Current:Home > NewsA 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled. -PrimeFinance
A 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled.
View
Date:2025-04-15 17:35:41
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! (74)
Related
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Texas man died while hiking Grand Canyon, at least fourth at National Park in 2024
- Alex De Minaur pulls out of Wimbledon quarterfinal match vs. Novak Djokovic
- Giants on 'Hard Knocks': Inside combine interviews, teeing up Saquon Barkley exit
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Rays' Wander Franco charged with sexual abuse, exploitation of minor: report
- A look at heat records that have been broken around the world
- Seeking carbon-free power, Virginia utility considers small nuclear reactors
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- 6 Ninja Turtle Gang members arrested, 200 smuggled reptiles seized in Malaysia
Ranking
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Black man's death after Milwaukee hotel security guards pinned him to ground prompts family to call for charges
- Score 50% Off Le Creuset, 70% Off Madewell, $1 Tarte Concealer, 70% Off H&M, 65% Off Kate Spade, & More
- Gypsy Rose Blanchard pregnant soon after release from prison for conspiring to kill abusive mother
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Massachusetts ballot question would give Uber and Lyft drivers right to form a union
- Hawaii airport evacuated after grenades found in man's carry-on luggage
- Are 'gym bros' cultivating a culture of orthorexia?
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
How to get a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts for 87 cents
Forced labor, same-sex marriage and shoplifting are all on the ballot in California this November
Pritzker signs law banning health insurance companies’ ‘predatory tactics,’ including step therapy
The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
Kate Beckinsale sheds light on health troubles, reveals what 'burned a hole' in esophagus
England vs. Netherlands: What to know, how to watch UEFA Euro 2024 semifinal
Meagan Good Reveals Every Friend Was Against Jonathan Majors Romance Amid Domestic Abuse Trial