After two months off the FM dial, Kool 103.9 (WTXY-AM) is back broadcasting to Whiteville, NC, but the rebuilding process isn’t over yet. The station has been forced to operate solely by stream since an electrical fire destroyed its FM translator in March.
This incident was the fourth major disaster for WTXY in its lifetime, having been destroyed by flooding three times before.
Station owner Glasgow Hicks says he has spent nearly $20,000 on rebuilding efforts but is relieved that only the FM transmitter was affected. Hicks told WECT-TV, “I’m going to be honest, if that AM transmitter burned up, we wouldn’t be sitting here. That door would be locked and we’d be done.”
Part of that sum included a low-power FM transmitter, allowing Kool 103.9 to broadcast within Whiteville again. He aims to have a new, more powerful transmitter operational by the weekend of June 10.
