Current:Home > StocksA 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled. -Wealth Navigators Hub
A 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled.
View
Date:2025-04-16 12:03:06
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! (5)
Related
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Coast Guard searching for Carnival cruise ship passenger who went overboard
- Women Are Less Likely to Buy Electric Vehicles Than Men. Here’s What’s Holding Them Back
- Megan Fox's Bikini Photo Shoot on a Tree Gets Machine Gun Kelly All Fired Up
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- U.S. cruises to 3-0 win over Vietnam in its Women's World Cup opener
- Young dolphin that had just learned to live without its mother found dead on New Hampshire shore
- Companies Object to Proposed SEC Rule Requiring Them to Track Emissions Up and Down Their Supply Chains
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- German Leaders Promise That New Liquefied Gas Terminals Have a Green Future, but Clean Energy Experts Are Skeptical
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Proof Patrick and Brittany Mahomes' Daughter Sterling Is Already a Natural Athlete
- Banks Say They’re Acting on Climate, But Continue to Finance Fossil Fuel Expansion
- Kate Middleton Turns Heads in Chic Tennis Ball Green Dress at Wimbledon 2023
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Shell Refinery Unit Had History of Malfunctions Before Fire
- Biden Power Plant Plan Gives Industry Time, Options for Cutting Climate Pollution
- Illinois Launches Long-Awaited Job-Training Programs in the Clean Energy and Construction Sectors
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
To Reduce Mortality From High Heat in Cities, a New Study Recommends Trees
Coast Guard searching for Carnival cruise ship passenger who went overboard
Ukrainian soldiers play soccer just miles from the front line as grueling counteroffensive continues
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
Stanley Tucci Addresses 21-Year Age Gap With Wife Felicity Blunt
Maralee Nichols Shares Glimpse Inside Adventures With Her and Tristan Thompson's Son Theo
Vanderpump Rules' Raquel Leviss Leaves Mental Health Facility After 2 Months