It has been more than a decade since the 9/11 terrorist attack, but One World Trade Center, soon to stand as the Western Hemisphere’s tallest building, is planning to add broadcast facilities and towers to its summit. The site served as the previous location for most New York Area radio and TV broadcasters before it was reduced to rubble.
As part of an arrangement now being finalized with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, The Durst Organization will oversee construction and operation of a new broadcast facility atop the tower. The installation will offer both television and FM radio broadcast capabilities.
With a 408-foot spire reaching an ultimate height of 1,776 square feet, One World Trade Center’s broadcast center is expected to attract a number of broadcast partners. Employing full redundant power, the One World Trade Center broadcast center will be marketed together with a broadcast tower atop 4 Times Square, also operated by The Durst Organization. The two towers would together serve as a primary and back-up facility.
Upon completion, the broadcast center is projected to generate more than $10 million annually. The facility will require approximately $7.4 million in up-front capital costs. All costs related to the broadcast facility will be borne entirely by The Durst Organization.
Prior to September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center’s North Tower featured a 360-foot broadcast center at its top. With construction now having risen to the 92nd floor, One World Trade Center is the tallest building in downtown Manhattan. Upon completion, One World Trade Center will stand 104 stories high and offer 71 rentable floors totaling three million square feet of office space.