KPRC Turns 85

[brucesw]

Charlie Pena is doing a great job with the web site. Check out the history and gallery.

For those who've contributed to threads here on Tim and Bob and other topics, they'll be taking comments and memories from listeners and former employees to add to the site.

[cowboybud]

Charlie Pena is doing a great job with the web site. Check out the history and gallery.

For those who've contributed to threads here on Tim and Bob and other topics, they'll be taking comments and memories from listeners and former employees to add to the site.

Anyone know exactly where in Sugar Land the transmitter building was?

[brucesw]

Anyone know exactly where in Sugar Land the transmitter building was?

According to the special section in the Post-Dispatch about the move, the facility was 7/8s mile from Sugar Land Industries, Inc., which I take to be a reference to Imperial Sugar, and within sight of the SP and SF trains passing through town. I never found a better description of the location so whether it was to the east or west of IS or north or south of the rails I don't know.

KPRC was one of the most powerful stations in the Southern US at 2500 watts and was known from coast-to-coast in an era when there were a lot fewer signals cluttering the dial and some localities still observed 'silent night' once a week when local stations would stay off the air so listeners could pull in signals from far away.

The site was specifically selected so that passengers on the trains could look out the window and see the station they had listened to back home. The big sign on top of the building was lighted and a timer ensured that the lights would be on by dusk so passengers on night trains would be able to see it, too.

[readam]

According to the special section in the Post-Dispatch about the move, the facility was 7/8s mile from Sugar Land Industries, Inc., which I take to be a reference to Imperial Sugar, and within sight of the SP and SF trains passing through town. I never found a better description of the location so whether it was to the east or west of IS or north or south of the rails I don't know.

KPRC was one of the most powerful stations in the Southern US at 2500 watts and was known from coast-to-coast in an era when there were a lot fewer signals cluttering the dial and some localities still observed 'silent night' once a week when local stations would stay off the air so listeners could pull in signals from far away.

The site was specifically selected so that passengers on the trains could look out the window and see the station they had listened to back home. The big sign on top of the building was lighted and a timer ensured that the lights would be on by dusk so passengers on night trains would be able to see it, too.

The location was near the present intersection of HWY 90 and Eldridge Rd. just north of the RR tracksThe concrete pylons for the tower were removed a few years ago to make way for a professional building now somewhat complete on the old site. I only know this because my Dad pointed it our to me many years ago when we used Eldridge as a way to get to HWY 90 on our way to Richmond/Rosenberg.