WJLX Owner Brett Elmore has passed away at the age of 41. The station confirmed his passing on Tuesday on social media. Elmore made global headlines earlier this year after reporting the station’s 200-foot tower was stolen without a trace.
WJLX posted, “It is with the heaviest heart that we formally announce the passing of owner and station manager, Brett Elmore. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Elmore family.” Elmore had owned the station since 2008 and was actively involved with his own radio show. He also provided play-by-play commentary for the Jasper Vikings football team, a role previously held by his father, Johnny Elmore, for over 40 years.
No cause of death was reported.
Two weeks after the rural AM went off the air due to the disappearance of its 200-foot tower, the station returned with help from iHeartMedia. In early February, a landscaping crew found the site vandalized, with support wires severed and the entire 3,500-pound structure gone.
The cost to replace the uninsured tower was estimated at $60,000 to $100,000.
After the FCC denied Elmore’s request to broadcast solely on his FM translator, iHeart shared an HD signal for WJLX, allowing the station to broadcast temporarily on WDXB-HD3 out of Birmingham. This also enabled WJLX to resume broadcasting locally on 101.5 FM via a translator.
The case has yet to be solved.
