In an unanimous vote, the Jefferson County, Colorado Board of Commissioners has approved a proposal by a Denver-area TV station consortium to build a 730-foot broadcast tower on Lookout Mountain. The situation has delayed the state’s DTV transition and caused broadcasters there much frustration.
A plan to replace three major towers on Denver's Lookout Mountain with one tower is still causing controversy in the area.
The approval, still subject to auxiliary agreements on issues such as removal of existing towers, came last week after years of controversy, failed attempts and lengthy hearings. The tower will support the combined digital broadcast signals of Denver’s KCNC-TV (Ch.4), KMGH-TV (Ch. 7), KUSA-TV (Ch. 9) and KTVD-TV (Ch. 20).
The super tower — supporting a total of four digital and four analog TV stations — remains controversial, raising health issues for residents of the mountain area north of Interstate 70 where it is set to be built. The public is concerned about health effects from the tower's radiation, the possibility of tower failure and electronic interference for homes and high-tech enterprises.
Canyon Area Residents for the Environment (CARE), a local homeowner group, opposed a plan by Lake Cedar Group—builder of the tower—to replace three major towers on Lookout Mountain with one.
Tower construction could begin next spring after the tower is licensed by the FCC and receives a certificate of occupancy from the county. Construction could take up to a year. Broadcasters predicts that CARE will file a legal challenge to the plan.
For more information read The Denver, Colo., situation.
