TV Stations in Detroit

[Jimaz]

... What you don't see as you pass by the antenna is the series of copper radials buried in the ground, like spokes radiating from a hub, that are as long as the tower is tall. This means you will need a plot of land that can contain a circle at least 2,000 feet across....

Excellent point. This is why CB antennas are best placed in the center of a car's roof. It uses the metallic roof itself as a ground plane. There's also the issue of real estate needed for antenna guy wires.

Of course today the studios can be located anywhere. You just need to get the signal from there to the transmitter by any means necessary.

In Phoenix there's an impressive antenna farm on top of South Mountain. Their shadows only hint at what the Streetview shows. The higher the antenna, the broader its range. Real estate is at a premium on South Mountain.

Note that the call letters begin with "K" instead of "W" west of the Mississippi, generally.