KCBS Transmitter

Of course, no look at the AM plant would be complete without seeing the original KCBS transmitter. It was a GE BT25A. Here it is in all its glory. It was over 28 feet long. Modulator and final tubes were 895Rs. These tubes were even larger than the ones in the MW50, probably twice the height and weight, big, big tubes.You also get a good look at the control console in front of the transmitter. At the time this picture was taken, this was the only transmitter that KCBS had. If the BT25A had a problem we were off the air until it could be fixed. That's why the transmitter was manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We still have the old maintenance logs from the time KCBS went on the air and after reading them you get a good idea why we had engineers there all the time (aside from FCC regs). The old GE could be a temperamental beast when it wanted to be.

Updated 01/20/08