engineering

Top 19 Tallest Guyed Masts in the World

The tallest guyed masts standing as of October 2026: North Dakota's KRDK-TV mast at 627.8 m leads, followed by California's KXTV/KOVR tower at 624.5 m and 17 masts tied at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft).

Updated October 18, 2026 19 ranked 4 sources

Quick answer

The KRDK-TV Mast near Galesburg, North Dakota, is the tallest guyed mast standing, at 627.8 m (2,060 ft). The KXTV/KOVR Tower in Walnut Grove, California, is second at 624.5 m, and 17 masts are tied for third at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft). The ranking uses pinnacle height of standing guyed masts from Wikipedia's List of tallest structures, as of October 2026.

Guyed masts are slender lattice structures held upright by steel guy wires anchored to the ground. Used mainly for television and radio broadcasting, they include the tallest structures in the Western Hemisphere. Every guyed mast standing above 600 m is in the United States. This list ranks guyed masts standing as of 18 October 2026 by pinnacle height. Because 17 masts are listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), all of them are tied for third place and the list runs to 19 entries rather than 10. The KVLY-TV mast, long described as the world's tallest, is no longer in the top group: an antenna change in 2019 reduced it to about 605 m.

Pinnacle height (m)

Pinnacle height (m)
KRDK-TV Mast
KXTV/KOVR Tower
KCAU TV Tower
KCCI Tower
Des Moines Hearst-Argyle Television Tower
Diversified Communications Tower
AFLAC Tower
WBTV Tower
Hearst-Argyle Tower
WTTO Tower
WCSC Tower
WCTV Tower
WRAL HDTV Mast
TV Alabama Tower
KDLT Tower
KMOS TV Tower
Winnie Cumulus Broadcasting Tower
Liberman Broadcasting Tower Era
WEAU Tower
609.6627.8

The ranking

1

KRDK-TV Mast

The KRDK-TV mast near Galesburg, North Dakota, is listed at 627.8 m (2,060 ft), making it the tallest guyed mast standing and the tallest structure in the United States. The current mast was built in 1998 after the previous masts on the site collapsed in 1968 and 1997.

Location: Galesburg, North Dakota, USAYear (current mast): 1998Height (ft): 2,060
2

KXTV/KOVR Tower

The KXTV/KOVR tower at Walnut Grove, California, is listed at 624.5 m (2,049 ft), the tallest structure in California. It is also known as the Sacramento Joint Venture Tower; the source gives its year as 1985.

Location: Walnut Grove, California, USAYear (current mast): 1985Height (ft): 2,049
3

KCAU TV Tower

The KCAU TV Tower in Sioux City, Iowa is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1965.

Location: Sioux City, Iowa, USAYear (current mast): 1965Height (ft): 2,000
4

KCCI Tower

The KCCI Tower in Alleman, Iowa is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1972. It carries VHF television and FM radio transmitters.

Location: Alleman, Iowa, USAYear (current mast): 1972Height (ft): 2,000
5

Des Moines Hearst-Argyle Television Tower

The Des Moines Hearst-Argyle Television Tower in Alleman, Iowa is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1974.

Location: Alleman, Iowa, USAYear (current mast): 1974Height (ft): 2,000
6

Diversified Communications Tower

The Diversified Communications Tower in Floyd Dale, South Carolina is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1981.

Location: Floyd Dale, South Carolina, USAYear (current mast): 1981Height (ft): 2,000
7

AFLAC Tower

The AFLAC Tower in Rowley, Iowa is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1984.

Location: Rowley, Iowa, USAYear (current mast): 1984Height (ft): 2,000
8

WBTV Tower

The WBTV Tower in Dallas, North Carolina is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1984.

Location: Dallas, North Carolina, USAYear (current mast): 1984Height (ft): 2,000
9

Hearst-Argyle Tower

The Hearst-Argyle Tower in Walnut Grove, California is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1985.

Location: Walnut Grove, California, USAYear (current mast): 1985Height (ft): 2,000
10

WTTO Tower

The WTTO Tower in Windham Springs, Alabama is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1986.

Location: Windham Springs, Alabama, USAYear (current mast): 1986Height (ft): 2,000
11

WCSC Tower

The WCSC Tower in Awendaw, South Carolina is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1986.

Location: Awendaw, South Carolina, USAYear (current mast): 1986Height (ft): 2,000
12

WCTV Tower

The WCTV Tower in Metcalf, Georgia is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1987.

Location: Metcalf, Georgia, USAYear (current mast): 1987Height (ft): 2,000
13

WRAL HDTV Mast

The WRAL HDTV Mast in Auburn, North Carolina is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1991. It replaced two masts that collapsed in December 1989.

Location: Auburn, North Carolina, USAYear (current mast): 1991Height (ft): 2,000
14

TV Alabama Tower

The TV Alabama Tower in Windham Springs, Alabama is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1996.

Location: Windham Springs, Alabama, USAYear (current mast): 1996Height (ft): 2,000
15

KDLT Tower

The KDLT Tower in Rowena, South Dakota is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 1998.

Location: Rowena, South Dakota, USAYear (current mast): 1998Height (ft): 2,000
16

KMOS TV Tower

The KMOS TV Tower in Syracuse, Missouri is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 2002. It is the tallest structure in Missouri.

Location: Syracuse, Missouri, USAYear (current mast): 2002Height (ft): 2,000
17

Winnie Cumulus Broadcasting Tower

The Winnie Cumulus Broadcasting Tower in Winnie, Texas is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 2005.

Location: Winnie, Texas, USAYear (current mast): 2005Height (ft): 2,000
18

Liberman Broadcasting Tower Era

The Liberman Broadcasting Tower Era in Era, Texas is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 2006.

Location: Era, Texas, USAYear (current mast): 2006Height (ft): 2,000
19

WEAU Tower

The WEAU Tower in Fairchild, Wisconsin is one of 17 standing guyed masts listed at exactly 609.6 m (2,000 ft), tied for third place; the source gives its year as 2012. It replaced the original 1966 mast, which collapsed in an ice and wind storm on March 22, 2011.

Location: Fairchild, Wisconsin, USAYear (current mast): 2012Height (ft): 2,000

Full comparison

# Name LocationYear (current mast)Height (ft)
1 KRDK-TV Mast Galesburg, North Dakota, USA19982,060
2 KXTV/KOVR Tower Walnut Grove, California, USA19852,049
3 KCAU TV Tower Sioux City, Iowa, USA19652,000
4 KCCI Tower Alleman, Iowa, USA19722,000
5 Des Moines Hearst-Argyle Television Tower Alleman, Iowa, USA19742,000
6 Diversified Communications Tower Floyd Dale, South Carolina, USA19812,000
7 AFLAC Tower Rowley, Iowa, USA19842,000
8 WBTV Tower Dallas, North Carolina, USA19842,000
9 Hearst-Argyle Tower Walnut Grove, California, USA19852,000
10 WTTO Tower Windham Springs, Alabama, USA19862,000
11 WCSC Tower Awendaw, South Carolina, USA19862,000
12 WCTV Tower Metcalf, Georgia, USA19872,000
13 WRAL HDTV Mast Auburn, North Carolina, USA19912,000
14 TV Alabama Tower Windham Springs, Alabama, USA19962,000
15 KDLT Tower Rowena, South Dakota, USA19982,000
16 KMOS TV Tower Syracuse, Missouri, USA20022,000
17 Winnie Cumulus Broadcasting Tower Winnie, Texas, USA20052,000
18 Liberman Broadcasting Tower Era Era, Texas, USA20062,000
19 WEAU Tower Fairchild, Wisconsin, USA20122,000

How we ranked this

Source: Wikipedia, List of tallest structures (revision 1380379231, retrieved 18 October 2026), which gives pinnacle heights (largely from FCC antenna structure registrations) and marks which structures are guyed masts and which are no longer standing. We include every guyed mast in that table that is still standing and taller than 609 m. Structures marked as collapsed or demolished are excluded, including the Warsaw Radio Mast (646.4 m, collapsed 1991), the KATV tower (609.6 m, collapsed 2008), the WECT tower (609.6 m, demolished 2012) and the KTVO-TV tower (609.6 m, collapsed 1988). Ranks 3 to 19 are a 17-way tie at 609.6 m; within the tie, masts are ordered by the year the source gives, then alphabetically, and that order carries no meaning. Self-supporting towers and buildings are excluded.

FAQ

What is the tallest guyed mast in the world?

The KRDK-TV mast near Galesburg, North Dakota, listed at 627.8 m (2,060 ft). It is also the tallest structure in the United States. Second is the KXTV/KOVR tower at Walnut Grove, California (624.5 m).

Is the KVLY-TV mast still the tallest?

No. The KVLY-TV mast at Blanchard, North Dakota, was 628.8 m (2,063 ft) when completed in 1963, but an antenna change in 2019 reduced it to about 605 m, below the KRDK-TV mast and the many masts listed at 609.6 m.

Why are so many masts exactly 609.6 m tall?

609.6 m is 2,000 ft. US regulators apply a presumption against antenna structures over 2,000 feet above ground level, so many broadcast masts were built to exactly that height. Seventeen standing masts are listed at 609.6 m.

What was the tallest guyed mast ever built?

The Warsaw Radio Mast in Konstantynów, Poland, at 646.4 m. Completed in 1974, it collapsed on August 8, 1991, during guy wire replacement.

Sources

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