Sharp's Ridge
Encyclopedia
Sharp's Ridge is a steep limestone
ridge in Knoxville
, Tennessee
, north of the city's downtown. A 111 acres (44.9 ha) area of the 7 miles (11.3 km) ridge is maintained as Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park, a city park dedicated to the honor of the area's war dead. The ridge also is the site of a transmitting antenna farm that serves most of Knoxville's broadcasters. The highest ground point on the ridge is an abandoned fire tower located at 1,391 feet (424 m) above mean sea level. The ridge itself averages 200 to 300 feet (40 to 60 m) above the surrounding valley floor, allowing panoramic views of the Great Smoky Mountains
and adjacent ranges to the east and the Cumberland Plateau
to the west.
Sharp's Ridge is named for the Sharpe family, who lived on the ridge during the 19th century.
(USGS) topographical maps) is a narrow, elongate ridge characteristic of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians
. The ridge stretches northeastward for approximately 7 miles (11.3 km) from Third Creek (near Knoxville's West Haven suburb) to Love Creek (at Mill Road, near the Oak Grove community). Beyond Love Creek, the ridge formation continues northeastward as McAnnally Ridge. The southern fringes of the Inskip and Fountain City
suburbs, Christenberry Heights, and Beverly are located along the northern base of the ridge. The Lonsdale
, Lincoln Park, and Whittle Springs neighborhoods of North Knoxville are located along the ridge's southern base.
First Creek and Second Creek, both southward-flowing tributaries of the Tennessee River
, carve water gaps through Sharp's Ridge, effectively splitting the ridge into three sections. The First Creek water gap is traversed by Broadway (part of U.S. Route 441
), and the Second Creek water gap is traversed by Interstate 275
. Interstate 640
runs parallel to the northern base of the ridge. The ridge's middle section, between the First Creek and Second Creek gaps, is the highest and most prominent section, and is the location of Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park and the antenna farm.
for birdwatching
activities. The park also has picnic facilities and several short walking trails.
Visible from Sharp's Ridge on clear days to the south is an excellent panorama of the Great Smoky Mountains-State Line Ridge, then further northeast up the High Unaka Mountains (namely the Bald Mountains
) with Camp Creek Bald in Greene County, Tennessee being the northernmost visible peak, to the Southern Unaka Mountains (namely the Unicoi Mountains) with Starr Mountain near Etowah, Tennessee
the southernmost visible peak. These faraway peaks are verifiable through the location of Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA) microwave dishes, which are aimed at relay towers on those faraway peaks. Most of the Tennessee side of the state line ridge is part of the Cherokee National Forest
, the exception being the Great Smokies, which are part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
.
To the north of Sharp's Ridge on clear days is another excellent panorama, this one of the Cumberland Escarpment
, the edge of the Cumberland Plateau that stretches from Sand Mountain
in Alabama
northeastward into Kentucky
. Local peaks clearly visible from Sharp's Ridge include Hinch Mountain near Crossville
to the Southwest, Frozen Head
above Petros
, Flag Pole Mountain (part of Cross Mountain) above Lake City
, northward to Point Peak above Cumberland Gap
. AT&T microwave dishes aimed at those peaks verify their locations from Sharp's Ridge.
and digital television
stations, all of which broadcast from very noticeable towers in an antenna farm along the ridge.
The tallest tower, located on the highest point of Sharp's Ridge, is 1425 feet (434.3 m) tall and is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) as "Spectracite Tower Knoxville," built by Spectracite Towers, Inc. The structure is owned by American Tower, which leases it to WATE-TV
PSIP Channel 6, whose "batwing" antenna is at the top (the station operates WATE-DT digital Channel 26 also on this tower). Also located on this tower is WTNZ
PSIP Channel 43, WBIR-DT, PSIP Channel 10 and digital Channel 31, and low-power TV station WKXE-LP Channel 4 with their antennas all broadcasting from the top.
The second tallest tower is FCC-licensed as "Richland Towers Tower Lonsdale." It is 1352 feet (412.1 m) tall, with a candelabra antenna platform at the top. It is owned by Richland Towers, Incorporated, which leases it to WVLT-TV
PSIP Channel 8, (which operates WVLT-DT on digital Channel 30), and WKOP-TV PSIP Channel 15 (which operates its WKOP-DT digital Channel 17), whose antennas all broadcast from the candelabra array at the top. The "Lonsdale" reference in the license, refers to the Knoxville neighborhood in the valley just below the tower.
The third tallest tower on Sharp's Ridge is 1345 feet (410 m) and is FCC-licensed as "Gannett Pacific Tower Knoxville." It is owned by the Gannett Pacific Corporation, licensee of WBIR-TV
, which right now, does not broadcast from it. Its former analog Channel 10 antenna is on top of the tower, but its digital TV signal broadcasts from the "Spectracite Tower Knoxville" site.
Although the tower heights vary from ground level to ground level, the antennas on top of all three of these towers raise the total tower heights to around 1,505 to 1,525 feet (460 to 465 m) above ground for all three (The "Richland Towers Tower Lonsdale" is actually built on lower ground than the other two, and is technically, a taller tower to reach the total heights of the other two).
The fourth largest tower is somewhat shorter than its broadcasting counterparts at 1153 feet (351.4 m) tall, and is FCC-licensed as "Young Broadcasting Tower Knoxville." It is located within 50 feet of the "Spectracite Tower Knoxville," virtually standing beside it. This tower with its identifiable "batwing" antenna at the top is the tower that WATE-TV
, Channel 6 formerly broadcast its analog signal from.
The fifth tallest tower, the "South Central Communications Tower Knoxville," is 1017 feet (310 m), and is owned by South Central Communications
, licensee of low power TV station WEZK-LP, Channel 28. On that tower is also the antenna for WMAK-DT PSIP, Channel 7. This is also the tower that WTVK-TV, Channel 26 formerly broadcast its analog signal from (that station is now WVLT-TV
, PSIP Channel 8). WVLT-TV also broadcast from this tower for a time, after switching to VHF analog Channel 8.
A much smaller 800 feet (243.8 m) self-supporting broadcasting tower is also located beside the "Gannett Pacific Tower Knoxville." That is the tower that WBIR-TV
formerly broadcast its analog signal from, also with a "batwing" array on its antenna at the top. At one time, this tower, another 800-foot (240 m) tower owned by WATE-TV
, and the 1000 feet (304.8 m) WTVK tower were the only ones on the ridge.
The Sharp's Ridge antenna farm is also the transmitting location for two Class C FM radio stations, WJXB-FM
97.5, whose antenna is located on the South Central Communications tower, and non-commercial WUOT-FM 91.9, with its antenna located on the "Richland Towers Tower Lonsdale" site. One Class A FM radio station, WKHT-FM 104.5, one Class D FM station W244AT at 96.7 and another Class D FM station W275AD at 102.9 all broadcast from the "Spectracite Tower Knoxville" site.
Various other entities, including city, county, and state government agencies, and cellular telephone companies, also transmit base-to-mobile communications from towers on Sharp's Ridge far shorter than the ones listed above.
"Antenna Farms"=
The Sharp's Ridge collection of broadcast towers, commonly referred to as an "antenna farm" is a good example of radio and TV stations, co-locating their broadcast towers near each other on the highest point near their FCC city of license. The nearest "antenna farms" to Sharp's Ridge are on Holston Mountain
in upper East Tennessee, home to most of the FM and TV stations in the Tri-Cities (Bristol, Virginia
-Kingsport, Tennessee
-Johnson City, Tennessee
) Designated Market Area (DMA), and the Signal Mountain
broadcast antenna farm, near Chattanooga, Tennessee
, home to most of the FM and TV station antennas in that DMA. Although most radio and TV stations are in fierce competition with each other in their broadcast markets, they will often locate their broadcasting antennas very near each other, and in some cases, will even share land or towers with each other, in the interests of space, land availability, and the cost of putting a transmission building on top of a mountain. Other examples of co-located towers on mountain peaks in the United States are on Poor Mountain
near Roanoke, Virginia; Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama; Mount Wilson
near Los Angeles; Sutro Tower
in San Francisco; Lookout Mountain, Colorado near Denver; Cedar Hill between Dallas and Fort Worth; South Mountain Park
near Phoenix; Nelson Peak near Salt Lake City; Sandia Crest near Albuquerque, New Mexico; and probably the most famous broadcast antenna farm of all: The World Trade Center
Tower One, on which all of the New York City television and FM stations had their antennas. All were lost when Twin Towers One and Two collapsed after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Those antennas now broadcast from their old home, 200 feet lower, on the Empire State Building.
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
ridge in Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, north of the city's downtown. A 111 acres (44.9 ha) area of the 7 miles (11.3 km) ridge is maintained as Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park, a city park dedicated to the honor of the area's war dead. The ridge also is the site of a transmitting antenna farm that serves most of Knoxville's broadcasters. The highest ground point on the ridge is an abandoned fire tower located at 1,391 feet (424 m) above mean sea level. The ridge itself averages 200 to 300 feet (40 to 60 m) above the surrounding valley floor, allowing panoramic views of the Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
and adjacent ranges to the east and the Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
to the west.
Sharp's Ridge is named for the Sharpe family, who lived on the ridge during the 19th century.
Geography
Sharp's Ridge (spelled "Sharp Ridge" on United States Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
(USGS) topographical maps) is a narrow, elongate ridge characteristic of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from southeastern New York through northwestern New...
. The ridge stretches northeastward for approximately 7 miles (11.3 km) from Third Creek (near Knoxville's West Haven suburb) to Love Creek (at Mill Road, near the Oak Grove community). Beyond Love Creek, the ridge formation continues northeastward as McAnnally Ridge. The southern fringes of the Inskip and Fountain City
Fountain City, Tennessee
Fountain City is a neighborhood in northern Knoxville, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Although not a census-designated place , the populations of the two zip codes that serve Fountain City— 37918 and 37912— were 36,815 and 18,695, respectively, as of the 2000 U.S. census...
suburbs, Christenberry Heights, and Beverly are located along the northern base of the ridge. The Lonsdale
Lonsdale (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Lonsdale is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, located northwest of the city's downtown area. Established in the late-19th century as a land development project, Lonsdale incorporated as a separate city in 1907, and was annexed by Knoxville in 1917...
, Lincoln Park, and Whittle Springs neighborhoods of North Knoxville are located along the ridge's southern base.
First Creek and Second Creek, both southward-flowing tributaries of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
, carve water gaps through Sharp's Ridge, effectively splitting the ridge into three sections. The First Creek water gap is traversed by Broadway (part of U.S. Route 441
U.S. Route 441
U.S. Route 441 is a spur route of U.S. Route 41. It currently runs for 939 miles from U.S. Route 41 in Miami, Florida to U.S. Route 25W in Lake City, Tennessee. Between its termini, US 441 passes through the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee...
), and the Second Creek water gap is traversed by Interstate 275
Interstate 275
Interstate 275 may refer to:*Interstate 275 , a loop through Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Bradenton in Florida*Interstate 275 , a western bypass of Detroit, Michigan...
. Interstate 640
Interstate 640
Interstate 640 is a bypass of Interstate 40 running north of Knoxville, Tennessee. For many years only about a two-mile segment of it between State Route 33 and U.S. Highway 25W was open. Finally, the road was completed in anticipation of the traffic which was to be generated by the 1982...
runs parallel to the northern base of the ridge. The ridge's middle section, between the First Creek and Second Creek gaps, is the highest and most prominent section, and is the location of Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park and the antenna farm.
Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park
Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park consists of 111 acres (44.9 ha) along the ridge crest and southern face of the center of Sharp's Ridge. The park is accessible by Sharp's Ridge Road, just off Broadway. The park is home to a number bird species and is used by the Knoxville chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological SocietyTennessee Ornithological Society
The Tennessee Ornithological Society is an independent non-profit educational, scientific, and conservation organization in Tennessee, dedicated to the study and conservation of birds. It was formed in 1915 and has published a quarterly journal, The Migrant, since 1930...
for birdwatching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
activities. The park also has picnic facilities and several short walking trails.
Visible from Sharp's Ridge on clear days to the south is an excellent panorama of the Great Smoky Mountains-State Line Ridge, then further northeast up the High Unaka Mountains (namely the Bald Mountains
Bald Mountains
The Bald Mountains are a mountain range rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina in the southeastern United States. They are part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Province of the Southern Appalachian Mountains...
) with Camp Creek Bald in Greene County, Tennessee being the northernmost visible peak, to the Southern Unaka Mountains (namely the Unicoi Mountains) with Starr Mountain near Etowah, Tennessee
Etowah, Tennessee
Etowah is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,663 at the 2000 census.-History:Etowah was founded in 1906, primarily as a location for a depot on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad line as part of a more direct route between Atlanta, Georgia and Cincinnati, Ohio...
the southernmost visible peak. These faraway peaks are verifiable through the location of Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
(TVA) microwave dishes, which are aimed at relay towers on those faraway peaks. Most of the Tennessee side of the state line ridge is part of the Cherokee National Forest
Cherokee National Forest
The Cherokee National Forest is a large National Forest created on July 19, 1936, by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, operated by the U.S. Forest Service and encompassing some 640,000 acres .-Location:...
, the exception being the Great Smokies, which are part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...
.
To the north of Sharp's Ridge on clear days is another excellent panorama, this one of the Cumberland Escarpment
Walden Ridge
Walden Ridge is a mountain ridge and escarpment located in Tennessee, in the United States. It marks the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau and is generally considered part of it. Walden Ridge is about long, running generally north-south...
, the edge of the Cumberland Plateau that stretches from Sand Mountain
Sand Mountain (Alabama)
Sand Mountain is a sandstone plateau in northeastern Alabama and northwestern Georgia. It is part of the southern tip of the Appalachian mountain chain. Geologically a continuation of Walden Ridge, Sand Mountain is part of the Cumberland Plateau, separated from the main portion of the plateau by...
in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
northeastward into Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Local peaks clearly visible from Sharp's Ridge include Hinch Mountain near Crossville
Crossville, Tennessee
Crossville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 Census.-Geography:Crossville is located at...
to the Southwest, Frozen Head
Frozen Head
Frozen Head is a mountain in Morgan County, Tennessee. It is the second highest peak in the Crab Orchard Mountains, at . Frozen Head is located in Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area....
above Petros
Petros, Tennessee
Petros, is an unincorporated town in Morgan County, Tennessee, United States, located on State Route 116.Petros is historically a coal mining town and is also the home of Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. Some of the town and coal mine scenes for the movie October Sky were filmed...
, Flag Pole Mountain (part of Cross Mountain) above Lake City
Lake City, Tennessee
Lake City is a town in Anderson and Campbell counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, northwest of Knoxville. The population was 1,888 at the 2000 census...
, northward to Point Peak above Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
. AT&T microwave dishes aimed at those peaks verify their locations from Sharp's Ridge.
Communications hub
Sharp's Ridge is the transmitting antenna farm for eleven of Knoxville's twelve analogAnalog television
Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
and digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
stations, all of which broadcast from very noticeable towers in an antenna farm along the ridge.
The tallest tower, located on the highest point of Sharp's Ridge, is 1425 feet (434.3 m) tall and is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) as "Spectracite Tower Knoxville," built by Spectracite Towers, Inc. The structure is owned by American Tower, which leases it to WATE-TV
WATE-TV
WATE-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Eastern Tennessee licensed to Knoxville. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter on Sharp's Ridge in North Knoxville. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 6 as well as Comcast and Knology...
PSIP Channel 6, whose "batwing" antenna is at the top (the station operates WATE-DT digital Channel 26 also on this tower). Also located on this tower is WTNZ
WTNZ
WTNZ is the Fox-affiliated television station for Eastern Tennessee licensed to Knoxville. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter on Sharp's Ridge in the city's Arlington section. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 11 and in high definition...
PSIP Channel 43, WBIR-DT, PSIP Channel 10 and digital Channel 31, and low-power TV station WKXE-LP Channel 4 with their antennas all broadcasting from the top.
The second tallest tower is FCC-licensed as "Richland Towers Tower Lonsdale." It is 1352 feet (412.1 m) tall, with a candelabra antenna platform at the top. It is owned by Richland Towers, Incorporated, which leases it to WVLT-TV
WVLT-TV
WVLT-TV is the CBS television network affiliate station serving Knoxville, Tennessee, the 58th DMA in America according to Nielsen Media Research...
PSIP Channel 8, (which operates WVLT-DT on digital Channel 30), and WKOP-TV PSIP Channel 15 (which operates its WKOP-DT digital Channel 17), whose antennas all broadcast from the candelabra array at the top. The "Lonsdale" reference in the license, refers to the Knoxville neighborhood in the valley just below the tower.
The third tallest tower on Sharp's Ridge is 1345 feet (410 m) and is FCC-licensed as "Gannett Pacific Tower Knoxville." It is owned by the Gannett Pacific Corporation, licensee of WBIR-TV
WBIR-TV
WBIR-TV, channel 10, is the NBC affiliate television station in Knoxville, Tennessee. The station is licensed to the Gannett Pacific Corporation, a subsidiary of the Gannett Company...
, which right now, does not broadcast from it. Its former analog Channel 10 antenna is on top of the tower, but its digital TV signal broadcasts from the "Spectracite Tower Knoxville" site.
Although the tower heights vary from ground level to ground level, the antennas on top of all three of these towers raise the total tower heights to around 1,505 to 1,525 feet (460 to 465 m) above ground for all three (The "Richland Towers Tower Lonsdale" is actually built on lower ground than the other two, and is technically, a taller tower to reach the total heights of the other two).
The fourth largest tower is somewhat shorter than its broadcasting counterparts at 1153 feet (351.4 m) tall, and is FCC-licensed as "Young Broadcasting Tower Knoxville." It is located within 50 feet of the "Spectracite Tower Knoxville," virtually standing beside it. This tower with its identifiable "batwing" antenna at the top is the tower that WATE-TV
WATE-TV
WATE-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Eastern Tennessee licensed to Knoxville. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter on Sharp's Ridge in North Knoxville. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 6 as well as Comcast and Knology...
, Channel 6 formerly broadcast its analog signal from.
The fifth tallest tower, the "South Central Communications Tower Knoxville," is 1017 feet (310 m), and is owned by South Central Communications
South Central Communications
South Central Communications is a privately owned media company based in Evansville, Indiana, and owned and operated by the Engelbrecht family: John D. Engelbrecht , JP Engelbrecht , and Bettie G...
, licensee of low power TV station WEZK-LP, Channel 28. On that tower is also the antenna for WMAK-DT PSIP, Channel 7. This is also the tower that WTVK-TV, Channel 26 formerly broadcast its analog signal from (that station is now WVLT-TV
WVLT-TV
WVLT-TV is the CBS television network affiliate station serving Knoxville, Tennessee, the 58th DMA in America according to Nielsen Media Research...
, PSIP Channel 8). WVLT-TV also broadcast from this tower for a time, after switching to VHF analog Channel 8.
A much smaller 800 feet (243.8 m) self-supporting broadcasting tower is also located beside the "Gannett Pacific Tower Knoxville." That is the tower that WBIR-TV
WBIR-TV
WBIR-TV, channel 10, is the NBC affiliate television station in Knoxville, Tennessee. The station is licensed to the Gannett Pacific Corporation, a subsidiary of the Gannett Company...
formerly broadcast its analog signal from, also with a "batwing" array on its antenna at the top. At one time, this tower, another 800-foot (240 m) tower owned by WATE-TV
WATE-TV
WATE-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Eastern Tennessee licensed to Knoxville. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter on Sharp's Ridge in North Knoxville. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 6 as well as Comcast and Knology...
, and the 1000 feet (304.8 m) WTVK tower were the only ones on the ridge.
The Sharp's Ridge antenna farm is also the transmitting location for two Class C FM radio stations, WJXB-FM
WJXB-FM
WJXB-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. The station is owned by South Central Communications....
97.5, whose antenna is located on the South Central Communications tower, and non-commercial WUOT-FM 91.9, with its antenna located on the "Richland Towers Tower Lonsdale" site. One Class A FM radio station, WKHT-FM 104.5, one Class D FM station W244AT at 96.7 and another Class D FM station W275AD at 102.9 all broadcast from the "Spectracite Tower Knoxville" site.
Various other entities, including city, county, and state government agencies, and cellular telephone companies, also transmit base-to-mobile communications from towers on Sharp's Ridge far shorter than the ones listed above.
"Antenna Farms"=
The Sharp's Ridge collection of broadcast towers, commonly referred to as an "antenna farm" is a good example of radio and TV stations, co-locating their broadcast towers near each other on the highest point near their FCC city of license. The nearest "antenna farms" to Sharp's Ridge are on Holston Mountain
Holston Mountain
Holston Mountain is a mountain ridge in Upper East Tennessee and southwest Virginia, in the United States. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountains...
in upper East Tennessee, home to most of the FM and TV stations in the Tri-Cities (Bristol, Virginia
Bristol, Virginia
Bristol is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Washington County, Virginia, Bristol, Tennessee, and Sullivan County, Tennessee....
-Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County...
-Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
) Designated Market Area (DMA), and the Signal Mountain
Signal Mountain
Signal Mountain may refer to:*Signal Mountain, Tennessee, a town in Hamilton County, Tennessee**Because of the proximity of this town to it, Walden Ridge is often mistakenly called Signal Mountain....
broadcast antenna farm, near Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, home to most of the FM and TV station antennas in that DMA. Although most radio and TV stations are in fierce competition with each other in their broadcast markets, they will often locate their broadcasting antennas very near each other, and in some cases, will even share land or towers with each other, in the interests of space, land availability, and the cost of putting a transmission building on top of a mountain. Other examples of co-located towers on mountain peaks in the United States are on Poor Mountain
Poor Mountain
Poor Mountain is a ridge of high peaks located in Roanoke County, Virginia and Montgomery County, Virginia. At 3,928 feet, Poor Mountain is the tallest mountain in the immediate area. The mountain is under consideration for the placement of a wind farm...
near Roanoke, Virginia; Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama; Mount Wilson
Mount Wilson
Mount Wilson can refer to several things:* Mount Wilson ** Mount Wilson Observatory* Mount Wilson, New South Wales, a mountain with a small hamlet in Australia* One of a list of peaks named Mount Wilson...
near Los Angeles; Sutro Tower
Sutro Tower
Sutro Tower is a three-pronged antenna tower near Clarendon Heights in San Francisco, California. Rising from a hill between Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro, it is a prominent part of the city skyline and a landmark for city residents and visitors...
in San Francisco; Lookout Mountain, Colorado near Denver; Cedar Hill between Dallas and Fort Worth; South Mountain Park
South Mountain Park
South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona, is the largest city park in the United States, one of the largest urban parks in North America and in the world. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.-Geography and Ecology:...
near Phoenix; Nelson Peak near Salt Lake City; Sandia Crest near Albuquerque, New Mexico; and probably the most famous broadcast antenna farm of all: The World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
Tower One, on which all of the New York City television and FM stations had their antennas. All were lost when Twin Towers One and Two collapsed after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Those antennas now broadcast from their old home, 200 feet lower, on the Empire State Building.
See also
- Bays MountainBays MountainBays Mountain is a ridge of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in eastern Tennessee. It runs southwest to northeast, from just south of Knoxville to Kingsport.Its southern segment is relatively low in elevation...
- Clinch MountainClinch MountainClinch Mountain is a mountain ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains...
- Holston MountainHolston MountainHolston Mountain is a mountain ridge in Upper East Tennessee and southwest Virginia, in the United States. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountains...
- House Mountain
- Powell Mountain