Tyler ABC affiliate KLTV is the only VHF television station in that part of East Texas.
KLTV.com
The 1,078-foot tower came crashing down Friday morning.
No one was injured in the collapse, but the collapse took down the station's analog, digital and high-definition antennas on the tower.
The station's Vice President and General Manager Brad Streit said in a statement that the 1,078-foot tower collapsed about ten miles north of Tyler about 7:40 a.m.
The weather was cloudy but tranquil at the time, and Streit said no cause has been determined for the collapse. Streit said there was no apparent damage to the transmitter building next to the tower.
KLTV News Director Kenny Boles said the station is in the process of uplinking their signal via satellite so that cable companies across East Texas can receive it, and is also negotiating to establish a connection with Dish Network and DirecTV so those satellite services can resume carrying the station's programming.
Boles said efforts are being made to move transmitting equipment to the station's downtown Tyler studios in the hope of using a shorter tower as a temporary solution, but he said that could take weeks to set up.
The station is scheduled to carry the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon. Cox Cable in the Tyler area continues to carry the station's programming, and newscasts will be available online.
On Thursday, Raycom Media completed its purchase of KLTV and 14 other stations from Liberty Corp.
