Current:Home > reviewsA 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled. -Wealth Axis Pro
A 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled.
View
Date:2025-04-17 06:41:18
A 200-foot radio tower in Alabama was stolen and has gone missing without a trace, taking down an AM station with it. The crime left the station's radio manager and police blown away and confused, according to media outlets.
“I have tried all weekend to figure it out, and I just can’t," Brett Elmore, the station's general manager of WJLX’s AM Station in Jasper, Alabama, said in a statement. "I have been in the radio business, around it all my life and then in it professionally for 26 years, and I can say I have never heard of anything like this. I can say I’ve seen it all now.”
According to the statement, Elmore learned about the theft of WJLX's tower on last Friday. A landscaping company went down to the tower on Feb. 2, which was located in a wooded area behind a local poultry plant, reports the Guardian, to clean up the property. But when they got there, they realized someone else had done it and taken way more than they needed to.
According to the Guardian, Elmore believes the thieves stole the tower to make money off selling the metal.
The GM told the Guardian that around six months ago, a different station that was close by had an AC unit, copper pipes, and other materials stolen from them. Elmore is not sure if the two are connected.
When speaking with the media outlet, Elmore added that Jasper has always supported its local stations.
"The sad part is that Jasper has always been a radio town," he told the Guardian.
More radio news:Radio crew's 'bathwater' stunt leads to Jacob Elordi being accused of assault in Australia
Radio tower stolen: How much will it cost to replace?
The station has started a GoFundMe to help recuperate the cost of the tower.
Since the property wasn't insured, Elmore believes it would cost $60,000 to replace the tower, according to a statement on the station's GoFundMe.
It's "more money than we have," he told the Guardian.
So far, they have raised $766 out of the $60,000 required.
"This is a major setback for a small operation like ours," said Elmore in a statement. "But I have faith that we will uncover the culprits. This is a federal crime, and they will realize it wasn’t worth it.”
Radio silent: Station forced off-air due to reported theft
On the station's website, it reports that it was trying to work with the FCC for temporary authority to continue business as usual on FM radio while they rebuild their tower and get back onto the AM side of the radio
But Thursday morning, the FCC told them they would not be allowed to broadcast. While the station does have an FM transmitter and tower, the FCC said they would have to go off the air since it isn't allowed to operate on the FM side of things while their AM station is off-air, reports the Guardian.
“Now we’re silent, but we won’t be silent for long," Elmore said to the Guardian. "I’m gonna work tirelessly to get this thing back up and running, one way or the other.”
It's unclear how long the rebuild process will actually take, Alabama news outlet WSFA reports. According to a statement given to WSFA by the radio station, they did shut down their FM tower, but the station will continue to its broadcast online.
Investigation into stolen radio tower underway
The Guardian says Elmore is still hopeful that more will be revealed, either on surveillance video from the poultry factory or a witness who worked at the plant and saw what happened.
In the station's statement, they confirmed that the Jasper Police Department is investigating the tower theft.
They're urging anyone with information regarding the incident to contact either JPD at 205-221-2122 or Crime Stoppers at 205-221-505.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Concorde supersonic jet will return to New York’s Intrepid Museum after seven-month facelift
- Love Is Blind’s Jimmy and Chelsea Reveal Their Relationship Status After Calling Off Wedding
- California Votes to Consider Health and Environment in Future Energy Planning
- Trump's 'stop
- Meg Ryan Isn't Faking Her Love For Her Latest Red Carpet Look
- Man convicted in Southern California slayings of his 4 children and their grandmother in 2021
- Former NFL coach Jon Gruden lands advisory role with football team in Italy
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Biden team, UnitedHealth struggle to restore paralyzed billing systems after cyberattack
Ranking
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Utah prison discriminated against transgender woman, Department of Justice finds
- Olivia Munn Shares She Underwent Double Mastectomy Amid Breast Cancer Battle
- Elijah Vue: What to know about the missing Wisconsin 3 year old last seen in February
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Photographer Addresses Report About 2021 Picture
- Major snowstorm hits Colorado, closing schools, government offices and highways
- Viral bald eagle parents' eggs unlikely to hatch – even as they continue taking turns keeping them warm
Recommendation
Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
Powerball winning numbers for March 13, 2024 drawing: Jackpot up to $600 million
Drake Bell Shares He Was Sexually Abused at 15
Star Wars’ Child Actor Jake Lloyd in Mental Health Facility After Suffering Psychotic Break
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
Powerball winning numbers for March 13, 2024 drawing: Jackpot up to $600 million
You Have to See Kristen Stewart's Bold Dominatrix-Style Look
Ukrainian ministers ‘optimistic’ about securing U.S. aid, call for repossession of Russian assets