On Tuesday, KTXK's 100,000-watt transmitter suffered what's described as "irreparable damage," according to a post made Wednesday on the Texarkana radio station's Facebook page.
The public radio stalwart operating out of Texarkana College's campus, KTXK (91.5 FM) is now using its 10,000-watt backup transmitter.
"I know that this will affect many who depend on KTXK in the outlying areas for news and information daily. Rest assured that Texarkana College and KTXK are committed to finding a solution to this failure and re-establish our full signal," wrote Steve Mitchell, KTXK general manager .
"KTXK is vitally important to this community and me and we will work as fast as possible to provide full service once again," said Mitchell, who will soon meet with engineers and TC officials to evaluate the damage. A new transmitter is one option. However, that would be a very expensive solution.
"We are looking at our options going forward and I hope next week we can make a decision either to repair or replace," Mitchell said in an email.
The transmitter damage appears to be metal fatigue failure.
"This was a major blow to the station," Mitchell said. "If we are able to repair the existing main transmitter, we may have it up and running in as little as three weeks. If we have to replace it, it could be into January of next year."
According to a Gazette article, KTXK welcomed its 100,000-watt transmitter in 2004. Boosting the station's power enabled it to extend its broadcast reach into parts of Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma.
The station's internet stream is also available online at KTXK.org. KTXK is billed as "Think Radio for Texarkana."
KTXK and Mitchell can be reached at 903-748-4541.