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Even without a proper modulation monitor, simply tuning a radio to the station will tell you if you're on-air or not. The operators knew. They just didn't care
by whoopdedo 3y ago
Even without a proper modulation monitor, simply tuning a radio to the station will tell you if you're on-air or not.
The operators knew. They just didn't care. Or they may not have known that the tower had been stolen and assumed the transmitter was broken and were procrastinating to fix it.
Moreover, I can't imagine anyone successfully tearing down a working antenna. My guess is the timeline went: transmitter stops working, site sits idle for a few months, thieves notice it's turned off, raid the place, station owner finally decides to do something about it, discovers they've been cleared out.
- kevin_thibedeau 3y agoA more likely scenario is the owner was strapped for cash and arranged for a crew to take the tower.
- kotaKat 3y agoEspecially because the transmitters disappeared, too. ALL the station equipment disappearing? Wonder who's got it now, or what it's been parted out to for other AM radio stations scraping together gear to keep running.
- quesera 3y agoSmash and grabs of transmitter building equipment are relatively quick. They set off alarms (usually) of course, but you can get out in 15 minutes with a few racks of gear. Taking down a tower requires more time and care. And tools. And it pays less for scrap, although the black market for the kind of equipment you find in a transmitter building is small and not well-capitalized.