This is a cross-post from the Charlotte board.
I am working on an Images of America book for Mount Mitchell and I plan to include a chapter on the history of WMIT on top of the mountain. I'm looking for help from anyone who knows about the history of the station so I can provide a good overview of the history of this iconic FM station.
I do know that construction of the station started in the late 1930s and that Gordon Gray (WSJS-Winston-Salem) was the original owner and the station's call sign was W41MM. It broadcast in the 6-meter band. Sometime in the late 1940s - early 1950s, it was sold to Mount Mitchell Broadcasters who had studios in Charlotte in addition to those on the mountain. WMIT also changed frequencies to 106.9 Mhz. sometime after the war and it transmitted with 325,000 watts of power in the early 1950s. It was sold to Billy Graham in the late 50s.
Any help with stories, names of employees of the station, and especially photos will be welcomed! I am sharing materials that I gather. I have attached the photo of the entrance sign (mentioning the 325,000 watts of power) to the post. I also have a PDF of a souvenir booklet sold in the Mount Mitchell Broadcasters era that features photos and information about the station during that time, along with a coverage map that showed its reach into southern Ohio, to Nashville, Tennessee and east past Raleigh. I will share the PDF with you if you PM me with an off-board e-mail address
I have twice attempted to contact Blue Ridge Broadcasting for assistance with the project (and shared some of what we gathered) but so far have had no offer of help from them.
Either respond to this thread or personal message me if you have interest in the project.
I am working on an Images of America book for Mount Mitchell and I plan to include a chapter on the history of WMIT on top of the mountain. I'm looking for help from anyone who knows about the history of the station so I can provide a good overview of the history of this iconic FM station.
I do know that construction of the station started in the late 1930s and that Gordon Gray (WSJS-Winston-Salem) was the original owner and the station's call sign was W41MM. It broadcast in the 6-meter band. Sometime in the late 1940s - early 1950s, it was sold to Mount Mitchell Broadcasters who had studios in Charlotte in addition to those on the mountain. WMIT also changed frequencies to 106.9 Mhz. sometime after the war and it transmitted with 325,000 watts of power in the early 1950s. It was sold to Billy Graham in the late 50s.
Any help with stories, names of employees of the station, and especially photos will be welcomed! I am sharing materials that I gather. I have attached the photo of the entrance sign (mentioning the 325,000 watts of power) to the post. I also have a PDF of a souvenir booklet sold in the Mount Mitchell Broadcasters era that features photos and information about the station during that time, along with a coverage map that showed its reach into southern Ohio, to Nashville, Tennessee and east past Raleigh. I will share the PDF with you if you PM me with an off-board e-mail address
I have twice attempted to contact Blue Ridge Broadcasting for assistance with the project (and shared some of what we gathered) but so far have had no offer of help from them.
Either respond to this thread or personal message me if you have interest in the project.
