Radio Tower Climbers Highly Skilled Unique Individuals

(Anita) Not everyone can say their morning commute to work requires an 1800-foot vertical climb, but it is a job requirement for this highly skilled worker. Or, as a youngster, how many of you were asked what you would like to be when you grow up? And how many of you answered that I would like to climb hundreds, maybe one thousand, or possibly two thousand feet in the air and work on tall towers, such as a radio or TV broadcasting tower? I bet not very many of you.

After wrapping up a day working on the 500-foot Meredith Communications tower south of Anita, I caught up with one such person. His name is Ethan Olson, and he is the business manager for Kilowatt Broadcast Specialists. Olson says the highest tower he’s climbed during his career is 1800 feet.

KSOM/KS95 listeners noticed a disruption in programming on Tuesday. These highly skilled professionals started replacing the insulator rods on the guidewires holding the tower. The new parts will improve the frequency.

Ethan admits he climbed as a child. Often, you could find him up in a tree. So, when it was time to start a career, this courageous young man chose to study wind turbine technology. It was during a summer job, that he decided to take his career to new heights.

Olson says safety is of the utmost importance in this industry.

Olson gets nervous in some situations, but he trusts his equipment. He admits he isn’t scared of heights but respects them.

Work on the Meredith Communications radio tower will continue over the next several days. We appreciate your patience. During the downtime, log onto westerniowatoday.com to listen to our audio stream.