Incident details
- Date of incident
- September 17, 2018
- Targets
- East Arkansas Broadcasters
- Equipment damaged
- Actor
- Private individual
Equipment Damage
Damage visible to an East Arkansas Broadcasters transmission facility in Jonesboro, after copper thieves targeted equipment, taking three radio stations off the air on Sept. 17, 2018.
Three radio stations in Jonesboro, Arkansas, went silent overnight after copper thieves caused more than $80,000 in damage on Sept. 17, 2018.
The outage affected East Arkansas Broadcasters’ FM station KIYS and digital subchannel KIYS-HD2, along with AM station KBTM, The Associated Press reported.
According to a report from the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office, thieves cut electrical wires and used a truck with a rope or cable to pull them from the ground and the station building.
A station employee told a deputy that the chain securing the station’s gate had been cut and approximately $1,000 worth of copper wire had been stolen. Authorities documented “severe damage” to the station’s building, as well as its radio tower, station generator and electrical wiring.
Copper theft has become more common as rising global demand and higher copper prices have made the metal more valuable.
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