Landmark CJCB-TV television tower in Sydney being taken down after nearly 70 years
You could see it from almost anywhere in Sydney, N.S., but after nearly 70 years the old CJCB-TV broadcast tower is being taken down.
Though the tower at the top of Hardwood Hill has overlooked the city for generations, it was more than just a physical landmark.
The tower helped make broadcasting history by sending the first televised signal from Cape Breton in the earliest days of the medium in 1954.
"Greetings from Cape Breton. This is indeed a noteworthy hour in the history of electronical home life in the Maritimes,” the late Nate Nathanson said on that historic broadcast.
Through the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st, the tower helped broadcast untold hours of local television and was a constant presence in Sydney.
"I just hate to see it come down, because it just brings back so many memories over the last sixty years,” said Rev. Bill Burke.
As the pastor at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic Church, located just down the hill from the former CJCB Sydney television station, Father Bill Burke has worked in the shadow of the tower for years.
"I find that everything is becoming so centralized in large areas, and we're losing the local touch, and the local touch is crucial,” Burke said.
Doreen Somers has lived next to the tower for 40 years in a neighbourhood called Tower Heights, named for its proximity to the television tower.
"Well, I'm going to miss it,” Somers said. "And you'd always say to somebody, they'd ask you where you live. Up by the tower. By the TV tower."
As crews started taking the tower down piece-by-piece on Tuesday, some residents took pictures and video of the action from below, or simply observed.
Some see the tower’s demise as the end of an era.
"It's just always been there,” said lifelong Sydney resident Terry Martell. "People see things come and go, and I guess this is one of them."
A Bell Aliant spokesperson says the tower will be replaced by a new cellular tower to help improve service for nearby communities.
The tower is expected to take a few days to be fully brought down.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
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