The CBK transmitter building in Watrous 1939 (Source: Dwight Kornelsen/ Watrousheritage.ca via CBC)
Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Chris, who shares a link to this article from the CBC:
Historic CBK transmitter building in Watrous to be demolished
Most people who have grown up in the prairie provinces will have received their news via the CBC broadcast tower in Watrous.
The massive CBK building was established in 1939 as part of an overall CBC plan to bring programming to all parts of Canada. This was done with several well-placed 50,000 watt transmitters.
CBK was designed to serve all the prairie provinces, which is why Watrous was chosen as the site.
It is located in the centre of the populated portion of the prairies, and as a bonus it is located on a potash vein, making its ground conductivity one of the best on the continent.
In those days the technology for a single transmitter took up two floors of the building.
About 371 square metres was for the transmitter. That amount of equipment required a staff of six to maintain.
There was also a manager and living quarters for the staff.
During the Cold War, nuclear threat was a very real concern.
“The site was deemed important enough for communications that there was an armed guard protecting the transmitter,” said Stephen Tomchuk, transmitter supervisor for Saskatchewan.
“There was a fallout shelter built in the basement of the building that contained full facilities to be able to broadcast in the event of nuclear war,” added Tomchuk.[…]
It is always sad to see historical radio sites demolished.
Whish these structures were being preserved.
Best Regards,
Moshe.