WMIT

WMIT
Mount MITchell is located near the station's transmitter location;
Technical information
Facility ID	5970
Class	C
ERP	36,000 watts
HAAT	942 meters (3,091 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	35°44′6.00″N 82°17′10.00″W / 35.7350000°N 82.2861111°W
Translator(s)	94.7 W234CF (Boone); 104.3 W282BP (Matthews); 101.5 W268DM (Rock Hill, South Carolina); HD2: 106.3 W292CJ (Asheville)
Repeater(s)	106.7 WFGW (Norris, Tennessee); 1150 WAVO (Rock Hill, South Carolina)
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	thelightfm.org

WMIT (106.9

Clingman's Dome

.

In 2007, WMIT began broadcasting in the

FM translators in the Charlotte metropolitan area–W282BP (104.3 MHz) in Matthews, North Carolina and W268DM (101.5 MHz) in Rock Hill, as well as translator station W234CF (94.7 MHz) in Boone, North Carolina. Most of WMIT's schedule is also simulcast on 106.7 WFGW in the Knoxville, Tennessee radio market

.

"Superpower" Coverage

WMIT has one of the largest coverage areas for an FM radio station in the Eastern United States. It claims a potential audience of five million people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia. This is because its transmitter is located on Clingmans Peak, with the combined mountain and transmitter tower elevation at over 6,700 feet (2,000 m) above sea level, with the highest transmitter site east of the Mississippi River.

Its

Spartanburg

and Charlotte.

Long before the installation of the translators and the WAVO simulcast, WMIT had a large following in the Charlotte area. In January 2014, for instance, it garnered a 1.4 rating in the Charlotte market.^[3] Since 2014, it has identified as "Black Mountain/Charlotte/Asheville."

History

In the summer of 1941, Mount Mitchell Broadcasters

signed on W41MM, with 50,000 watts, on 44.1 MHz, within the old FM band. It is the oldest FM station in North Carolina and among the earliest FM stations in U.S. The station's transmitter was 6,885 feet (2,099 m) above sea level. Originally licensed to Winston-Salem, 105 miles (169 km) away, the station operated by remote telephone line.^[4] The Winston-Salem studios were eventually housed in a two-story building built in 1942 at 419 Spruce Street by the Winston-Salem Journal and The Twin City Sentinel for their AM station WSJS.^[5]

W41MM became WMIT, and moved to 97.3, when the FM band moved to 88-108 MHz. Sometime before 1950, WMIT switched to 106.9 MHz and relocated its studios and city of license to Charlotte.^[6]

Its transmitter rises 180 feet (55 m) above 6,557-foot (1,999 m) on Clingmans Peak, putting WMIT tower's light higher than anything else east of the Mississippi. The station's call letters stand for

Mount Mitchell

, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River, located about 21⁄2 miles northeast of the station's transmitter. The two-story building housing the transmitter equipment included living space for station engineers needing to stay during difficult winter weather when the road to the top might be impassable. Diesel engines powered the station at first, but eventually power lines were installed.

Gordon Gray had to close the station in Spring 1950 because he did not have the time to run it. When the station returned to the air in 1951, its power was the equivalent of 325,000 watts.

STL. Much of the music was classical or beautiful music, though three hours a day of local, regional music was played due to listener interest.^[7]

Billy Graham's ministry purchased WMIT in 1962.[8] At first Graham used the station to broadcast Christian instructional and preaching programs, hosted by Graham and other religious leaders, but around 2000, the station shifted its focus to airing a music-oriented Christian contemporary format, with some instructional and preaching programs during the day.

References

^ TheLightFM.org/on-air-schedule
^ "The History of American Broadcasting" by Jeff Miller. Retrieved 2018-08-20
^ "Nielsen Audio Ratings".
^ ^a ^b "Asheville and Western North Carolina". fybush.com. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
^ Young, Wesley (2016-06-30). "Arts move: Black theater hall of fame could come downtown". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
^ Broadcasting Magazine 1957 page 194
^ "FM Station WMIT Is Back Again". Archived from the original on June 15, 2001. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
^ "Billy Graham's Radio Station Will Observe 10th Anniversary". Asheville Citizen-Times. May 21, 1972. p. 49. Retrieved June 9, 2020 – via newspapers.com.

External links

Official website
WMIT in the FCC FM station database
WMIT in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

[1] TheLightFM.org/on-air-schedule

[2] "The History of American Broadcasting" by Jeff Miller. Retrieved 2018-08-20

[3] "Nielsen Audio Ratings".

[fybush-4] "Asheville and Western North Carolina". fybush.com. Retrieved 2015-06-01.

[5] Young, Wesley (2016-06-30). "Arts move: Black theater hall of fame could come downtown". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2016-07-01.

[6] Broadcasting Magazine 1957 page 194

[7] "FM Station WMIT Is Back Again". Archived from the original on June 15, 2001. Retrieved 21 March 2023.

[Anniversary-8] "Billy Graham's Radio Station Will Observe 10th Anniversary". Asheville Citizen-Times. May 21, 1972. p. 49. Retrieved June 9, 2020 – via newspapers.com.

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t e Religious radio stations in the state of North Carolina
Stations	WAAE – New Bern WADE – Wadesboro WAGR – Lumberton WBFJ – Winston-Salem WBFJ-FM - Winston-Salem WBKU – Ahoskie WBKZ – Havelock WBLA - Elizabethtown WCGC – Belmont WCLW – Eden WCRU – Dallas WDRU – Wake Forest WDVV – Wilmington WEAL - Greensboro WGAS – Gastonia WGHJ – Fair Bluff WGHW – Lockwoods Folly Town WGTI – Windsor WHGW-LP – Morganton WHPE-FM – High Point WHPY – Clayton WIAM – Williamston WICE-LP – Henderson WJCV – Jacksonville WJOF-LP – Liberty WJRM – Troy WKFV – Clinton WKJW – Black Mountain WLGP – Harkers Island WLGT – Washington WLLY – Wilson WLXN – Lexington WLXZ – Pinehurst WMIT – Black Mountain WOBX – Wanchese WOGR – Charlotte WOGR-FM – Salisbury WOTJ – Morehead City WPET – Greensboro WPFJ – Franklin WPIP – Winston-Salem WPJL – Raleigh WRAE – Raeford WSKY – Asheville WSTS – Fairmont WTRU – Kernersville WUBN-LP – Wilson WUIT-LP – Durham WVRL – Elizabeth City WVRP – Roanoke Rapids WWIL-FM – Wilmington WWOL – Forest City WWQT – Tryon WWQY – Yadkin County WXBE – Beaufort WYAL – Scotland Neck WYBJ – Newton Grove WYDU – Red Springs WYFL – Henderson WYFQ – Charlotte WYFQ-FM – Wadesboro WYHW - Wilmington WYTR – Robbins WYZD – Dobson WZKB – Wallace
Defunct	WDLV-LP – Simpson WFWC-LP – Fremont WPTP-LP – Marble WVBS – Burgaw WWIL – Wilmington
See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in North Carolina See also Classical Jazz Religious Spanish Smooth Jazz Other