BETHESDA WMAL TOWER SITE COULD BE REDEVELOPED (PHOTOS)

Even if you don't know what they are, you've probably seen the WMAL radio broadcast towers at 7115 Greentree Road near I-270 (and the Beltway) from afar. These towers stand on a massive property that is near some of the most valuable real estate in Bethesda. WMAL's new owner, Cumulus Media, may be on the verge of cashing in on that advantage. According to radio industry journalist Tom Taylor, cited by local broadcasting news authority DCRTV.com, Cumulus is including the property in a potential sell-off of transmitter sites it controls nationwide.

The site would lend itself well to single-family homes, in keeping with the surrounding neighborhood. Don't count out a townhome developer like EYA, which has recently gone on a spending binge on just this sort of potentially-valuable property inside the Beltway. The WMAL site can in no way be described as a "smart growth, transit-oriented" development opportunity, however. Regardless of the outcome, it would be one of the most significant residential neighborhood redevelopments in Bethesda.

DCRTV draws a technically-knowledgeable audience among its readership, and there are many interesting comments on the site regarding the wisdom of WMAL moving its transmission site further out (mentioning Poolesville and Germantown as possibilities considered in the past). The suggestion made by some, is that WMAL is now emphasizing its FM broadcast, making the AM tower site expendable. Its AM signal has been fairly comparable to that of WTOP's legendary strong signals on AM and FM. I fired up my venerable Radio Shack AM/FM transistor radio last night, to test WMAL FM vs. WTOP FM. Both signals came in clearly. But I would have to give WTOP the award for strongest and clearest FM signal. 

All photos ©2014 Robert Dyer