Waikato airwaves go quiet after mast ripped out of ground

Repairs to the toppled transmission mast near Cambridge, in Waikato, will begin today. Photo/Supplied

Repairs will today begin on a Waikato radio transmission mast ripped out of the ground in fierce wind.

However, it remains unclear if music will return to the airwaves today.

It was suspected a tornado was to blame for the top three sections of the mast toppling over yesterday afternoon, cutting access to radio stations including Hauraki, Coast, ZM and ZBFM. Several MediaWorks stations, including The Rock, are also affected.

Just a small portion of the transmission mast remains in the ground after either a tornado or strong winds ripped it out yesterday. Photo/Supplied

Repairs will begin today but it is unclear when they will be completed.

ZM, Coast, Hauraki and ZB (FM) can be listened to online via iheartradio.co.nz.

NewstalkZB is still on air on 1296 AM or iHeart Radio.

A MediaWorks spokesperson told Newshub they hoped to get back to normal today.

"In the meantime, Waikato listeners can tune to MediaWorks radio stations via the Rova app," the spokesperson said.

The transmission mast on its side.