The return of WERV-FM, known as 95.9 The River, matters to radio programmers and rights holders across the Chicago suburbs because it restores a critical broadcast signal for classic alternative music following a catastrophic infrastructure failure. Severe storms collapsed the station’s 353-foot broadcast tower owned by Vertical Bridge, leaving the Connoisseur Media-owned station off the air for nearly three days before a swift recovery brought programming back to listeners.
Catastrophic Tower Failure Halts Broadcast Signal
Severe weather caused the 353-foot tower to collapse on the night of Thursday, July 2, making WERV-FM the only broadcaster affected in the immediate area. The station, licensed to Aurora, Illinois, and serving the western suburbs of Chicago, lost its primary transmission capability entirely. Programming continued online via digital streams while engineers worked to install a replacement tower. The collapse occurred just before a holiday weekend, complicating logistics for equipment transport and deployment. Connoisseur Media Regional Director of Engineering Geary Morrill confirmed that the station remained silent on the airwaves until the temporary solution was operational.
Swift Recovery Using Portable Crank-Up Tower
The station returned to the air on Sunday, July 5, utilizing a portable 100-foot crank-up tower and a 1,000-watt Nautel VS1 transmitter. The recovery effort involved a rapid trip by engineer Colin Darshewski to NRG Media sites in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Ottawa, Illinois, to secure a single-bay Bext antenna and transmission line. Tower Works transported a portable tower from wireless internet provider Blast Communications to the studio site, allowing the station to resume broadcasting less than 48 hours after the initial decision to deploy the temporary system. WERV-FM is currently operating at reduced power under special temporary authority while Connoisseur Media explores options to improve the temporary facility and discusses long-term antenna redeployment plans with Vertical Bridge.
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