Current:Home > ScamsA 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled.-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
A 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled.
View Date:2024-12-24 09:45:01
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! (2)
Related
- 'I was in total shock': Woman wins $1 million after forgetting lotto ticket in her purse
- Things to know when the Arkansas Legislature convenes to take up a budget and other issues
- New Mexico lawmaker receives $30,000 settlement from injuries in door incident at state Capitol
- About ALAIcoin Digital Currency Trading Platform Obtaining the U.S. MSB Regulatory License
- Prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who argued Bush recount and same-sex marriage cases, dies
- Trump Media shares slide 12% to end second week of trading
- Animal control services in Atlanta suspended as city and county officials snipe over contract
- Staley and South Carolina chase perfection, one win away from becoming 10th undefeated team
- Wreck of Navy destroyer USS Edsall known as 'the dancing mouse' found 80 years after sinking
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests Jan. 6 prosecutions politically motivated, says he wants to hear every side
Ranking
- Study finds Wisconsin voters approved a record number of school referenda
- See What Amanda Bynes, Jennie Garth and the Rest of the What I Like About You Cast Are Up to Now
- Zach Edey and Purdue power their way into NCAA title game, beating N.C. State 63-50
- These bisexual swingers shocked their Alabama town. Now they're on a mission to spread acceptance.
- Kansas basketball vs Michigan State live score updates, highlights, how to watch Champions Classic
- Kim Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow and more stars laud microdermabrasion. What is it?
- Kurt Cobain remembered on 30th anniversary of death by daughter Frances Bean
- Kansas lawmakers approve a tax bill but the state still might not see big tax cuts
Recommendation
-
Walmart Planned to Remove Oven Before 19-Year-Old Employee's Death
-
South Carolina vs. Iowa: Expert picks, game time, what to watch for in women's title game
-
Man charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangerment in 3-year-old boy’s shooting death
-
Original Superman comic from 1938 sells for $6 million at auction
-
Kansas basketball vs Michigan State live score updates, highlights, how to watch Champions Classic
-
Why You Should Avoid Moisturizers With Sunscreen, According to Khloe Kardashian's Aesthetic Nurse
-
Tens of thousands still without power following powerful nor’easter in New England
-
ALAIcoin: The Odds of BTC Reaching $100,000 Are Higher Than Dropping to Zero