Alabama radio station is left baffled after thieves steal 200-FOOT radio tower – and leave no trace
- Landscaping crews arrived at the WJLX tower last Friday to find that thieves had dismantled the structure and made off
- Station manager Brett Elmore said he has never heard of such a thing because the theft affected the station’s AM signal.
- WJLX is now working with the FCC to receive temporary permission to continue their AM over other channels while they rebuild the signal
An Alabama radio station was left scratching its head after thieves managed to make off with a 200-foot radio tower.
WJLX’s AM station signal has been significantly affected by the theft, which first came to light after a landscaping crew went to the tower site to clear the area.
Once they arrived, the team discovered that the thieves had managed to dismantle the building, which provides radio to the people of Walker County, and made off.
Station manager Brett Elmore shared WBRC: ‘When he arrived, he called me on Friday and said: ‘the tower is gone.’ I said what do you mean the tower is gone.
“Are you sure you’re in the right place, you know. He said: ‘the tower is gone. There are wires everywhere and it’s gone.’
Landscaping crews arrived at the WJLX pole, seen here last Friday, to find that thieves had dismantled the structure and made off
Station manager Brett Elmore said he was hopeful authorities could find those responsible
Elmore added, “I’ve been trying to figure it out all weekend, but I just can’t.
“I’ve been in radio all my life, and then professionally for 26 years, and I can say I’ve never heard of anything like this. I can say I’ve seen it all now.’
According to Elmore, the station is now working with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to obtain temporary permission to continue their AM on other channels while they rebuild the signal.
He added: ‘This really hurts in a small operation like this, but like I said, I believe we will find out who did this. It’s a federal crime and it’s definitely not going to be worth it to them.”
It comes just two weeks after an Oklahoma radio station was taken off the air after thieves stole $100 worth of copper from a radio tower.
Will Payne, of Payne Media Group, said newson6 that the thieves caused half a million dollars in damage to the mast while stripping the metal.
He told the outlet, “They used wire cutters or something similar, and they just cut the lead wires on the top part, and then it folded and hit the ground.”
According to Payne, the channel went off the air unexpectedly last month, which he thought was due to bad weather, but he went to check it out the next morning.
Payne said, “I drove a little bit closer, I saw the door was busted open, saw a few other things and at that point I just backed up and called the sheriff’s department.”
He added that the thieves made off with 80 to 100 feet of copper, saying, “We need to be able to reach the citizens of and with life-saving information, and you unnecessarily took our voice off the air, requiring $100 worth of copper, shame on you.’