KRUN-AM 1400 in Ballinger resumed broadcasting last week, just two months after devastating storm damage forced the nearly 79-year-old station to announce it was shutting down. The station is now back on the air, though not yet at full power, as crews continue repairing transmission equipment.

“The wait is over,” KRUN announced Saturday. “KRUN 1400 IS BACK UP AND RUNNING. However, we are still working on some transmission problems and not running at full power. Thanks for your patience and understanding.”

The return marks a dramatic turnaround for the station, which announced in June that repeated storms had caused catastrophic damage to its roof, transmitter building and equipment. At the time, owner J.R. Dunn estimated repairs would cost about $125,000 and said only a “miracle” could save the station.

That miracle came from the community.

“We’re back on the air at 1400 KRUN!” the station wrote in a July 2 update. “Not at full power, but we are on the air.”

The station credited “the incredible support of our community, local businesses, organizations, and loyal listeners,” adding, “You made this possible!”

General manager Steve Everett said rebuilding efforts are still underway.

“We still have some work to finish the rebuild from the severe storm damage KRUN sustained back in May,” Everett wrote July 26, adding that the station’s online stream is also operating.

KRUN first signed on Aug. 6, 1947, and has served Ballinger and the surrounding Agri-Plex with local news, weather, agriculture, sports and country music ever since. As crews raced to restore the station, contractors replaced the roof while engineers reinstalled transmitters, consoles and miles of wiring.

“On August 6, 1947, KRUN signed on for the very first time,” the station wrote in a July 16 update. “Seventy-nine years later, we’re getting ready to sign on once again and continue serving the Agri-Plex.”

The station also announced plans for a countywide fundraiser led by local businesses, civic groups and residents to help complete the rebuild.

Along the way, workers uncovered a piece of the station’s history: the original KRUN call letters painted on the exterior wall of its 1950s transmitter building.

“I stopped and realized KRUN had been on the air for just 21 years when I started in 1968,” Everett wrote. “I think my whole life has been surrounded by this building and I’ve loved every minute of it.”

Everett also reflected on the unlikely comeback.

“After we all thought it was dead, closed, and forgotten, God showed us no prayer is too big to be asked for,” he wrote. “Don’t be afraid to pray big and ask God to help do things that seem impossible.”