Radio station forced to go off air in US after thieves steal 200ft transmission tower

A radio station had to go off air in US after thieves reportedly stole their 200ft transmission tower last week. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered the WJLX station, based out of Alabama, to shut down their radio channel after thieves took the station’s AM tower.

“In all my years of being in the business, around the business, everything like that, I have never seen anything like this,” WJLX’s general manager, Brett Elmore, was quoted as saying by the Guardian. “You don’t hear of a 200ft tower being stolen,” he added.

Elmore said he was first informed about the alleged theft by a landscaping crew that regularly manages the area nearby the tower. “They called me and said the tower was gone. And I said, ‘What do you mean, the tower is gone?’” Elmore said.

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As per Elmore, police were also left stunned as he reported the theft of the 200ft tower. “They were just as stunned as I was. It’s unbelievable,” he said.

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Elmore said the property was not insured and the company would need “$100,000 to $150,000” to replace the stolen tower, which he said was “more money than we have”.

The station still has its FM transmitter and tower intact but they are not allowed to operate while AM station is off the air. Notably, AM radio is broadcast between 540 and 1600 kilohertz, while FM radio is broadcast between 88.1 and 108.1 megahertz.

“This is a huge loss,” Elmore said. “People have reached out and asked how they can help, but I don’t know how you can help unless you have a 200ft tower and an AM transmitter.”

Since the theft took place, people in the area have come up with different theories as to what happened to the tower.

“I had a guy from Virginia call yesterday and say, ‘You know, I think a helicopter grabbed [the tower],’” Elmore said.

(With inputs from agencies)