OKC Radio: KOKC 1520 AM Back On After Tornado

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Two of three tramissions towers for KOKC 1520 AM were knocked to the ground Wednesday when a tornado ripped hrough Moore, OK.  A third tower for the DA-N station was left bent-in half, but still standing.

The towers had been standing sine the 1946, when the station call sign was KOMA.  KOMA was a Top40 giant during the 60s and 70s.

The tornado knocked the station off air and KOKC's News/Talk format was moved to 1560 AM, sister-station Sports KEBC.  Thursday night engineers figured out a way to get the only standing 1520 AM tower to transmit despite the significant damage.

During his 27 years as chief engineer at Tyler Media, Randy Mullinax had never lost a tower to a twister. The KOMA towers even withstood the May 20, 2013 EF 5.

“We’ve had close calls; never taken a direct hit,” Mullinax told KOCO-TV5.

On Wednesday, that changed.

Even in its battered state, Mullinax and the other engineers saw potential in the one remaining tower. After three hours of rewiring Thursday night, they got the massive tower transmitting again.

KOKC is licensed at 50 Kw, but for now power output is about a fourth.

Next week, a new temporary tower will go up at the same location on SW 4th Street. Then the damaged transmitting tower will be brought down.