Copper thieves knock two Mississippi radio stations off the air

A pair of radio broadcasters in Greenville, Mississippi, went dark on Nov. 21, 2025, after copper thieves destroyed key transmission equipment, according to a filing with the Federal Communications Commission.

FM station WDMS and AM station WGVM reported that the thieves caused “catastrophic damage” to transmission lines and other critical equipment, including an AM antenna tuning unit and iso-couplers, which help match the stations’ signals to their antennas for proper broadcast.

The filing said a vehicle was used to pull down the transmission lines serving the stations, along with an associated FM translator, ripping them from the studio building adjacent to the tower. The thieves stole large portions of the AM and FM transmission line, and the filing also noted possible tower damage, pending an inspection.

The station’s owner, High Plains Radio Network of Plainview, Texas, did not respond to a request for comment.

The theft and destruction of radio station towers and equipment are becoming more commonplace around the country due to a soaring global demand for copper.

In May 2025, WGSF in Tennessee was knocked off the air for six months after three men vandalized the station in an attempt to steal copper wire. In January 2024, thieves seeking copper wire toppled the radio tower of KITX in Oklahoma. The following month, WJLX in Alabama reported that its 200-foot AM tower was stolen, most likely for its copper.

A coalition created to address copper theft and vandalism reported 9,770 incidents from January to June 2025. Apparently, individuals steal encased copper cables, remove the sheathing and then sell the raw copper to scrap metal dealers, the report from Protecting America’s Critical Communications Infrastructure explained.

The FCC, which regulates interstate communications, has recognized the severity of copper wire theft.

“These are deliberate acts of destruction that cut off communities, put lives at risk, and cost millions of dollars to repair,” FCC Commissioner Olivia Britt Trusty said at an infrastructure vandalism summit in October 2025. “This is not a handful of isolated incidents. It is a growing epidemic, and it is hitting every part of the country.”