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Ozarks Public Television returns to full power

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Nearly two years after a KOZK-TV broadcast tower collapsed in Fordland, Ozarks Public Television has returned to a full-power operation.

Missouri State University, which owns OPT, announced Tuesday in a news release that KOZK established a permanent, full-power space on a KYTV-owned tower in Fordland. MSU began leasing space on the tower in July 2018, three months after the accident involving the separate KOZK-owned tower killed one worker and hospitalized three others, according to past reporting.

OPT is the MSU licensee for KOZK, according to its website. OPT broadcasts on the KOZK signal.

Suzanne Shaw, MSU’s vice president of marketing and communications, said the move to restore operations included the installation and purchase of a new antenna, transmission lines and other equipment changes, which cost roughly $970,000.

MSU will lease the space on the tower owned by KYTV for $15,000 a month – an increase from the previous rent of $10,000, Shaw said. The new connection on the tower is higher up than the previous space, she added.

“We’re grateful for the community support we have received as we worked through this challenge,” OPT General Manager Tammy Wiley said in the release. “From our viewers and members across the Ozarks, to our friends and partners at KYTV – this community has shown such tremendous support for the mission of public television.”

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