LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Educational Television Network's KETS, Channel 2, was back on the air for most viewers Friday after the collapse of an antenna tower about six months ago knocked out the station for some viewers, an AETN official said.
Tony Brooks, deputy director of AETN, said the repairs took longer than anticipated.
Engineers are still calculating the reach of the new transmitter, Brooks said Friday.
He said viewers in low-lying areas might still have trouble getting the signal, but residents of the Little Rock metropolitan area should be fine.
The Jan. 11 collapse of the 2,000-foot television tower owned by ABC-affiliate KATV, Channel 7, destroyed AETN's antenna and transmitter, forcing the network to find a site for an analog antenna.
After a long clearance process, AETN installed the antenna at KASN's tower near Redfield in rural Jefferson County, where its digital transmitter is located.
Most satellite and cable customers weren't affected by the collapse of the original tower, also near Redfield.
"It's difficult to say how many people are watching over the air, but several thousand households could potentially have been affected," Brooks said.
Installing the new antenna cost about $175,000, Brooks said.
The new antenna is temporary because of the nationwide shift from analog to digital broadcasting. Congress mandated that after Feb. 17, 2009, all full-power television stations will broadcast in digital only.
Brooks said installing the new antenna so close to the date of the digital transition was "maybe not economical, but it was the right thing to do.
"We wanted to get back on the air for those viewers as quickly as we could."
Installation of the antenna took longer than anticipated because an engineering study was needed to ensure the KASN tower would support another antenna, Brooks said.
AETN also needed to hire riggers, who are in high demand as many stations prepare to switch to digital, he said. The workers needed days with very low wind to work. The antenna was installed at about 1,000 feet, according to a network news release.
"We appreciate people being patient with us," Brooks said. "We heard from a lot of people who were anxious to get it back on the air."
Arkansas, Pages 13, 22 on 06/14/2008