Rising high above the Ocean County landscape, in today's 50 Memories in 50 Days, WOBM Chief Engineer Tom Trembly looks back at our landmark Bayville tower:

Equipment Then & Now: WOBM Tower

In 1968, WOBM signed on from Bayville with a 320 ft. tower located literally feet from the studio.  The tower was painted with an orange and white “candy stripe” design.

WOBM Archives
The WOBM tower in 1968 (WOBM Archives)
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Like most towers, it was constructed from 20 ft. prefab sections, each hoisted and stacked together with the aid of a “gin pole” placed at the tower top.

That tower served us well until 1988, when it was replaced with a brand new 500 ft. tower, constructed in part with the aid of a helicopter.  This tower uses strobe lights that operate 24 hours a day, so it does not require orange and white paint.  (The strobe lights automatically switch between a “bright mode” for daytime and a dimmer mode for nighttime.)

1975 Aerial Photo (Courtesy of Steve Paul)
1975 Aerial Photo (Courtesy of Steve Paul)
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In 2016, Crown Castle – the current owner of the WOBM tower – assembled a “tower wrap” around the 1988 tower.  Instead of prefab sections, it was bolted around the existing tower piece by piece like a gigantic erector set.  Combined with additional guy wires, this reinforces the structure to keep it standing even in the strongest of hurricanes.

Here is a photo of the WOBM tower and antenna during the 2016 project.  How would you like a job climbing up there???

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The WOBM tower in 2016 - WOBM Archives
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