Storm knocks down WNEP TV towers

The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reports heavy snow and ice buildup -- coupled with high winds -- caused WNEP-TV’s (ABC) 800-foot tower to collapse just before 7 a.m. Sunday, taking the station’s main broadcast signal off the air. Comcast Cable customers and Dish Network subscribers continued to receive the WNEP signal because they have fiber feeds. The rest of the area is relying on video streaming from the station’s website. The towers are among dozens located on Penobscott Mountain near Mountain Top, PA.

WNEP’s tower collapse was not immediately apparent because a power outage in the area knocked all local TV stations and several local radio stations off the air around that time. When power was restored to the mountain, most stations resumed broadcasting, but WNEP didn’t.

Other companies are receiving WNEP’s digital signal and down-converting it to analog, said the paper. WNEP is working to get a signal to several cable companies and DirecTV. For many cable systems this will mean replacing their analog receivers with digital ones.