Current:Home > Scams200-foot radio station tower stolen without a trace in Alabama, silencing small town’s voice-InfoLens
200-foot radio station tower stolen without a trace in Alabama, silencing small town’s voice
View Date:2024-12-23 10:35:14
JASPER, Ala. (AP) — The theft of a giant radio tower has silenced what used to be the voice of a small Alabama town and the surrounding county, the radio station’s general manager said.
A thief or thieves made off with the 200-foot (61 meter) tower, shutting down WJLX radio in Jasper, Alabama. So far, no arrests have been made.
“The slogan of our station is the sound of Walker County, and right now with our station down, the community has lost its sound and lost its voice,” WJLX General Manager Brett Elmore told The Associated Press. “This hurts, and it hurts our community.”
The theft was discovered Feb. 2, when a maintenance crew arrived in the wooded area where the tower once stood and found it gone. They also found that every piece of broadcasting equipment stored in a nearby building had also been stolen.
“To break into my building and steal all my equipment, and the tower?,” Elmore said. “Hell, leave me the tower — that’s the most expensive thing to replace.”
Elmore said he suspects that the tower’s guy wire was cut first, which would have brought the structure to the ground. Then he believes it was cut into smaller pieces and hauled away. “Some pretty simple tools you could get from Home Depot could cut this up in no time,” he said.
The station had no insurance on the tower or the equipment, and he estimates that it will take $60,000 to $100,000 to rebuild. “We’re a small market, and we don’t have that kind of money,” he said.
Elmore has heard from people around the nation hoping to help, and a GoFundMe page has been launched online to raise donations. He said he was reluctant to start the fundraiser, but a friend told him to put his pride aside if people are willing to help. More than $1,100 had been raised by early Friday afternoon.
The A.M. station has been on the air since the mid-1950s, and Elmore’s quarter-century in the radio business carries on work his father did at the station before him.
“It’s more than a job and radio,” he said. “This is just a part of who I am.”
Jasper police are investigating, Elmore said. A police department representative didn’t immediately return a message on Friday.
Elmore now hopes to somehow get back on the air.
“We’re going to make it,” he said. “I have to keep the faith that we’re going to make it.”
veryGood! (5294)
Related
- We Can Tell You How to Get to Sesame Street—and Even More Secrets About the Beloved Show
- Why Devastated Jennifer Lopez Is Canceling Her Tour
- Actor Nick Pasqual Arrested for Attempted Murder After Makeup Artist Allie Shehorn Attack
- Power conferences join ACC in asking a Florida court to keep the league’s TV deals with ESPN private
- Inflation ticked up in October, CPI report shows. What happens next with interest rates?
- Here's Johnny! Buzzy slasher movie 'In a Violent Nature' unleashes a gory kill to die for
- Supreme Court sides with NRA in free speech dispute with New York regulator
- DNA from fork leads to arrest of Florida man 15 years after uncle killed in NYC
- Kentucky gets early signature win at Champions Classic against Duke | Opinion
- Answers to your questions about Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial conviction
Ranking
- Georgia House Republicans stick with leadership team for the next two years
- Vermont becomes 1st state to enact law requiring oil companies pay for damage from climate change
- Know what dreamscrolling is? You're probably doing it.
- Emotions expected to run high during sentencing of woman in case of missing mom Jennifer Dulos
- RHOBH's Kyle Richards Shares Reaction to BFF Teddi Mellencamp's Divorce
- Chicago watchdog sounds alarm on police crowd control tactics during Democratic convention
- NCAA baseball tournament bracket, schedule, format on road to College World Series
- Air National Guard unit that was suspended after classified documents leak will restart mission
Recommendation
-
The Daily Money: All about 'Doge.'
-
Elon Musk sees another big advisory firm come out against his multibillion dollar pay package
-
Master the Sunset Blush Trend: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Summer 2024's Hottest Makeup Look
-
NCAA, states reach agreement in lawsuit to permanently allow multiple-transfer athletes to compete
-
Maryland man wanted after 'extensive collection' of 3D-printed ghost guns found at his home
-
Seattle police chief dismissed amid gender, racial discrimination lawsuits
-
Sen. Joe Manchin leaves Democratic Party, registers as an independent
-
Sofía Vergara Reveals How She'll Recycle Tattoo of Ex Joe Manganiello