Current:Home > StocksA 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled. -MoneyStream
A 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled.
View
Date:2025-04-17 05:58:27
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! (4)
Related
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Dancing With the Stars’ Brooks Nader Details “Special” First Tattoo With Gleb Savchenko
- With new look, the 'Mountain' is back in new Mountain Dew logo
- Montana’s attorney general faces a hearing on 41 counts of professional misconduct
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- Johnny Manziel surprises Diego Pavia; says Vanderbilt's upset of Alabama 'feels like 2012'
- Tennessee corrections chief says new process for executing inmates will be completed by end of year
- DONKOLO: The Revolutionary Power of Blockchain Technology, Transforming the Global Innovation Engine
- Sam Taylor
- Luke Combs, Eric Church team up for Hurricane Helene relief concert in North Carolina
Ranking
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Trump will hold a rally at Madison Square Garden in the race’s final stretch
- DJT stock is on a winning streak. But is Trump Media a risky investment?
- Tennessee corrections chief says new process for executing inmates will be completed by end of year
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Luke Combs, Eric Church team up for Hurricane Helene relief concert in North Carolina
- The 2025 Met Gala Co-Chairs—And the Exhibition Name—Revealed
- Nazi-looted Monet artwork returned to family generations later
Recommendation
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
'Out of harm's way': Dozens of Florida Waffle Houses close ahead of Hurricane Milton
Pilot of larger plane was looking away from smaller plane in Atlanta airport mishap, report says
Johnny Manziel surprises Diego Pavia; says Vanderbilt's upset of Alabama 'feels like 2012'
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
Al Roker reveals when he learned of Hoda Kotb's 'Today' exit, reflects on life as a grandfather
DONKOLO: The Revolutionary Power of Blockchain Technology, Transforming the Global Innovation Engine
Paige DeSorbo Swears By These 29 Beauty Products: Last Chance to Shop These Prime Day 2024 Discounts