FLC OF B727 IS CLRED FOR TKOF BUT TAXIING TOWARD THE THRESHOLD THEY HEAR; THEN SEE A PIPER SENECA AT 25 FT ON TKOF IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. UNABLE TO CONTACT TWR.

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TAXIING FOR TKOF; RWY 32. SEBOUND ON TXWY A; APCHING HOLD SHORT LINE; ATCT CLRED US FOR 'TKOF RWY 32; TURN L HDG 260 DEGS.' THE FO (PNF) REPEATED THE CLRNC; I REPEATED THE ASSIGNED HEADING; CALLED 'CLR FINAL; CLRED FOR TKOF; POS AND ROLLING ITEMS.' THE FE BEGAN THE CHKLIST ITEMS; AND THE FO CALLED 'CLR R.' AS WE CROSSED THE HOLD SHORT LINE TOWARDS THE THRESHOLD; I HEARD ENG NOISE; AND SIMULTANEOUSLY SAW A PIPER SENECA AT 25-30 FT; FLYING R TO L DOWN THE RWY; OBVIOUSLY JUST TAKING OFF. WE HAD SEEN THIS ACFT HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 32/14 AT TXWY D. HE APPEARED TO BE RUNNING UP; NOSE TO THE NW. I DON'T KNOW IF HE GOT CONFUSED AND TOOK OFF THE WRONG WAY; OR IF THE TWR CLRED HIM FOR TKOF RWY 14 FROM THE INTXN. THE CTLR WAS VERY BUSY; LCL AND GND WERE COMBINED. ACFT WERE LNDG RWY 14; TAKING OFF RWY 32. I DON'T THINK THE CTLR EVEN NOTICED. FROM MY SEAT (L); AT OUR ANGLE TO THE RWY; I COULDN'T SEE THE RWY TO OUR R MORE THAN ABOUT 50-75 FT. I WAS DEPENDING ON THE FO TO CLR THAT SIDE. WE GOT COMPLACENT IN THE ATC ENVIRONMENT. SINGLING UP (ONE ATC CTLR OPERATING MORE THAN ONE POS) IS A PROB IN MANY FACILITIES; INCLUDING OUR HOME BASE OKC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THEY INTENDED TO QUERY THE TWR REGARDING THE PROB; BUT THE FREQ WAS VERY BUSY AND THEY DECIDED TO WAIT UNTIL THEY GOT TO THEIR DEST. WHEN THEY ARRIVED; THEY WERE ASSIGNED A TURN AROUND AND THERE WAS NO TIME TO CONTACT THE TWR. RPTR WAS A CTLR AT ONE TIME AND WAS SURE THE TWR WAS 'SINGLED UP' ON POS; GND AND LCL. RPTR KNOWS THAT FOR EVERY XMISSION THERE MAY BE PHONE CALLS AS WELL AND CTLR IS QUITE BUSY. RPTR FEELS THERE IS TOO MUCH OF THIS OCCURRING AND SOME TIMES THE CTLR EVEN WORKS CLRNC DELIVERY AT THE SAME TIME. THIS MAY MAKE ECONOMIC SENSE BUT IS AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE OP. AEX IS A CONTRACT TWR WHICH OCCURRED WHEN THE FORMER MIL BASE WAS CLOSED AND THE CITY OR COUNTY TOOK OVER OP OF THE ARPT. RPTR IS ADAMANT THAT THE PROB IS NOT THE INDIVIDUAL CTLR; BUT THE MGMNT WHO ARE TRYING TO KEEP COST DOWN AT THE EXPENSE OF SAFETY. ACFT WAS A B727.