KFEQ Loses a Tower, Drops Its Power
When a farmer mowing grass took a wrong turn on June 16, KFEQ AM lost a guy wire and eventually one of its four towers came toppling down in Andrew County, Mo. The radio station remains on the air but must now broadcast nondirectionally at reduced power not to exceed 1.87 kilowatts in the daytime and 1.25 kilowatts at nighttime, per the FCC.

"Losing that one tower most affected our nighttime signal," said Gary Exline, general manager in charge of several radio stations owned by Eagle Communications, including KFEQ. "We had to file with the FCC for nondirectional status for a temporary period, which expires on December 18."

At night, the station, based out of St. Joseph, Mo., broadcast in a 15-mile-wide directional signal that reached Texas in the south and Minnesota to the north. Daytime coverage included Garden City, Kan., Sioux City, Iowa, Springfield, Mo. and Lincoln, Neb.

"This station during the daytime used to cover parts of five states at 5,000 watts. We were getting way out there," Exline said. "Now, we are probably good for 60 miles either direction. That's about it."

The station is weighing its options including whether to transition from four-tower directional towers, which were built in 1942, to one nondirectional tower.

"They say the rebuild must happen in maximum daylight, which really means before October or wait until next spring," Exline said. "They can turn it around pretty quick these days. I was surprised at how cost-efficient it is."