Columbia Island (New Rochelle, New York)

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Columbia Island (formerly Little Pea Island), is an island in Long Island Sound and part of New Rochelle, New York. It is situated off the south-western coast of Davids' Island, immediately adjacent to Pea Island. The island varies in size from about one acre to 175 square feet depending on the tide. It was once owned by the Iselin family who sold it to the Huguenot Yacht Club along with Pea Island in 1936. Three years later the club sold Little Pea Island to CBS who renamed it "Columbia". In 1940 CBS began construction of a concrete foundation to support a transmitter building with emergency housing for ten workers, topped by a 410 foot (125 m) antenna tower for WCBS-AM (then known by the call sign WABC). The transmitter remained in operation until 1963 when it became obsolete, and the station was moved to nearby High Island.

The island was then purchased by the show-business couple Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy who broadcast a breakfast conversation show from their home there. It was part of a 35,000.00 package that included a strip of waterfront property, a speedboat, and a tugboat. The couple later gave the island to the College of New Rochelle. In 2005, the then-current owner of the island sought to demolish the old transmitter building and replace it with a private residence.


Radio Broadcast Station:

Approximately $500,000 was spent by CBS to construct the transmitter and broadcast tower. The station was housed in a 75 foot square buildings, the outside walls of which were copper, and comprised two complete broadcast units - a regular 50,000 watt transmitter and a 5,000-watt unit for emergency use. Electric power was supplied through two independent submarine cables which tied in with separate power plants to insure against interruption of service. The plant was also equipped with its own engine driven generators as an added level of protection against power failure.

The men who operated the station lived within a grounded metal shell under which were living quarters for engineers, workshops, electrical units that supplied tube voltages, and the backup generator.

* (GNIS) - Columbia Island geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=115:3:425723410391...

* NYHometown Locator - Columbia Island newyork.hometownlocator.com/maps/feature-map,ftc,1,fid,...

* Jim Hawkins WCBS WFAN Transmitter Tour hawkins.pair.com/wcbs_wfan.html