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WJLX 200' tower reported stolen

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If the AM side is off, then the relay must cease from broadcasting. If the relay is still on, he's breaking the law. My engineer told me today, the AM has been off for a while now, while discussing it.

Dan <><

P.S. Unlike that fellow, I always keep a check on everything, very often. It pays to do it.​
 
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Now for more on this developing story. Taken from this link: Alabama News Beacon

The crazy part? No one knows exactly when this audacious theft happened although, as this tower was the main broadcast tower for the radio station, one could logically deduce that the theft occurred at the same time the radio station stopped broadcasting? But wait, there's more!
WJLX AM hasn't broadcast from that tower - in direct defiance of FCC rules and regulations - in almost five years now so, there goes that way of figuring out out when they tower was "stolen".
The fact that WJLX hasn't broadcast (at all on 1240 AM) in several years brings up the topic of some VERY hefty fines of $10,000 per day for every day W268BM, an FM translator, has operated without the AM station being on the air. Again, this is in total and complete defiance of FCC rules and regulations regarding the operation of FM translator which rebroadcast AM stations.​

If this info is true, then Mr. Brett is indeed breaking the law and needs to be held to account.

Just my two cents! :)

Dan <><
 
In closing, I hope the thieves are caught.

And...Here's one more piece of proof to prove that AM 1240 has been off the air for a long time.

Watch and enjoy:

While watching, notice how the poster is parked right under the tower.

This video is a few years old.

Am I allowed to post this discovery, since I'm just a small town LPFM radio man, trying to keep my own broadcast up and running? :ROFLMAO:

Dan <><​
 
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The New Chico said:
I am with Kelly on this one. Lots of restaurants let their insurance policy get too close to the stove. In this case they must have had the policy sitting on top of the warmest piece of equipment in the xmitr shack!

I mean, I realize that the FM is the one being listened to, but geez for you not to even notice your AM is off the air? Hmmmm...
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Whenever I hear stories like this, it's like the old Nixon question paraphrased: What did the station owner know and when did he know no one was listening?
 
R.D.P. said:
Now for more on this developing story. Taken from this link: Alabama News Beacon

The crazy part? No one knows exactly when this audacious theft happened although, as this tower was the main broadcast tower for the radio station, one could logically deduce that the theft occurred at the same time the radio station stopped broadcasting? But wait, there's more!
WJLX AM hasn't broadcast from that tower - in direct defiance of FCC rules and regulations - in almost five years now so, there goes that way of figuring out out when they tower was "stolen".
The fact that WJLX hasn't broadcast (at all on 1240 AM) in several years brings up the topic of some VERY hefty fines of $10,000 per day for every day W268BM, an FM translator, has operated without the AM station being on the air. Again, this is in total and complete defiance of FCC rules and regulations regarding the operation of FM translator which rebroadcast AM stations.​

If this info is true, then Mr. Brett is indeed breaking the law and needs to be held to account.

Just my two cents! :)

Dan <><
Click to expand...
This adds support to Kelly A's theory. Looks like big trouble. Now they need to file an STA to keep the translator on. Wonder what the FCC will say?
 
There's an AM station about 25 miles from me that has 2 FM translators in 2 counties. They turned the AM off for 3 years. They thought with the AM off the air, their translators could originate programing. On Friday nights the translators broadcast separate high school ballgames. They could sell ads for 2 games this way.

Finally they got turned in. The FCC let them know they better get the AM back on the air real fast. So, they put the AM back on for awhile. But it has been off again all this year.
 
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Flying Dutchman said:
This adds support to Kelly A's theory. Looks like big trouble. Now they need to file an STA to keep the translator on. Wonder what the FCC will say?
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In checking the application status for WJLX, it looks like they were granted a silent STA back on August 2, 2017 for TX problems:
"THE STATION USES A GATES #1 AM TRANSMITTER. THE TRANSMITTER OPERATION HAS BECOME INTERMITTENT AND BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF SPARE PARTS, THE LICENSEE ELECTED TO GO DARK UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE SPARE PARTS NEED ARE LOCATED. THE COMMISSION WILL BE NOTIFIED UPON RETURN TO OPERATIONAL STATUS."

They were granted a silent STA extension a month later expiring on 1/29/2018. The only other application or grant was the 314 form filed back on 4/4/2018 to transfer the license to John Burndette.
How much do you want to bet this AM never came back on the air since 2017 before Burndette bought it, and now everything on the site was stolen? Don't think so.

Me thinks the TV station reporting the theft may have completely foiled Burndette's plans of keeping this under the radar. My guess is that's leased land, and that probably Burndette stopped paying rent and nothing was stolen at all. The landlord probably just kicked him off the site, including removing the tower.
 
Kelly A said:
Who is this Brett Elmore who originally reported the "theft" on Farsebook? Their technical guy?
Considering it appears the station may have been off the air since 2017, I'd say he's not very good at doing his job.
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Looks like they have been on & off on the AM side for about a decade. I guess it's mostly a commercial LPFM.
 
Kelly A said:
Who is this Brett Elmore who originally reported the "theft" on Farsebook? Their technical guy?
Considering it appears the station may have been off the air since 2017, I'd say he's not very good at doing his job.
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He's their GM and morning man, who is passing himself off as the owner. Their owner is listed as James Earley of Jasper, AL., and his signature is on the last purchase agreement. Of course, considering how they appear to operate, a transfer of ownership could have been made without ever informing the FCC.
 
Flying Dutchman said:
Oh!
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The complainant in this case, Allred, was an idiot. Not only did he come off as a disgruntled former employee, but he filed a complaint based on a blanket statement that the station wasn't serving the public interest, rather than just turning them in for technical violations. The way he put his accusations, made him sound like a whacko, and likely why the Commission dismissed the complaint.
 
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