L-A Radio/TV: Fire Threatening Mount Wilson Under Control

UPDATE: Friday 11am: Officials with Mount Wilson Observatory report that the Eaton Fire, which reached the top of Mount Wilson, the broadcast hub for Los Angeles, on Thursday now “seems to be under control.”

Prior to the announcement last night, TV Tech sister brand Radio World spoke with Doug Irwin, iHeart’s Los Angeles engineering lead, who monitored the situation all day Thursday as the fire suddenly jumped from Altadena. Irwin said late Thursday afternoon local time that the fire has not impacted any of the stations that transmit from the summit. From observing cameras, he believes the fire made it to the edge of the service road but did not cross it as of that time.

The summit has been without power since Tuesday as part of an area-wide temporary shutoff, Irwin said. His main concern was ensuring generator fuel refills can be conducted, as the service road had been closed. However, he expected it to reopen Thursday evening.

Earlier story...

The Mount Wilson broadcast farm in Los Angeles is indeed under threat from a raging fire, specifically the dangerous Eaton fire. This fire is putting the antenna farm and broadcasting transmitters at risk, which could lead to major communications disruptions and limit the broadcasting capabilities of LA's major TV and radio stations.

The fire has already prompted evacuations, including the staff at the historic Mount Wilson Observatory, which is also located on the mountain. Firefighters are working hard to contain the blaze, with hand crews arriving on the scene to fight the fire. Controlled burns are also being conducted around the perimeter to prepare for the fire's arrival.

Most of Los Angeles’ TV stations broadcast from Mt. Wilson, including KCBS (CBS 2), KNBC (NBC 4), KTLA (Channel 5), KABC (ABC 7), KCAL (Channel 9), KTTV (Fox 11), KCOP (Channel 13), KCET (PBS SoCal 2 Channel 28), KOCE (PBS SoCal 1 Channel 50) and KMEX (Univision 34). FM stations broadcasting from there include KPCC-FM 89.3, KPFK-FM 90.7, KUSC-FM 91.5, KRRL-FM 92.3, KCBS-FM 93.1, KLLI-FM 93.9, KTWV 94.7, KLOS-FM 95.5, KNX-FM 97.1, KKLA-FM 99.5, KKLQ-FM 100.3, KRTH-FM 101.1, KSCA-FM 101.9, KIIS-FM 102.7, KOST-FM 103.5, KBIG-FM 104.3, KKGO-FM 105.1, KPWR-FM 105.9 and KLVE-FM 107.5.

HAPPENING NOW: The Eaton Fire is approaching communication towers which service local media outlets throughout Southern California.

The towers located on top of Mount Wilson are also used by law enforcement.

“It is really important for radio transmissions in Southern California… pic.twitter.com/A2Ect1LJBq

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 9, 2025

If the fire were to destroy the transmitting towers, it would impact viewers who rely on over-the-air signals for broadcast coverage. However, cable, satellite, and telco systems would not be affected, as stations now deliver their feeds via fiber-optic lines. Additionally, many local TV stations share their live news broadcasts via streaming apps.

Some stations have auxiliary towers elsewhere, but they would likely operate at lesser power and with a smaller coverage area.

This isn't the first time Mt. Wilson has faced fire threats. The Station fire in 2009 burned over 160,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest, and the Bobcat fire in 2020 burned nearly 116,000 acres nearby. Engineers hope that the cinderblock-built transmitting structures will withstand the fire1.

The situation is being closely monitored, and firefighters are doing everything they can to protect the broadcast farm and observatory.