Diane KrauthamerPhoto for illustration
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 21:53
A local radio station from the American state of Alabama is temporarily off the air due to the theft of a sixty-meter-high transmission tower. The disappearance was discovered by gardeners who maintain the area around the tower. “They called me and said the cell tower is gone. I said, ‘What do you mean the cell tower is gone?'” the radio station’s general manager told The Guardian.
This concerns the transmission tower of the radio station WJLX from Jasper. The tower was located in a wooded area, behind a poultry farm. According to the director, thieves cut the cables of the mast and removed it. The medium wave transmitting equipment was taken from a building a little further away (AM) stolen.
The theft has major consequences for the small radio station. According to the director, the mast was not insured. A new mast would cost him $100,000 to $150,000.
Support
The radio station must remain off the air for the time being. Although the necessities to broadcast on the FM frequency are still there, this is not allowed when the AM transmitter is off the air. The FCC, the American telecommunications regulator, does not want to make an exception.
The story is widely shared in the United States and the director can count on a lot of support. “Many people have called me to ask if they can help,” he told The Guardian. “But unless you have a sixty-meter high transmission tower and a medium wave transmitter at home, I wouldn’t know how.”
2024-02-09 20:53:42
#Unknowns #steal #meter #high #transmission #tower #Alabama #mast
