Ice falling from WEYI‘s transmission tower after a weekend ice storm knocked the Flint, MI, NBC affiliate’s local news off the air Saturday.
The station told viewers via facebook that it was shutting down over safety concerns. “To our NBC 25 viewers: Due to the severe threat of falling ice at NBC 25’s broadcast studios, we will not be airing any newscasts Saturday. Our primary concern is for the safety of our employees.”
Meteorologist Jason Adams posted an explanation of what happened with a picture (left), “The tower goes up over 1000 feet. The top is supposed to be orange and white, like the bottom, but the ice was too thick that high to see it.”
The station aired its regular programming including network news. It was back on-air for Sunday’s 6:00 p.m.
To give viewers perspective, the station posted a shot of Adams lying down next to a piece of ice that fell from the tower. “This is why we canceled our shows Saturday. Simply too dangerous for our staff. Pieces of ice are longer than Jason! Some measured at nearly 8 feet!”
To the left is another shot with holes from falling ice evident in the snow.