Current:Home > NewsA 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled. -Wealth Momentum Network
A 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled.
View
Date:2025-04-18 01:44:41
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! (8)
Related
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Matty Healy Reveals If He's Listened to Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Department
- 8 years after the National Enquirer’s deal with Donald Trump, the iconic tabloid is limping badly
- U.S. labor secretary says UAW win at Tennessee Volkswagen plant shows southern workers back unions
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- US births fell last year, marking an end to the late pandemic rebound, experts say
- The Masked Singer Marks Actress' Triumphant Return After Near-Death Experience
- Doctors perform first-ever combined heart pump and pig kidney transplant
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Eminem’s Daughter Hailie Jade Shares Beautiful Glimpse Inside Her Home
Ranking
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- The dual challenge of the sandwich generation: Raising children while caring for aging parents
- Authorities confirm 2nd victim of ex-Washington officer was 17-year-old with whom he had a baby
- Gerry Turner's daughter criticizes fans' response to 'Golden Bachelor' divorce: 'Disheartening'
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Tennessee House kills bill that would have banned local officials from studying, funding reparations
- Met Gala: Everything to know about fashion's biggest night – and the sleeping beauties theme
- Charlie Woods attempting to qualify for 2024 US Open at Florida event
Recommendation
Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
Why Cleveland Browns don't have first-round pick in NFL draft (again), and who joins them
Flint, Michigan, residents call on Biden to pay for decade-old federal failures in water crisis
Why the U.S. is investigating the ultra-Orthodox Israeli army battalion Netzah Yehuda
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
Christina Applegate Explains Why She’s Wearing Adult Diapers After Sapovirus Diagnosis
Tesla Fell Behind, Then Leapt Ahead of ExxonMobil in Market Value This Week
Utah hockey fans welcome the former Arizona Coyotes to their new home