About KCPT: Tower Trivia

Tower Trivia


The KCTV-5 tower at 125 East 31st Street, stands tall above KCPT's office and is an eye-catching landmark in Kansas City. Below are some facts about the tower you can share with friends.

Birth:

Construction began in 1955. And in February 1956, KCMO-TV (KCTV's previous name) began transmitting from the tower. Before its construction, Kansas City's buildings commissioner said the TV tower would model the Eiffel Tower in Paris. His surprising plan became a reality.  In 1977, KCTV-5 moved to Fairway, Kansas and the building on 31st Street became the new home for KCPT.

Height:

1,042 feet. The tower itself is 956 feet tall, and the TV antenna rises 86 more feet.

Color:

Aviation orange.

Weight:

More than 600 tons.

Substance:

Galvanized steel and 26,000 bolts hold everything together.  In 1955, KCTV announced that its tower would be the worlds largest self-supporting steel tower. (This was four years before the Eiffel Tower added a radio antenna to its top.)

Lighting:

1,360 25 watt white bulbs are attached to the tower's four legs. (The tower also twinkles with strobe lights to stay safely visible to aircraft.) About half of the bulbs are replaced annually, and it takes the "tower climber" about 40 minutes to reach the top.

Point of View:

Although this tower doesn't offer an elevator of observation deck, a KCTV "City Cam" is mounted on the tower. You can see its extensive view during KCTV's weathercast.

Other Uses:

In 1989 KCTV turned the tower into America's tallest weather forecaster: when the tower's lights flashed upward, the next day was predicted to be warmer, and when the lights flashed downward, a cooler day was ahead. Forecasting lasted a couple of years.  High maintenance costs did it in.

Little Known Facts:

  • No, the tower is not open to the public, but yes a few people have scaled it.  In 1972, for example, two members of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War group climbed the tower and stayed at its top for 14 1/2 hours.
  • Starting in November 1973, during the energy crisis, the KCTV tower went dark for about a year. The lights would be turned on briefly in the evening, then extinguished—giving citizens a vivid reminder to conserve energy.
  • In cold weather, ice occasionally develops on the tower and then falls off in chunks.  It's a time of caution for area residents, cars and houses.
  • In 2001, KCTV changed the tower bulbs from all white to red, white and blue in response to the attacks on September 11th.