(Grand Rapids, MI) – FOX 17 announced today that It is bringing to an end discussions related to constructing a new tower at a site near the Newton Township Cemetery.
“Months ago we began a process to find a suitable piece of land to construct a tower in order to improve reception for the viewers in the Southeast part of our viewing area”, said FOX 17 General Manager, Patty Kolb. “As part of that process we met with officials from Newton Township and they recommended land near the Newton Township Cemetery. Just recently we learned that the warranty deed on the land had a provision, which specified that the land be used for cemetery use only. In addition, members of the community raised concerns about having the tower built-in close proximity to the cemetery. Causing consternation in the community is the exact opposite of our goal. We’re hoping to construct a tower in the area in order to better serve the community by increasing our signal strength in the area, at the same time we were in discussions with township officials to allow space on the tower to upgrade local law enforcement and fire fighter communication systems. We’re confident that we can find a more suitable piece of land to accomplish that goal, and at the same time not upset members of the community.”
FOX 17 has announced that it is no longer considering the site previously recommended by the township, which is near the Newton Township Cemetery, regardless of whether or not township officials grant approval for the proposed site. Instead, FOX 17 will begin searching for another, more suitable site in the area.
FOX 17 WXMI is West Michigan’s FOX affiliate. FOX 17’s digital signal is available on WXMI-DT. FOX 17 is a Tribune Broadcasting station. TRIBUNE is one of the country’s leading multimedia companies, operating businesses in broadcasting, publishing, and interactive. The company’s broadcasting group owns or operates 23 television stations, WGN America on national cable, the national multicast network Antenna TV and Chicago’s WGN-AM. In publishing, Tribune’s leading daily newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, Sun Sentinel (South Florida), Orlando Sentinel, Hartford Courant, The Morning Call and Daily Press. Popular news and information websites complement Tribune’s print and broadcast properties and extend the company’s nationwide audience.
