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.

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.

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.

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}