ABILENE. Texas—A severe storm knocked down the tower and severely damaged the news studio and main facility of Sinclair-owned KTXS here on Sunday, June 8.
“At approximately 11 p.m. on June 8 during a severe weather event, a tornado struck the KTXS facility, causing significant damage, destroying our tower and impacting much of the building,” the ABC affiliate, which broadcasts on Channel 12, reported on its website. “We are thankful there were no injuries at the station. Our team is working quickly to assess the damage and find a solution to bring KTXS back on air as soon as possible.”
Sinclair told TV Tech that KTXS “was back on the air (modified) by Wednesday a.m. with an assist from our San Antonio station and equipment brought in from other Sinclair stations."
The station also reported that its newsroom was working from Abilene Christian University.
Local meteorologists recounted the terrifying moment when the storm tore off the station’s roof here.
“Quite literally, our studio roof was ripped off its hinges, if you will,“ KTXS meteorologist Caiden Dinkins said, “Our studio roof just blew off right above me and our chief meteorologist, Mark Rowlett, as we were trying to take cover from kind of an unexpected situation."
The station also reported that weather officials said “peak winds are estimated at 90 miles per hour in Abilene. The 199-foot KTXS broadcast tower was bent and knocked over onto the roof and across the property, while the base remained intact. A large rooftop air conditioning unit was blown by strong winds, likely contributing to a roof collapse and a partial brick wall failure in the station’s garage.”
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