Sheldon, Iowa — KIWA will be undergoing some tower maintenance, which is scheduled to begin this Thursday, July 15th.
This maintenance is primarily focused on the station’s tower, which will include a complete inspection by Kilowatt Specialists from South Dakota. Since KIWA’s tower is a guyed tower, each of the six concrete anchor points will be excavated and inspected, as will each of its support cables. The entire tower structure will also be inspected and any necessary repairs will be made.
Once the tower inspection is completed, the structure will be repainted. The current paint was applied in 2013 and needs to be refreshed. The tower will, once again be painted in alternating segments of Aviation Red and white. The segmented paint scheme is required by the Federal Aviation Administration and makes the tower easier for pilots to see, helping to avoid potential aircraft collisions.
KIWA’s tower stands 350-feet tall and has stood since being erected in 1982. It supports the antennas for KIWA’s three stations; AM-1550, FM-105.3 and FM 100.7.
Before the current tower was erected, KIWA broadcast from a shorter tower located on the same piece of property as the current tower, on ground that is owned by the radio station in far western Sheldon. The current taller tower was built to allow the stations’ radio signals to cover a larger area.
During our tower inspections and painting you will experience some interruptions in programming. However, KIWA-FM 105.3’s normal programming will be available, uninterrupted, via our online stream which can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.
