The obvious problem is the size of the 200-foot tower. It takes time and equipment to down it and haul it away. You need a couple of hours to rig it, to lower it to the ground, to dismantle it, and then to haul it away. The word "stolen" implies surprise or stealth. The radio station had hours to respond to any surprise attempt to take the tower. The police had hours to respond when called. This tower was not stolen.
The other problem is the electrical power being pumped into the antenna. There are thousands of watts of power being pumped into the antenna in order to broadcast, perhaps as high as 50,000 watts, but likely less in this case. When you walk up to the tower and touch it, you become the path to ground. Big shock - literally. Someone had to have the smarts to cut off the transmitter before anyone touched the tower. Yes, the report talks about evidence of a break-in, suggesting that the thief did have the requisite smarts. But radio stations monitor their signal - they listen to themselves to make sure they are still transmitting. Again, no surprise is possible when the transmitter gets cut and the antenna gets "stolen".
Reporters really need to pause and think before they report this stuff.
Source: Alabama station in disbelief after 200-foot radio tower stolen at NBC News.
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