident.
I hate to say that this confirms my questions as to where the Albany TV station transmitters were. I often drive past the area as I work all over the lower half of the state.
In fact, I was in Albany on Tuesday and took photos of the WFXL studio site that I had planned to post here.
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Post by ATLinsider on Jun 7, 2006 22:19:41 GMT -3
Demolition attempt brings down both TV towers Doerun -- For nearly 40 years, the 1,000 foot tall steel tower that enabled WALB's signal to cover Southwest Georgia stood against the agricultural countryside of Colquitt County. At 6:32 Wednesday evening, it became the final victim of a military helicopter crash that happened six days earlier. What started as a text-book perfect example of the demolition of WFXL's wounded tower only took a couple of seconds to end in disaster for both of the steel giants. The WFXL tower fell way from the WALB tower according to plan for a moment, but the guy wires that everyone knew were the Achilles heel of the project proved to be the fatal aspect of the experiment. The guy wires, which were intermingled with those that kept the WALB tower erect since 1967, flailed their way through the maze of steel cables, disrupting them to the point that the WALB tower lost its support, and collapsed mere seconds after the tower that was intentionally destroyed. Now both sticks lie in a twisted heap on the transmitter site property owned by Raycom Media. Both WALB and WFXL are still seen over the air via temporary low-power transmitters installed at the WALB studio in Albany. walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5002278
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Post by gartv on Jun 8, 2006 0:11:07 GMT -3
I was listening to the live broadcast when it happened. WALB simulcasts the audio of its 6pm news on B-100 (100.3) and I was driving on I-75 around Cordele and listening to the news.
WALB began live coverage of the demolition around 6:20 and explained in detail how the demolition of the WFXL tower was supposed to happen. AND they did explain the risk of damage to the WALB tower.
And as we know, it was the "risk" that came true.
During the "warm up" to the live demolition WALB mentioned the names of the personnel who died in the original accident. Their memorials were held yesterday.
The radio simulcast ended around 6:35 and returned to music.
I can't help but wonder why they built the towers so close to each other.
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