OMW's Optical Illusion

As it turns out, there really is NOT an STL antenna pointing south on the Clear Channel Akron/Canton tower behind the company's Freedom Avenue compound in Jackson Township. But...that doesn't mean we were wrong about the antenna.

While driving north on I-77 yesterday, we spotted what we believed to be a new STL antenna on that tower, pointing in the general direction of the highway (aiming south). But a second examination reveals it was an optical illusion to our OMW eyes - caused by the backside of a north-facing STL antenna (aimed at the Cuyahoga Falls site of WARF/1350) being visible through the tower, and appearing to us - at 55 MPH - as an actual southbound antenna...when none is there.

But...the Mystery of the STL Antenna has been solved.

In an attempt to clear this up, we took another drive behind the Freedom Avenue building, otherwise known as negotiating I-77 northbound once again. And we can thank the setting sun in the west for very brightly illuminating...you guessed it, a round STL antenna, this one still in shipping material sitting on the ground, directly behind the Clear Channel complex. And this time, it was NOT an optical illusion! We only saw it for a couple of seconds due to the highway driving, but it is most assuredly there.

So, the antenna is there - it's just not up yet. And unless Clear Channel's Akron/Canton complex has yet ANOTHER radio station moving in, it would presumably have to be for WJER-FM's new tower site...wherever that is...