WNBC-TV is last to move to the Empire State Building

WNBC-TV last week became the last of 11 stations to sign a 15-year lease for transmission and antenna space atop the 102-story Empire State Building, now the city's tallest skyscraper.

The Empire State Building has undergone a $6 million upgrade to support the return of the broadcasters.

The Empire State Building has undergone a $6 million upgrade to support the return of the broadcasters. The 11 television stations, including WABC, WCBS, WNBC and WPIX, as well as 22 FM radio stations, share the historic 204-foot mast, which is being reinforced to accommodate this additional load. Also, additional electrical capacity had to be brought from the ground to handle the added transmission equipment on the 77th, 78th and 79th floors.

It is not known whether the Empire State Building will be a permanent home to the broadcasters. The Metropolitan Television Alliance, a group which represents 11 broadcasters, is negotiating to build a permanent $200 million, 2,000-foot-tall free-standing tower on a pier in Bayonne, N.J. Many obstacles remain to construct what would be the world’s tallest free-standing structure.