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Update On KUNC Antenna Damage [UPDATED 12/7]

Picture of the tower damaged by the wind on Nov, 13th. Normally, there are 4 more sections of tower girder that would be on top of this tower.
KUNC
Picture of the tower damaged by the wind on Nov, 13th. Normally, there are 4 more sections of tower girder that would be on top of this tower.

12/8 Update: We are back on the air following installation of the auxiliary antenna. We'll have more information on the status of the signal once the crew returns from the transmitter site.

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12/7 PM Update: Work will extend into tomorrow with our auxiliary antenna installation. Outages may still occur this afternoon and we expect outages tomorrow as the new antenna is placed on the tower. We apologize for the delay, we are looking to get this work done safely and with a minimal amount of off-air downtime.

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12/7 AM Update: More good news: We will be installing our auxiliary antenna today (12/7). There will be periods of outages where we will be periodically be off-air on 91.5fm as crews work to install the antenna and remove the damaged antenna. You can still listen online or via our mobile apps, links are available here. If you are in the Denver area, you may get reception on 91.7fm and if you live in the Boulder area, you can try to tune into 102.7fm. The auxiliary antenna will improve our signal and coverage to almost normal levels, while we ship the damaged main antenna back to the factory so it can be rebuilt. Thank you again to all of our listeners, members, and fans for your patience and support while we work to repair the severe damage.

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12/2 Update: I have good news. The auxiliary antenna that will act as the backup replacement for the KUNC main antenna has been completed and will be shipped to us. The auxiliary antenna is scheduled to arrive from Maine on Tuesday.

The tentative plan, is for the antenna to be installed on Wednesday. This schedule is preliminary at the moment as installation is dependent on shipping and weather. If either doesn't cooperate, we will postpone installation. An announcement will be made when we have firm plans for installation as it will necessitate that KUNC be off-air so that the damaged main antenna can be taken town and the auxiliary antenna then installed on the tower.

The auxiliary antenna will return KUNC to about 2/3 of normal power while the damaged main antenna is shipped back to the factory to be rebuilt. We sincerely appreciate everyone's patience while we deal with this damage.

If you would like to see some pictures of the damage, some pictures have been uploaded to the KUNC Flickr account which you can see here.

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On Sunday, November 13th high winds in Northern Colorado severely damaged the KUNC radio tower and antenna. Crews worked on Monday to patch and shore up our antenna and as a result we are operating at about 10% of normal power.

Since we are operating at below normal power, our coverage area has been reduced. You may experience a signal that is scratchy or has intermittent static. If you are in the Denver Metro area we would encourage you to listen on 91.7fm which may come in better in your area.

A back up antenna, transmission line and temporary tower are all in the works, hopefully in the next two weeks. This will allow us to restore some service, but not at full power levels. We apologize for this service interruption, we hope to have all repairs made as quickly as possible.

I’m not a Colorado native (did you know that "I'm from Missouri" means "I'm skeptical of the matter and not easily convinced?") but I have lived here for most of my life and couldn't imagine leaving. After graduating from Colorado State University, I did what everyone wants to do; I moved to the mountains and skied, hiked, and hid from responsibility! Our listeners in the mountains may know me from my time in Steamboat Springs and Vail or as the voice of the Battle Mountain Huskies Hockey team in Vail.
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