Radio engineer Evan Adkins called Kindred Communications president Mike Kirtner Thursday after a transmission line to 93.7 WDGG (FM) was sliced in broad daylight. The 100,000‑watt country outlet, branded “The Dawg,” lost its Class C1 signal when suspect Paul Crisp dragged the copper‑laden cable from the tower near the Ohio River bridge to his home and cut it into pieces. Authorities recovered the fragments and arrested Crisp.

With the main line gone, Kirtner forced WDGG onto a backup transmitter and an auxiliary antenna, throttling power to roughly 10 watts. The pressurized coax, costing up to $160 per foot, cannot be simply spliced; Kirtner estimates repairs between $70,000 and $100,000, roughly $80,000. Engineering director Adkins is coordinating insurance claims and labor and sourcing an alternative feed route.

The outage sparked an outpouring from the tri‑state community for local listeners that relies on Kirtner’s locally owned stations for events like “9th Street Live” and the annual Dawg Dazzle fireworks. While the tower crew inspects the antenna for damage, Kirtner hopes to restore a direct transmission path by Friday, June 5, acknowledging that full power may take longer soon.