15 years ago Thursday: WIFR tower goes down

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - July 5, 2003, will forever go down as one of the most impactful days in the history of WIFR. On that day, the 731 foot TV tower at the station fell during a storm.

Thunderstorms that Saturday morning produced a microburst that knocked over the tower. No one was hurt but WIFR was unable to transmit over the air for months.

Ground was broken on the new tower on September 23 of that year and by October 30, WIFR returned to full power.