South Dakota stations’ tower toppled by storm

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A transmitter tower owned by Gray Television’s Sioux Falls, South Dakota, stations was heavily damaged in a storm May 12, 2022, though it has not led to any significant interruptions in the stations’ broadcasts.

Gray owns KSFY, which is the market’s ABC and CW affiliate, along with KDLT, which holds the NBC and Fox affiliations for the market.

A Dakota News Now broadcasting tower was among the many structures damaged in Thursday’s powerful storm that swept across eastern South Dakota. https://t.co/2DvzY0zg5e

— Dakota News Now (@dakotanews_now) May 13, 2022

The stations, which brand under the umbrella name of “Dakota News Now,” have remained available over the air to most viewers because the destroyed tower is only one of several the stations maintains.

Like many rural markets that cover large geographic areas, KSFY and KDLT rely on a network of translators and satellite stations to get their signal to the entire viewing area.

The tower transmitter that was destroyed was not the stations’ main facility, which is located near Rowena, South Dakota.

The damaged tower is near Salem, South Dakota. It was 1,480 feet tall and built in 1976.