The station's tower is stolen! No, really!

[jswordy]

An Alabama radio station has been forced to temporarily shut down after thieves stole a 200ft radio tower.

WJLX, a station in Jasper, Alabama, was ordered to go off air by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after thieves took the station’s AM tower last week, the Guardian first learned.

“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, told the Guardian.

“You don’t hear of a 200ft tower being stolen,” he added.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...Yf_GQ1vErbqxhZF_dugS0m_E6jfwUt3JHIQyEN5k23ucU

 

[Christopher Anderson]

An Alabama radio station has been forced to temporarily shut down after thieves stole a 200ft radio tower.

WJLX, a station in Jasper, Alabama, was ordered to go off air by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after thieves took the station’s AM tower last week, the Guardian first learned.

“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, told the Guardian.

“You don’t hear of a 200ft tower being stolen,” he added.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...Yf_GQ1vErbqxhZF_dugS0m_E6jfwUt3JHIQyEN5k23ucU

being a broadcaster, thefts of equipment occurs often. BUT A TOWER!!!! Castration for the culprits.

 

[jswordy]

being a broadcaster, thefts of equipment occurs often. BUT A TOWER!!!! Castration for the culprits.

I was in radio awhile. Nobody could touch our stuff or the cops and the engineer got a SCADA call. Same with malfunctions; instant SCADA call to the engineer. He had a razor-wire topped fence around it all and all the intrusion sensors he could fit. Is yours set up like that? When you're selling air, downtime is money. But we were 50 Kw, and this is a lil 1 Kw outfit. They are still streaming online. Still, my question is, how the heck did they think they were still broadcasting? And REALLY? It was discovered by a landscaping crew? And it wasn't even insured. I feel for them losing the FM translator. I'm sure that's what was paying the bills. I see they set up a Go Fund Me.

https://www.radioworld.com/news-and...o-rebuild-after-having-its-radio-tower-stolen

 

[Christopher Anderson]

I was in radio awhile. Nobody could touch our stuff or the cops and the engineer got a SCADA call. Same with malfunctions; instant SCADA call to the engineer. He had a razor-wire topped fence around it all and all the intrusion sensors he could fit. Is yours set up like that? When you're selling air, downtime is money. But we were 50 Kw, and this is a lil 1 Kw outfit. They are still streaming online. Still, my question is, how the heck did they think they were still broadcasting? And REALLY? It was discovered by a landscaping crew? And it wasn't even insured. I feel for them losing the FM translator. I'm sure that's what was paying the bills. I see they set up a Go Fund Me.

https://www.radioworld.com/news-and...o-rebuild-after-having-its-radio-tower-stolen

I am a broadcast engineer. I work for a major network. Owned and operated. Full power. But I also handle low powered on the side. TV and Radio. Most, not all, are colocated on major towers. But a few are isolated and usually broke. Hanging on by threads, they sometimes take months to pay bills (me). So their sites are weakly protected. One had all their copper and equipment stolen. They went out of business.
I had recommended a simple internet security and camera for a few $100 and monitor for $10 a month. It was denied. Their choice.