“Did you see the 200 foot tower go by?”
That’s the question WJLX general manager Brett Elmore is asking everyone after thieves made off with his radio station’s AM tower last week, forcing the station to shut down.
The Jasper, Alabama, station has been ordered off the air by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as authorities continue to investigate how and why the heavy steel structure suddenly disappeared.
“All the years I’ve been in the business, around the business, everything like that, I’ve never seen anything like this,” Elmore told The Post.
“You don’t hear of a 200-foot tower being stolen,” he added.”
Although the self-proclaimed “Sound of Walker County” still has an FM transmitter and tower, it is not allowed to operate while the AM station is off the air, according to the FCC.
“Even though this is an extraordinary situation, they still won’t let us do that even though we are the only voice in this community,” Elmore said, adding that Walker County has a population of about 68,000 people.
Station general manager Brett Elmore said he did not know how the thieves got away with the tower. WBRC FOX6 News
The strange theft has had a huge impact on the station – which has been on the air since the mid-1950s – and the community it serves, he told The Post.
“This is a matter of safety. If something [significant] happens, listeners listen and we won’t be there,” he said.
“With our station being discontinued, the community has lost its sound and lost its voice.”
Replacing the tower could cost the station between $60,000 and $100,000, Elmore told The Post, adding that the station’s grounds are not insured for theft.
According to the radio station, they are temporarily shutting down their FM tower, but will continue to broadcast online.WBRC FOX6 News
The theft was discovered on February 2, when a maintenance crew arrived to carry out some work on site. The radio tower was previously located in a wooded area, behind a local chicken factory.
According to Elmore, the thieves dismantled the tower by cutting the wires that held it together and also stole other equipment from the property. He said bandits also stole the station’s AM transmitter from a nearby building.
Elmore immediately reported the theft, but said that the local police were equally surprised by the brazen robbery. The thief is believed to have stolen the tower to be sold as scrap metal.
“With our station being discontinued, the community has lost its sound and lost its voice,” Elmore said. WBRC FOX6 News
If caught, the suspect can be fined or imprisoned for up to 10 years.
“The police have seen some video footage but there are no new developments as far as I know,” Elmore said.
Jasper police spokeswoman Rachel Karr confirmed today that authorities are investigating the incident. In a statement, police said the theft was reported to police on February 2, but the date and time of the crime is unknown. Police are looking for tips from the public.
News of the tower theft quickly went viral and Elmore is now trying to capitalize on it by starting a GoFundMe page to raise money for a replacement tower. It had raised more than $1,300 as of Friday afternoon.
“It’s amazing that a 200-foot tower could be gone but it’s also very tragic because it hits small businesses and small communities where local radio is so viable,” he said.
For that reason, Elmore insists that the new tower will be protected with gates, locks and cameras.
“I will spare no expense to make Alcatraz look like it has seen nothing [compared to our facility],” he added.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
