A windstorm on December 17 and 18th that brought 70-80 mile per hour wind gusts damaged the tower of Kansas Broadcast Company’s Oldies “730 Gold” KLOE Goodland KS and a subsequent wind-storm this weekend led to the tower to collapse leading to the decision to not rebuild the station.
The company notes that during the windstorm, gusts caused the porcelain insulators at the base of KLOE’s tower to fail, leaving the structure leaning and unstable. Engineering assessments confirmed the tower itself remained intact but with multiple insulators broken and replacement parts difficult to source the facility could not safely operate. A tower crew was contacted with plans to stabilize and potentially rework the structure, but a second wind storm on December 27 and 28 caused the tower to shift and fall to the southwest into a nearby wheat field. The tower came down without causing any damage to surrounding property or structures and without injury.
Due to the “significant cost of constructing a new AM tower and the realities facing AM broadcasting today”, the company has determined it will not rebuild KLOE. The company said, “This was not a decision taken lightly. KLOE represents decades of voices, memories and service to this community. Losing the tower is heartbreaking especially after the work that went into restoring and celebrating the station’s legacy.”
KLOE’s “Good Neighbor Hour” will continue to air from 5:30 to 7am Mountain Time on sister Classic Rock “RockIt 102.5” KKCI and has hired a new News Director for Goodland, who will start in January.
