Alabama residents are left confused after a 200-foot radio tower mysteriously disappeared, leaving no trace and raising many questions.
Alabama residents baffled after 200-foot radio tower stolen without any trace
A radio station in Alabama was left stunned after discovering its 200-foot radio tower had been stolen.
The mysterious heist has baffled WJLX station staff.
They are left questioning how such a massive steel structure could vanish without a trace.
Brett Elmore, the station’s general manager, spoke with local news station WBRC about the perplexing situation.
“I’ve tried all weekend to figure it out, and I just can’t,” Elmore said.
He explained that this was his first experience after 26 years in the radio business. “I’ve seen it all now,” he added.
The discovery was made on Friday when a landscaping crew arrived at the rural site of the tower for routine maintenance.
Instead of finding the tower, they were met with a space. “The tower is gone,” Elmore was told in a phone call.
Initially, he doubted the report, but further inspection confirmed the tower’s disappearance, with wires scattered on the ground.
The thieves didn’t stop at just the tower.
According to Elmore’s Facebook post, they dismantled the structure by cutting the supporting wires and also made off with other equipment from the site.
The loss of the tower and additional equipment has dealt a heavy blow to the small radio station.
Despite the setback, Elmore is determined to rebuild.
He assured listeners that the station would work to restore the tower.
In the meantime, WJLX has obtained temporary authority from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to continue broadcasting its AM channel through alternative methods.
Elmore is also working with authorities to track down those responsible for the theft.
“This really hurts a small operation like this,” he said.
He emphasized that theft is a federal crime, and the perpetrators could face significant penalties, including fines or up to 10 years in prison.
“It absolutely will not be worth it to them,” Elmore warned.
WJLX continues its operations despite the incident.
The search for the ambitious thieves is ongoing, and the station remains hopeful for a resolution soon.
The incident quickly captured the attention of the public.
Many people were shocked by how the large tower could be stolen without anyone noticing.
Local authorities have been investigating the situation, while the station’s listeners expressed their support.
The community hopes the thieves will be caught soon.
This should be easy to solve. Junk yards/metal shops. Should be easy to spot from the air, one user said.
That looks more like someone took it back … Looks more like a equipment repossession, because scrap isn’t practically anything and nobody will buy it, the second user commented.
Low power daytime AM station. Transmitter goes on standby at night, so no one would notice they were off the air.
Since the microwave head end was probably vandalized they didn’t even know the tower was down. There is a lot of copper in that antenna draw, the third user said.
if it was a conservative radio station I wouldn’t put it past the Federal government to remove it, another wrote.