Current:Home > ScamsA 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled. -ProfitPioneers Hub
A 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled.
View
Date:2025-04-27 13:54:09
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! (94461)
Related
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Goshdarnit, 'The Golden Bachelor' is actually really good
- Becky G says this 'Esquinas' song makes her 'bawl my eyes out' every time she sings it
- Desert Bats Face the Growing, Twin Threats of White-Nose Syndrome and Wind Turbines
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- A Florida man who shot down a law enforcement drone faces 10 years in prison
- Michael B. Jordan Reunites With Steve Harvey Over a Year After Lori Harvey Breakup
- How to make sense of the country's stunningly strong job market
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- DJ Moore might be 'pissed' after huge night, but Chicago Bears couldn't be much happier
Ranking
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Puerto Rican man who bred dogs for illegal fighting for decades sentenced to 7 years in prison
- UK’s opposition Labour Party gets a boost from a special election victory in Scotland
- Biden says a meeting with Xi on sidelines of November APEC summit in San Francisco is a possibility
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- An Airbnb renter allegedly overstayed more than 520 days without paying – but says the homeowner owes her money
- Giving birth in a war zone: The struggles of many Syrian mothers
- Boy thrown from ride at Virginia state fair hospitalized in latest amusement park accident
Recommendation
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
'The Exorcist: Believer' is possessed by the familiar
Trump moves to temporarily dismiss $500 million lawsuit against Michael Cohen
Georgia Power will pay $413 million to settle lawsuit over nuclear reactor cost overruns
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
Montez Ford: Street Profits want to reassert themselves in WWE, talks Jade Cargill signing
Dancing With the Stars' Mark Ballas and Wife BC Jean Share Miscarriage Story in Moving Song
Chris Hemsworth Shares Lifestyle Changes After Learning of Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease