At 525 feet tall, the radiators used for KIRO are the largest AM radio structures in the Puget Sound area.  KIRO’s transmitter site is on Maury Island, south of Vashon, between Quartermaster Harbor and Puget Sound.

KIRO’s transmitter site is surrounded by conductive salt-water which helps its signal to travel great distances. KIRO’s power is 50,000 watts, the most allowed for an AM station.

AM radio requires large amounts of land to build a transmitter site.  Half of the antenna is underground!  There are 120 buried copper wires extending from the base of each antenna like spokes on a bicycle tire.  These buried wires are critical for producing the signal and are found at all AM transmitter sites.