Three men were arrested in Memphis, Tennessee, and charged with the theft of copper wiring from a local AM radio station, temporarily knocking it off the air.
Radio Ambiente, WGSF 1030 AM, the city’s first Hispanic radio station which had been broadcasting for 30 years, went silent on Sunday, May 18th. The station, which serves a regional audience, was able to return to the air this month after the FCC granted a license for its use of the on-site translator at 101.5 FM.
According to news reports, the station’s owner discovered copper wiring and copper components were stolen after he visited the transmitter towers to determine the source of the problem. Police said the transmitter building had been broken into. Copper wiring that ran underground to the radio towers had been cut - the copper cables and other components were missing. The station's owner, Sergio Butron, told local media that it appeared the thieves gained access after breaking through a chain-link fence and several locks. An engineer at the station said replacing the equipment will cost an estimated $170,000 on top of engineering fees.
Police report that three suspects were arrested less than a half-mile from the transmitter towers. The men were found with the stolen copper cables in front of a nearby house.