KWVH’s emergency broadcast tower goes up

After years in the making, and with the blessing of city and governing officials, the KWVH Emergency Broadcast Tower, a 50-foot structure, is breaking ground this week.

The Tower is under construction at The Lumberyard, near the station’s “fishbowl” studio. It will give Wimberley Valley Radio its best chance for continuous operation during power and internet outages. The infrastructure is intended to deliver emergency alerts to the residents of the Wimberley Valley, including live updates directly from the U. S. President. KWVH will utilize the tower around the clock to transmit its FM program via a private signal to their 100watt low-power FM transmitter located two miles away. The tower is part of a security and infrastructure upgrade project which is expected to be completed by July 10th.

Brach Thomas, KWVH Operations Director, and Matt Mendoza, KWVH Board Member chairing the Technology and Security/ Facilities Management Workgroup, are key contributors to the initiative. Spry Air Fiber is constructing the tower and landlord Buck Buccus has been a cooperative party throughout the process. Jim Donaldson, also a member of the KWVH board, worked extensively to negotiate agreeable construction methods and terms for both parties.