Several Texarkana radio stations are continuing a major recovery effort after multiple lightning strikes caused extensive damage at a transmitter site in Wake Village earlier this month.
The strikes hit the facility with enough force to damage electrical equipment, transmission lines and other critical components, while also sparking fires inside the transmitter facility.
The damage temporarily knocked several local radio signals off the air and created a significant technical challenge for the stations and the engineers working to restore them.
Since the strikes, crews have been working steadily to repair the facility and determine the condition of the transmitter equipment.
A major part of that effort has been the electrical work.
Nantze Electric has been on the job addressing the extensive electrical damage and working to safely restore power to the transmitter facility. With the amount of damage caused by the multiple strikes, getting the electrical system back into proper operating condition is a critical first step before the remaining broadcast equipment can be fully evaluated.
Stuart’s Heating & Air has also been working to restore the facility’s air conditioning.
That may not sound like the most important part of getting a radio station back on the air, but inside a transmitter building during a Texarkana summer, cooling is essential. Broadcast transmitters and other electronic equipment generate significant heat, and the building must remain properly cooled before the equipment can safely operate.
Wes Spicher, who has been coordinating much of the recovery effort, said the work has involved everything from cleaning up the aftermath of the fire and electrical damage to troubleshooting equipment and coordinating with engineers, electricians, HVAC professionals and insurance representatives.
The extent of the damage means that not every transmitter can simply be switched back on. Each component has to be inspected and tested to determine what survived the strikes and what will require repair or replacement.
In the meantime, backup equipment and alternate transmitter locations have allowed some signals to return to the air while repairs continue.
104.7 KTOY has been operating on a low-power backup transmitter, while 101.7 KBYB has returned from its separate transmitter site in McNab, Arkansas.
Other signals remain affected by the damage at the Wake Village facility.
The stations’ online streams have also remained available, allowing listeners to continue hearing their programming while the over-the-air signals are being restored.
The recovery has received an outpouring of support from the local community, with businesses and broadcast engineers offering assistance and equipment as the work continues.
Spicher said the response has been encouraging, particularly from local businesses that immediately stepped up to help get the operation moving again.
With Nantze Electric working through the electrical repairs, Stuart’s Heating & Air addressing the cooling system, and insurance and engineering evaluations underway, there is growing optimism that the damaged signals can begin returning to the air soon.
The final timeline will depend on what the inspections uncover and which pieces of equipment can be repaired versus replaced.
For now, the goal is straightforward: repair the transmitter facility, protect the equipment, restore the signals and get Texarkana’s local radio stations back where listeners expect them—on the air.
The lightning strikes may have taken the stations down temporarily, but…
The recovery effort is already well underway.
