WKHQ-FM, serving Charlevoix-Traverse City, MI, has gone silent after its 600-foot broadcast tower collapsed on Sunday evening. The tower’s collapse followed a weekend ice storm that knocked out power to approximately 90,000 residents across the area.
The tower initially survived the fierce ice storm, according to a report from WKHQ-FM, although power at the site remained out. In a bid to get the station back on the air, Program Director and morning host “Ashley Z” on sister station WZTC said she purchased a $900 generator from Home Depot on Sunday, drove it halfway to the site and met one of the station’s owners, who took it the rest of the way. The engineer set up the generator, and it looked like the station was poised for a comeback.
But the next morning brought a harsh reality. “I woke up to a call from the engineer saying, ‘Your tower fell down last night,’” Ashley Z recounted on the station’s website. She added that with the station temporarily out of commission, they are now focused on exploring alternative broadcasting options while assessing the damage and planning for a rebuild.
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