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Display botched TV reception Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli After years of stringing Christmas lights up the tower on John's Peak, Bob Johnson pulled them down because of complaints they were interfering with television reception. By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune For seven years, Bob Johnson's tree of colored lights towered majestically above the Rogue Valley. On the top of 2,800-foot John's Peak, his annual Christmas display was made up of six strings of lights attached to a 75-foot broadcast tower. One of the most prominent Christmas features in the valley, it could be seen from as far away as Ashland or White City. All that ended this year. Johnson, whose Central Point house sits a few hundred feet below the tower, pulled down the lights about two weeks ago after customers complained about their television reception. "All of these years they've been up there and there's never been a problem with the wireless TV stations," said Johnson. "I put them up early - about two weeks before they were lit up - and nobody complained. But once they were plugged in, people complained they were getting poor reception." Maybe it was the wind, maybe it was the way the lights were positioned, but Johnson sadly removed the 75-foot strands with 450 seven-watt bulbs. The tower site, leased by Johnson to U.S. Cellular, has an array of dishes and antennae owned by television stations, radio stations and paging companies. It was built in 1985. As part of the lease agreement, Johnson is allowed to put up the lights every year, as long as they don't interfere with the reception. After consulting with an engineer, Johnson considered lowering the strands so they only went up 40 feet of the tower. But with a red blinking light on the very top, he thought the effect would be ruined. Johnson used to decorate his house with lights, but found the job time consuming. He decided to decorate the tower instead, first with two strands, then three and finally six. "It takes me about 30 minutes to put them up," he said. He climbs the tower and a helper positions the other ends at points on the ground. His wife, Karen, would like to figure out another solution. "My wife is a certified Christmas nut," Johnson teased. Karen Johnson, whose passion is collecting Christmas ornaments, said, "Coming home in the evening and not seeing them - it was so sad, but understandable." The Johnsons have received a lot of inquiries from Rogue Valley residents who also miss the lights, which were last illuminated around the Thanksgiving holiday. "Hopefully, we can do something in the next year or two," said Karen Johnson. The Johnsons say there is the possibility that the television antennae might eventually be removed. "Next year I may consider running it up to the 40-foot level," said Bob Johnson. Or, he hints, maybe he could just construct another tower. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.