L.A. broadcast transmitters at risk of damage from Eaton fire

One of the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area could pose a risk to many of the broadcast antennas serving the city.

L.A.’s ABC station experiencing transmitter issues due to fire

In Los Angeles, KNBC (NBC), KABC (ABC), KCBS (CBS), KCAL (Independent owned by CBS), KTTV (Fox), KTLA (The CW), KOCE (PBS) and KMEX (Univision) all have their primary transmitters installed atop Mt. Wilson, which is located north of downtown.

KABC began reporting issues with its tower Jan. 10, 2025.

The mountainous area is also the site of towers for numerous radio stations as well as communications equipment for a wide variety of uses.

Other local TV and radio stations have transmitters in other locations, including many within a relatively short distance of the core collection of towers.

As of the evening of Jan. 9, 2025, the Eaton fire was approaching the area where the transmission antennas and equipment are located. Many of these sites are located in a patch of land ringed by Mt. Wilson Circle Road. 

Quite appropriately, a cluster of these facilities are located on streets with names such as Video Road, Audio Road and Weathervane Drive. 

If the wildfires get too close to the antennas, it is likely they would go offline because they would be unable to operate safely. It’s also possible the fires could spread directly through the area, which could cause significant damage to the facilities.

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The transmitters also require electricity to operate, so disruption to the power infrastructure in the area could also affect the operation of these towers. The facilities likely have backup generators available, but it’s possible operating them would not feasible if flames get too close to them. 

In the event of issues at any or many of these towers, it’s very possible the stations would be knocked off the air in the literal sense only — meaning their over-the-air signals would be down. The feeds used by cable, satellite and streaming services are unlikely to be affected and any issues that arise with those would likely be short-lived. In the event of a serious issue, most TV stations have contingency plans in place that allow another TV station in a remote location to take over operations temporarily. 

Most of the stations with news operations are already offering wall-to-wall coverage of the fires, which can play a key role in helping keep residents safe.

Back in 2018, several stations suffered damage to their transmission equipment due to a separate set of wildfires.

Image courtesy Google Maps.