WEAU-TV 13 NBC Eau Claire WI down

Huston · 30-Apr-2011, 3:09 AM

2000' tower came down in an ice storm. WEAU now broadcasting via 25.2 in Lacrosse (Fox 25/48) and 18.2 Eau Claire (WQOW).

violet18smith · 7-May-2011, 7:18 AM

Oh yeah, WEAU-TV returned to the air on cable about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, more than 12 hours after being knocked off the airwaves when its 2,000-foot transmission tower near Fairchild came down in a rain and ice storm.

Efforts will continue to restore high-definition transmission, which should resume Thursday, said Terry McHugh, WEAU vice president and general manager.

Huston · 7-May-2011, 2:25 PM

If you learn when (or if) WEAU will be back up on the actual channel 13 frequency (not just piggy-backing on the other frequencies in Eau Claire and LaCrosse), I'd love to know. I'm 70+ miles away in Stevens Point with an antenna specific to channel 13, 40 feet up, pointed at the old tower site. Cable service here is dreadful, and the locals option on Dish/DirecTV gives me only the Rhinelander NBC, a much less acceptable option (but one I'm tolerating on my north-pointing composite antenna for now)

WI_Jeff · 17-Jul-2011, 1:22 PM

The WEAU-TV website says the new tower will be up in November. It will be 2000' tall as was the one that went down. They will be switching to a UHF signal on channel 38.

As of today they are back broadcasting on channels 13-1 and 13-2. I Do not know what tower they are using at this time.

Huston · 19-Jul-2011, 2:04 AM

I happened to call them about something else last week and learned they planned to be back on 13.1 by the end of July '11, using the 1K' tower at their station, and back at 2K' by the end of November if all went well (it won't, if my experience with just a 440' tower at an FM station in MN is any indicator). I just tried to get them on my system (which got the pre-collapse 13.1 just fine) and it's not there. Then again, neither is 27.1 (which goes away on anything less than a perfectly sunny day). So I hope you're wrong (and fear you're right) about 13.1 now (7/18/11), 'cause I can't get it.

ADTech · 19-Jul-2011, 4:53 PM

Your channel 13 antenna will be obsolete as WEAU will not be returning to that frequency with their new tower once it is completed.

WEAU is temporarily broadcasting from WQOW's tower located at the intersection of Harlem and Kirk in Altoona. Their STA calls for 32 kW directional to the south-east from an 810' antenna.

The new tower is being rebuilt at the site of the old one.