By Tim Binnall
An Alabama radio station recently fell victim to a rather audacious heist when a group of sticky-fingered ne'er-do-wells stole their 200-foot tower and, in turn, forced them off the air. The bizarre caper reportedly came to light last Friday when Brett Elmore, the general manager of WJLX, was informed by landscapers that the critical piece of broadcasting equipment had vanished. "I have been in the radio business, around it all my life and then in it professionally for 26 years," he mused, "and I can say I have never heard of anything like this. I can say I've seen it all now."
Elmore indicated to The Guardian that he was not the only one astounded by the incident as, when he reported the theft to police, "they were just as stunned as I was. It’s unbelievable." Sadly, not only did the miscreants make off with the enormous radio tower, but they also ransacked a nearby building that belongs to the station and, in the process, stole their AM transmitter. The loss of both pieces of equipment has led to the station being taken off the air by the FCC as it is legally not allowed to broadcast by way of its still-remaining FM tower and transmitter.
The station manager understandably hopes that authorities will be able to track down the thieves and that the tower can be returned intact, since replacing it would cost somewhere around $100,000 to $150,000, which WJLX simply cannot afford. Elmore stressed that should the culprits be caught, they could face some rather stiff penalties as the radio station is FCC-licensed, which makes the heist a federal crime. In the meantime, he pledged to "work tirelessly to get this thing back up and running, one way or the other," promising to listeners that "now we’re silent, but we won’t be silent for long."