…does it take to change a lightbulb?
Just one, although getting to the light bulb in question might take a while.
That’s Kevin Schmidt climbing up the KDLT TV analog broadcast antenna near Salem, South Dakota. It’s 1,500ft (457.2m) high.
Nope.
But Kevin’s simian antics fade in comparison to Nick Wagner. Because Kevin was on the KDLT TV analog(ue) broadcast antenna. That’s now outdated technology. And outdated height. The new KDLT TV digital transmitter is 2,000ft (609.6m) in height.
You can watch a 19 minute video of Nick checking the top of the new mast here.
The new mast is the tallest structure in South Dakota. But the tallest structure in North Dakota is the 2,063ft (628.8m) KVLY mast. That’s also the tallest mast in the world and the 4th highest structure in the world. Built in 1963 the first man-made structure to exceed 2,000 feet (610 m) in height.
It held the record for the tallest structure in the world from August 1991 until being overtaken in September 2007 by the Burj Khalifa.
But you’ll remember all that from my 2010 post on the subject (includes photo).