High Island (Bronx): Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively ← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 17:23, 6 December 2004 edit24.44.23.111 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit		Latest revision as of 18:57, 22 September 2024 edit undoBlueboyLINY (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users14,887 edits Reverting edit(s) by MasterControlMaster13 (talk) to rev. 1243028554 by BlueboyLINY: No reliable source (UV 0.1.5)Tags: Ultraviolet Undo
(173 intermediate revisions by 93 users not shown)
Line 1:		Line 1:
			{{short description\|Small island in the Bronx, New York}}
⚫	High Island, New York
			{{Use mdy dates\|date=August 2024}}
			{{more citations needed\|date=November 2012}}
			{{Infobox islands
			\| name = High Island
		⚫	\| image_name = High Island, New York.JPG
			\| image_caption = High Island as viewed from nearby ].
			\| image_size =
			\| map = USA Bronx
			\| map_caption = Location of High Island in the Bronx, which is in red
			\| native_name =
			\| native_name_link =
			\| location = ]
			\| coordinates = {{coord\|40.859571\|N\|73.786159\|W\|type:city_region:US-NY\|display=inline,title}}
			\| archipelago = ]
			\| total_islands =
			\| major_islands =
			\| area_sqmi = 0.02
			\| length_mi = 0.7
			\| width_mi = 0.8
			\| highest_mount =
			\| elevation_ft =
			\| country = {{flag\|United States}}
			\| country_admin_divisions_title = State
			\| country_admin_divisions = {{flag\|New York}}
			\| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = City
			\| country_admin_divisions_1 = {{flagicon image\|Flag of New York City.svg}} New York City
			\| country_admin_divisions_title_2 = ]
			\| country_admin_divisions_2 = {{Flagicon image\|Flag of Bronx County, New York.svg}} ]
			\| country_largest_city =
			\| country_largest_city_population =
			\| population = 0
			\| population_as_of = 2017
			\| density_sqmi =
			\| ethnic_groups =
			\| additional_info =
			}}
			'''High Island''' is a small, uninhabited, ], part of the ] in ], New York City. It lies east of the north end of ] between ] and ] in ]. It is connected to City Island by a ] that emerges at very ], as well as by a small private bridge.

			Previously used as a stone quarry and then a summer resort, the island today is used to support two radio station ]s and ].
	High Island is a small island next to City Island, Bronx, New York.

			==History==
	It is connected to City Island by a small private bridge and a permanent sandbar that emerges at low tide.
			High Island was once known as Shark Island due to the many ]s which used to swim in the nearby waters of ]. The island is comparatively high with a shape similar to a gumdrop, thus alluding to the origin of its present-day name.<ref>{{cite book \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qUfosR3PMQoC&pg=PA106 \| last=McNamara \| first=John \| title=History in asphalt : the origin of Bronx street and place names, Borough of the Bronx, New York City \| publisher=Bronx County Historical Society \| publication-place=Bronx, N.Y \| year=1984 \| isbn=978-0-941980-16-6 \| oclc=10696584 \| page=106}}</ref>

			Elisha King purchased the island in 1829 to quarry stones.<ref name="Twomey 2007">{{cite book \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WeVTP3GyFH0C \| last=Twomey \| first=Bill \| title=The Bronx, in bits and pieces \| publisher=Rooftop Publishing \| publication-place=Bloomington, IN \| year=2007 \| isbn=978-1-60008-062-3 \| oclc=188850377 }}</ref>{{rp\|97}}
	It has two AM Radio transmitting towers.
			During the 1920s the Miller family operated a community of summer rental cottages catering to about 40 families.<ref name="Twomey 2007"/>{{rp\|111}}

			In October 1960, the ] purchased the island and acquired its ], with plans to construct a radio transmission tower. ] later purchased half of NBC's interest, creating a joint venture.<ref>{{cite news\|last=Iachetta \|first=Michael \|title=High Island's summer colony yields to radio transmitters \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/393033003/ \|access-date=November 27, 2022 \|newspaper=Daily News\|location=New York \|date=October 16, 1960 \|page=145 \|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=https://forgotten-ny.com/2000/05/city-island/ \|title=City Island \|date=May 28, 2000 \|access-date=April 12, 2016}}</ref> After over two years of construction, the new tower and supporting structures housing the transmitters for ] (660 AM) and WCBS (880 AM) went into operation in 1963. Prior to High Island the WCBS facility was located on nearby ] in ], and the WNBC transmitter was based in ].<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://gallery.bostonradio.org/2003-01/nyc/100-00882-med.html\|title=WFAN/WCBS tower, High Island, Bronx\|access-date=April 12, 2016}}</ref>
	One is for WCBS Newsradio 88 AM (CBS) 880 Khz and the other is for WFAN Sportsradio 66 AM (NBC)660 Khz in New York City.

			On August 27, 1967, a small private airplane crashed into the radio tower, destroying the antenna and taking WCBS and WNBC off the air, the day before WCBS's all news format launched.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.fybush.com/site-030424.html\|title=A selection from a decade of visits to tower and studio sites in the Northeast and beyond}}</ref> Both stations were able to borrow nearby transmission facilities for about a week, until an emergency tower could be erected on High Island. The permanent replacement was built with a second (shorter) tower as an emergency backup.
	It was a privately owned island before it was puchased in the late 1950's.

			The deed to High Island remained with NBC until 1988, when it was transferred to ] as part of the latter company's purchase of WNBC. Emmis owned ], an existing station which moved to WNBC's frequency in October 1988. WFAN was sold by Emmis in 1992 to ], while CBS and WCBS were acquired by ] in 1995. WCBS and WFAN became ] in 1997 when Infinity was purchased by Westinghouse.
	The island is not inhabited, but workers are there 24 hours a day.

			In August 2024, WCBS changed its call letters to ] after ] took over operational control of 880 AM, replacing WCBS's news format with ] sports programming.
	130 years ago it was called Spectacle Island.

			==Current use==
			{{As of\|2022}}, the entire island and two transmitters are owned by ], which through several acquisitions and mergers has owned both WFAN and WCBS (now WHSQ) since 2017.

			The taller of the towers is {{convert\|548\|ft}}. The shorter tower is {{convert\|300\|ft}} and was built in 2001 to replace the emergency tower erected in 1967. The proximity of these two AM radio stations has, at times, caused interference on telephones and electronic equipment on nearby City Island. High Island is only an AM radio transmission facility. It does not have any studios or tower tenants, other than the two AM radio stations. WFAN broadcasts from studios located at the Hudson Square Broadcast Center in the ] section of ], while WHSQ broadcasts from ]'s facilities on the ]. WHSQ is scheduled to move into new studios in Hudson Square, as part of ]'s relocation of its New York operations to that area in early 2025. Disney is the corporate parent of ESPN and ABC; Good Karma operates ESPN Radio under license from Disney.

			A full-time caretaker's residence was in use from 1961 to 2007. The island is currently uninhabited and maintained by the radio stations' engineers and contractors. Advances in broadcast and security technology have made remote monitoring of both the radio equipment and the physical property more feasible than in earlier years where a full-time human presence was required.

			==References==
			{{Reflist}}

			== External links ==
			*
			*
			* {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041016043405/http://www.newsradio88.com/ \|date=October 16, 2004 }}
			*
			* {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215124814/http://www.cbsradio.com/about/index.php \|date=February 15, 2006 }}
			* {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060313174436/http://hawkins.pair.com/wcbs_wfan.html \|date=March 13, 2006 }}

			{{New York City Islands}}

			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]

Latest revision as of 18:57, 22 September 2024

Small island in the Bronx, New York

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "High Island" Bronx – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

High Island
Geography
High Island as viewed from nearby Orchard Beach.
High IslandLocation of High Island in the Bronx, which is in red
Location	Long Island Sound
Coordinates	40°51′34″N 73°47′10″W / 40.859571°N 73.786159°W / 40.859571; -73.786159
Archipelago	The Pelham Islands
Area	0.02 sq mi (0.052 km)
Length	0.7 mi (1.1 km)
Width	0.8 mi (1.3 km)
Administration
United States
State	New York
City	New York City
Borough	The Bronx
Demographics
Population	0 (2017)

High Island is a small, uninhabited, privately-owned island, part of the Pelham Islands in the Bronx, New York City. It lies east of the north end of City Island between City Island Harbor and Pelham Bay in Long Island Sound. It is connected to City Island by a sandbar that emerges at very low tide, as well as by a small private bridge.

Previously used as a stone quarry and then a summer resort, the island today is used to support two radio station transmitters and antennas.

History

High Island was once known as Shark Island due to the many sand sharks which used to swim in the nearby waters of Pelham Bay. The island is comparatively high with a shape similar to a gumdrop, thus alluding to the origin of its present-day name.

Elisha King purchased the island in 1829 to quarry stones. During the 1920s the Miller family operated a community of summer rental cottages catering to about 40 families.

In October 1960, the National Broadcasting Company purchased the island and acquired its deed, with plans to construct a radio transmission tower. CBS later purchased half of NBC's interest, creating a joint venture. After over two years of construction, the new tower and supporting structures housing the transmitters for WNBC (660 AM) and WCBS (880 AM) went into operation in 1963. Prior to High Island the WCBS facility was located on nearby Columbia Island in New Rochelle, New York, and the WNBC transmitter was based in Sands Point, New York.

On August 27, 1967, a small private airplane crashed into the radio tower, destroying the antenna and taking WCBS and WNBC off the air, the day before WCBS's all news format launched. Both stations were able to borrow nearby transmission facilities for about a week, until an emergency tower could be erected on High Island. The permanent replacement was built with a second (shorter) tower as an emergency backup.

The deed to High Island remained with NBC until 1988, when it was transferred to Emmis Communications as part of the latter company's purchase of WNBC. Emmis owned WFAN, an existing station which moved to WNBC's frequency in October 1988. WFAN was sold by Emmis in 1992 to Infinity Broadcasting, while CBS and WCBS were acquired by Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1995. WCBS and WFAN became sister stations in 1997 when Infinity was purchased by Westinghouse.

In August 2024, WCBS changed its call letters to WHSQ after Good Karma Brands took over operational control of 880 AM, replacing WCBS's news format with ESPN Radio sports programming.

Current use

As of 2022, the entire island and two transmitters are owned by Audacy, Inc., which through several acquisitions and mergers has owned both WFAN and WCBS (now WHSQ) since 2017.

The taller of the towers is 548 feet (167 m). The shorter tower is 300 feet (91 m) and was built in 2001 to replace the emergency tower erected in 1967. The proximity of these two AM radio stations has, at times, caused interference on telephones and electronic equipment on nearby City Island. High Island is only an AM radio transmission facility. It does not have any studios or tower tenants, other than the two AM radio stations. WFAN broadcasts from studios located at the Hudson Square Broadcast Center in the Tribeca section of Manhattan, while WHSQ broadcasts from ABC's facilities on the Upper West Side. WHSQ is scheduled to move into new studios in Hudson Square, as part of the Walt Disney Company's relocation of its New York operations to that area in early 2025. Disney is the corporate parent of ESPN and ABC; Good Karma operates ESPN Radio under license from Disney.

A full-time caretaker's residence was in use from 1961 to 2007. The island is currently uninhabited and maintained by the radio stations' engineers and contractors. Advances in broadcast and security technology have made remote monitoring of both the radio equipment and the physical property more feasible than in earlier years where a full-time human presence was required.

References

McNamara, John (1984). History in asphalt : the origin of Bronx street and place names, Borough of the Bronx, New York City. Bronx, N.Y: Bronx County Historical Society. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-941980-16-6. OCLC 10696584.
^ Twomey, Bill (2007). The Bronx, in bits and pieces. Bloomington, IN: Rooftop Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60008-062-3. OCLC 188850377.
Iachetta, Michael (October 16, 1960). "High Island's summer colony yields to radio transmitters". Daily News. New York. p. 145. Retrieved November 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"City Island". May 28, 2000. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
"WFAN/WCBS tower, High Island, Bronx". Retrieved April 12, 2016.
"A selection from a decade of visits to tower and studio sites in the Northeast and beyond".

External links

USGS Report – High Island
Island in the City
WCBS-AM Website Archived October 16, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
WFAN Website
CBS Radio Archived February 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
Jim Hawkins' WCBS/WFAN Transmitter Tour Archived March 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

Islands of New York City

Major islands

Pelham Islands

New York Bay

Castle Clinton Cypress Tree Ellis Governors Hoffman Lafayette Liberty Swinburne
Entirely in NJ	Black Tom Robbins Reef

Jamaica Bay

North River (Hudson River)

Former islands shown in italics

Categories: