Copper thieves bring down 500-foot Oklahoma radio tower

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Sat Jan 20, 2024, 07:11 PM - Edit history (1)

Hat tip, Glenn Hauser, World of Radio, via a mailing list I'm on

What the article refers to as a “guide wire” is a guy. It’s one of those steel cables that hold the tower in place. When a guy is cut, the tower becomes susceptible to falling over.

Crime

Copper thieves bring down 500-foot Oklahoma radio tower

Thieves made off with several hundred dollars' worth of copper but left over $500,000 worth of damage.


Choctaw County Sheriff Terry Park

By Justin Boggs
Posted: 10:03 a.m. EST Jan 17, 2024

Copper thieves in Oklahoma managed to bring down a 500-foot radio tower, knocking a station off the air. ... The Payne Media Group said that on Monday, copper thieves caused catastrophic damage to its K95.5 tower site in Choctaw County. Photos and videos shared by the station showed what was left of the tower sitting in a field.

The station said on its Facebook page that thieves cut the guide wire, which caused the tower to topple. ... K95.5 said thieves got away with eight to 10 10-foot sections of copper tubes. The station said the copper tubes aren't commonly found in hardware stores and that it takes a "long time" to have them made.

County Sheriff Terry Park said deputies received a call around 5:45 a.m. Monday of a tower being down. Park said the copper itself caused a loss of several hundred dollars, but the damage to the tower and building is estimated at $500,000. ... The country station is based out of Paris, Texas, and serves Northeast Texas and Southeastern Oklahoma. The station said it will be "back on the air as soon as possible."

The U.S. Department of Energy estimated in 2019 that metal thefts cost U.S. businesses about $1 billion a year. The government estimates that 95% of all metal thefts involve copper.

[AllaN01Bear]

1. that would be rude if all of a sudden your radio . went silent in the middle of ur fav programme . eek . hope they are

able to get back on the air within reasonable time .

[rsdsharp]

2. I worked at an FM station where the tower fell.

It was a 600 foot stick, directly above the station. Unlike AM radio, where the tower itself is the antenna, FM uses transmission bays near the top of the tower. The bays are connected to the transmission line, which is encased in copper tubing.

When they rebuilt the tower, an arduous process done by professionals, the tower crew found out the station’s chief engineer had miscalculated the length of the transmission line. They found that they were 4 feet short. At 600 feet above ground. Which they had climbed by hand, hauling all their tools with them.

The tower crew wasn’t happy, and the CE learned some new words that day.

[underpants]

3. I worked at place that had gotten a lot of copper stolen during a break in

The warehouse manager went to testify in court. At the end he asked the judge when these guys were getting out. He said he’d never seen anyone move that much copper that quickly.

[Demovictory9]

5. Lol .looking for new staff?

[underpants]

7. Always.

[Demovictory9]

4. Happens a lit in Calif. Too. For $3 per pound

[gay texan]

6. Hooooo boy, this hits close to home.

So yeah, grew up in this exact area. Ive been monitoring the local news on facebook. Residents of the area are claiming we need more God/Jesus in our lives so this wont happen again.

Theres a reason I left this fucking place and never looked back. Its this bullshit, in this precise place.

People have nothing to hope for there, yet they consistantly vote against their interests. The schools are complete shit, more focused on how how "libruulll woke shit" is infiltrating education in counties that went 95% for Trump.

If you want to see just how GOP bullshit plays out and the damage it causes, look no further than Hugo, Oklahoma and Paris, Texas.

Theres no drug problem, its a lack of Jesus problem. That's the mentality of the powers that be in these areas.

Theres zero hope for people in this area. No good paying jobs. Companies refuse to invest in Paris, Texas because they have an extremely racist civil war statue on the courthouse lawn. The N-word is still used frequently and openly there in casual conversation.

When you have a populace with no future, the end result is highly addictive drugs.

So yeah, im kinda snickering at this disaster and the end result. These people created this problem and they are entirely too stupid to figure out how they got there.

[roamer65]

8. It's a country station, so no big loss.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. In addition to the main channel, it has three subchannels.

KITX



The very first FM station in the Paris, Texas area. The station was assigned the call sign KITX on February 7, 1983. In 2017 KITX became the very first HD station in Paris, enabling HD2, HD3, and HD4 channels HD2 Active Rock KMMY, HD3 Classic Country, and HD4 ESPN Radio 105.1.

[roamer65]

10. Sadly, not many have HD Radio receivers.

Some of the stations in Detroit have been dropping the subchannels.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

11. Copper Thieves Destroy KITX's Radio Tower

Hat tip, the same mailing list

Copper Thieves Destroy KITX’s Radio Tower

Severed guy cables caused the Oklahoma station's tower to collapse

BY RANDY J. STINE
PUBLISHED: JANUARY 17, 2024 • UPDATED: JANUARY 22, 2024

Read an update to this story here.

Copper thieves temporarily robbed the community of Hugo, Okla., of a radio voice after having vandalized a local station’s broadcast tower in freezing conditions overnight. ... Payne Media Group said the thieves caused catastrophic damage to the KITX(FM) tower by cutting tower guy cables. The tower subsequently collapsed causing a half-million dollars in damage. ... According to Will Payne, president of Payne Media Group, thieves broke into the station’s transmitter site on Monday evening and cut several of the tower guy wires, causing the top half of the station’s 500-foot broadcast tower to come down.



“Thieves cut top set of guyed wires causing the tower to fall to the north of the building,” Payne told Radio World. “Happened overnight in 10 degree or less weather.”

The thieves then cut the transmission line off of the tower section that toppled and hauled the 3-inch copper pieces off the property, he said. A portion of the station’s tower, the station’s main antenna and the transmission line were damaged beyond repair. ... “This was big boy stuff. It wasn’t kids out stealing things, which we have had issues with before,” said Payne. “It was a very dangerous thing to do. They made off with maybe just over 100 feet of coax. It’s unbelievable that this happened.”



The station is back on air at reduced power broadcasting from a 140-foot tower at its studios using an auxiliary antenna. The tower site is approximately 15 miles from the studio and sits about a half mile from the Red River in Choctaw County.

Payne said the tower, which was built in 2017, was insured. KITX serves southeastern Oklahoma and northeast Texas. ... “The tower can be replaced and will be, but the thieves really hurt the community by doing this,” he said. “There has been bad weather in Oklahoma this week and we haven’t been able to serve our listeners like we would have. We really take pride in serving the local community.”



Payne, who has a seat on the NAB Radio Board, can’t give an estimate on how long it will take to rebuild, but does worry about finding materials. ... “I haven’t had time to think much about what has to go into it. The three-inch coax might be the hardest to find. But there is a lot of work that will have to go into the rebuild,” he said.

Anyone with information on the theft is asked to call the Choctaw County Sheriff’s Office at 580-326-5600 or 580-326-2130.

[Sign Up for Radio World’s SmartBrief Newsletter]

RANDY J. STINE

Randy J. Stine has spent the past 40 years working in audio production and broadcast radio news. He joined Radio World in 1997 and covers new technology and regulatory issues. He has a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

12. Arrests Made in Vandalism of Okla. Radio Tower

Arrests Made in Vandalism of Okla. Radio Tower

KITX’s tower collapsed after copper thieves severed guy cables

BY RANDY J. STINE
PUBLISHED: JANUARY 22, 2024 • UPDATED: JANUARY 23, 2024



A photo released by the Choctaw County Sheriff’s Department.

Two people suspected of causing catastrophic damage to the tower of Payne Media Group’s KITX(FM) in Hugo, Okla., have been arrested.

The Choctaw County sheriff’s office said they’d nabbed suspects who sold sections of 3-inch copper coax to a metal scrapyard in nearby Paris, Texas.



Matthew Wilson in a photo on the Facebook page of the Choctaw County Jail.

Sheriff Terry Park in a Facebook post identified the suspects as Candice Logan and Matthew Wilson, both of Choctaw County. Thieves had knocked down the tower and cut out and taken 3-inch copper coax line.

According to the social media post with Wilson’s mug shot, he is expected to be charged with entering a building with intent to commit a crime, malicious injury to property and receiving stolen construction equipment. No charges were listed for Logan. A copy of the police report was not made available.

{snip}

Will Payne, president of Payne Media Group, told Radio World the suspects sold the copper scrap to Paris Iron and Metals the next day. The destroyed tower was in a rural portion of Choctaw County, just north of the Red River. Paris is approximately 30 miles south of Hugo.

{snip}



Candice Logan in a photo on the Facebook page of the Choctaw County Jail.

{snip}

[See photos of the downed tower.]

RANDY J. STINE

Randy J. Stine has spent the past 40 years working in audio production and broadcast radio news. He joined Radio World in 1997 and covers new technology and regulatory issues. He has a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. Sabotage for copper: Vandals bring down a 500-foot tower in Oklahoma, costing $500,000 in damages

Sabotage for copper: Vandals bring down a 500-foot tower in Oklahoma, costing $500,000 in damages

In Featured News by Wireless Estimator / January 17, 2024


THIEVES TOPPLED THIS 500-foot guyed tower in Oklahoma in order to quickly remove its three-inch coax by zipping through hanger kit bolts with a sawzall. (Photo: Will Payne video screenshots)


Candace Logan and Matt Wilson were arrested within two days after they allegedly toppled a broadcast tower to strip it of copper.

Update: January 18, 2024 – Within two days after a 500-foot broadcast tower was sabotaged in Hugo, Oklahoma in order to strip the felled sections of coaxial lines for their copper, two Choctaw County residents have been arrested in connection to the incident, according to Choctaw County Sheriff Terry Park.

Park said that the arrests were through the joint efforts of the Hugo and Paris Police Departments as well as an informant who provided details that led to the arrest.


Matthew Wilson and Candace Logan

They charged 37-year-old Matthew Wilson and 34-year-old Candice Logan with theft and vandalism. The radio station owner estimated damage to the station to be $500,000. The pair may also face federal charges as the investigation continues.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Communications tower copper thieves will frequently climb the structure to remove transmission lines, strip its copper, and sell it to a metal scrap dealer. An individual or thieves in Hugo, Oklahoma, bypassed the labor-intensive climb early Tuesday morning and felled a 500-foot solid rod tower by cutting a guy wire to remove transmission lines quickly. ... The cost to replace the structure, a generator, and other equipment was estimated at $500,000.

Historically, the country’s vandals have toppled towers for the vicarious thrill, a vendetta, or to make an environmental statement. However, this is only the second known incident where it was done to facilitate the easy removal of copper. In 2008, according to Wireless Estimator reporting, thieves attempting to steal copper coaxial cables from a Tracy City, Tennessee 360-foot guyed tower, cut the guy wires, and caused the entire structure to collapse.

{snip}