Missouri public broadcasting tower collapses, killing one worker
A tower that broadcasts Ozarks Public Television in Fordland, Mo., collapsed Thursday morning, killing one tower crew member.
A Washington-based crew of seven were working about 105 feet up on the 1,920-foot tower when it collapsed, according to a spokesperson for licensee Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. Three other crew members suffered minor injuries and were treated and released from a local hospital.
The crew was working on structural reinforcement to upgrade equipment for the station’s channel repack, the spokesperson said.
KOZK tower collapses in Fordland while crews were working on it. 1 dead. @KTTSNews pic.twitter.com/jZekeg4OT0
— Nancy Simpson (@NancyTheToll) April 19, 2018
Corrections: Earlier versions of this article provided incorrect heights for the tower. The News-Leader gave the tower’s height as 1,980 feet. And due to an editor’s error, a later version of this article said the tower was 597 feet. It was 1,920 feet, according to MSU. The News-Leader also erroneously reported that public radio KSMU, also licensed to Missouri State University, was broadcasting from the tower.
