KMOX Stays On Air to Deliver Coverage During Tornado Strike

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, May 22, 2025 | 10:39am CT

KMOX-FM in St. Louis

As a powerful EF-3 tornado tore through the western suburbs of St. Louis last weekend, KMOX-FM remained a critical source of information and comfort to residents, thanks to the swift action of its staff and engineers.

With storm clouds looming and emergency alerts escalating, KMOX engineer Kyle Hammer was already monitoring a transmitter site that lost commercial power and switched to generator backup. Just 35 minutes later, the storm struck the KMOX transmitter site directly, knocking out FM service as the tornado left a path of severe destruction and plunged the area into darkness. Remarkably, the AM signal remained on the air.

Once conditions were safe enough, Hammer embarked on a three-mile journey that took over an hour and a half due to impassable roads strewn with fallen trees and downed power lines. Upon reaching the damaged site, he successfully restored power and brought the FM signal back online.

"I want to give a huge shout-out to the entire team at KMOX for outstanding, minute-by-minute coverage on the storms," said Becky Domyan, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy St. Louis and Wichita. "I can't reiterate how much this information was life-saving, and big kudos to News Brand Manager Beth Coghlan for leading her team through this calmly and accurately."

Domyan recounted her own terrifying experience during the storm. "I actually was driving on Mason Road near Lindbergh when it hit, and I have driven through storms many times," she said. "For the first time in my life, in this situation, I was terrified. At that moment, I tuned into KMOX to get an idea of where the storm was, so I knew what I needed to do to be safe."

She continued, "In times like this, we are there to provide information that truly saves lives. I couldn't be prouder of everyone on our team."

Audacy praised the KMOX team's efforts in remaining operational during a natural disaster, ensuring the community received vital updates when they were needed most.