WJLX General Manager Brett Elmore told The Associated Press, “Our station’s slogan is the sound of Walker County, and right now with our station down, the community has lost its sound and its voice. “This is hurtful, and our community is hurt by it.”
It’s unknown if the theft was motivated by anything other than money. According to its website, the station transmits local, state, and national news as well as sports, and plays vintage popular music and “oldies.”
When a maintenance team arrived in the wooded area where the tower formerly stood on February 2, they realized it had been stolen. It was also discovered that all of the broadcasting equipment kept in a nearby facility had been pilfered.
“To enter my building and take something”
Elmore has received offers of assistance from people all throughout the country, and an online GoFundMe page has been set up to solicit money. He claimed that although he was hesitant to launch the campaign, a friend advised him to swallow his pride if people were eager to contribute. By early Friday afternoon, more than $1,100 had been raised.
The AM station began broadcasting in the middle of the 1950s, and Elmore’s 25 years in the radio industry continue the job his father started at the station before him.
“It goes beyond just a job and radio,” he remarked. “This simply is a portion of who I am.”
Police in Jasper are looking into it, a spokesperson named Rachel Karr said on Friday. Police said in a statement that they were notified of the crime on
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