Payne Media Group owner Will Payne says he’s out to make Oklahoma copper thieves pay after they cut a tower guy-wire of K95.5 (KITX), toppling the top half of the 500-foot structure and taking the station off-air over around $100 worth of copper pipe. The estimated damage to the tower site? $500,000.
The Hugo, OK station was attacked in the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 16, as reported by the Choctaw County Sheriff’s Office. After the vandals brought the tower to the ground, they sawed through the restraints holding the cables in place and ripped out the copper.
The tower site generator was also ripped apart for wiring, with the thieves even taking the public meter box off the nearby electric poll. In a Facebook video touring the damage, Payne says, “This is a total loss. This is a brand new tower, we just put it up a few years ago.”
The 50,000 watt signal broadcasts to southeast Oklahoma and northeast Texas, covering Paris, TX.
An investigation is ongoing, with the surrounding public advised to be on the lookout for any 3″ copper pipes being hauled around. KITX is still running through its stream, but the station is unsure when it will be able to go back on the air again.
The local community has been enraged by the destruction. In a statement, Sheriff Terry Park said the manhunt was on so they can, “Bury these worthless thieves in prison.”
Payne said, “We’re going be watching the area nonstop. That’s one thing we’ve always known: they come back over and over and over. Most likely they’ll be back tonight, tomorrow and the next night. So, we’ll just have to be waiting.”
Horrible story. We lost a 350’ tower in a storm in 2021. Local power company came in and set a tall power pole quickly and got us back on with 2bays using 7/8” coax. You’ll need to file for STA.