... i think crossing the 'joining' wires is important, as this may optimize the impedance of the signal carried by the current. It harkens a log-periodic broadband design, although the only thing that i can see that would make this antenna broadband would be:1. an increased thickness of the 'ear' metal,2. having the metal bare, and 3. non corroding element and lead wires, like aluminum or stainless steel. Whereas having thicker elements would make the antenna more receptive to various frequencies, it is important to note that the majority of the signal moves along the periphery of the metal, so no coatings and no corrosion will be best. Also, the vee shape of the elements accommodates broadband reception because of the 3 inch gap at the ends, the current 'seeing' a broader periphery than the actual thickness of the element wire.

Old analog tv had 6 MHz bandwidth to facilitate analog broadcasting of three or more separate signals, and i haven't studied digital, but maybe digital stations wouldn't require as much bandwidth, as a whole big analog wave for each television function, ie: audio, colour, actual picture, etc., would now me reduced to digital pulses instead. Hopefully someone here knows about these intricacies...

Another reason, probably, for this 4 tiered arrangement would be it's space saving property. A big, long yagi log periodic might make the neighbors jump...