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WMIT (106.9 MHz, "106.9 The Light") is a non-profit FM radio station licensed to Black Mountain, North Carolina.

WMIT is a listener-supported ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It airs a mix of Contemporary Christian music with some Christian talk and teaching programs, including national religious leaders Jim Daly, John MacArthur, David Jeremiah, Chuck Swindoll and Charles Stanley. Its studios and offices are on Porters Cove Road in Asheville.

Programming is simulcast in the Charlotte area on full-power WAVO (1150 AM) in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and low-powered FM translators W282BP (104.3 MHz) in Matthews, North Carolina and W268DM (101.5 MHz) in Rock Hill. In the North Carolina High Country, WMIT is simulcast on low-powered 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.

In 2007, WMIT began broadcasting in the HD Radio format, adding "theEdge 106.9" on the HD2 digital subchannel. It features Christian rock music for teenagers and young adults, which is also heard on translator W292CJ (106.3 FM) in Asheville.

"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 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.

Its effective radiated power (ERP) is 36,000 watts. Many FM stations nearby run at 100,000 watts but their towers are only a third the height of WMIT. Due to its unusual height above average terrain (HAAT), WMIT is grandfathered with a "superpower" signal.

Long before the installation of the translators and the WAVO simulcast, WMIT had a large following in the Charlotte area, garnering a 1.4 rating in the Charlotte market in January 2014. Since 2014, it has identified as "Black Mountain/Charlotte/Asheville" to acknowledge its large listenership in the Charlotte area, even though it could only be heard clearly in the market's western portion until the addition of the translators and the WAVO simulcast.

History

WMIT was the first FM station in North Carolina, and among the earliest in the United States. On May 24, 1940, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the establishment, effective January 1, 1941, of an FM radio band consisting of 40 channels spanning 42–50 MHz, with the first five channels (42.1 to 42.9 MHz) reserved for educational stations, and the other 35 (43.1 to 49.9 MHz) available for commercial operation. WMIT was first authorized on August 25, 1941, as W41MM, for 50,000 watts on 44.1 MHz. The station was licensed to 32-year-old Gordon Gray, described as "one of the nation's wealthiest young men", who was president of the Piedmont Publishing Company, publishers of the Winston-Salem Journal and Twin City Sentinel, and owner of AM radio station WSJS in Winston-Salem.

The entry of the United States into World War II later that year caused construction delays. After a couple months of test transmissions, W41MM began regular programming on the evening of July 26, 1942. Its initial schedule was 3 to 9 p.m. daily. Due to the wartime shortages, it initially broadcast with 3,000 watts. Programming which did not originate at the transmitter site was relayed from WSJS studios by a Studio/transmitter link (STL) radio link. At first diesel engines provided electricity for the transmitter, but eventually power lines were installed. A two-story building was constructed at the transmitter site, housing the transmitter equipment. Living space was included for station engineers needing to stay during difficult winter weather when the road to the top was impassable.

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. 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.

Effective November 1, 1943, the FCC modified its policy for FM station call letters, and the call sign was changed to WMIT, standing for Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River, located about 2+1⁄2 miles northeast of the transmitter site. After the FM band was reassigned to 88-108 MHz, WMIT moved to 97.3 MHz.

In 1947, WSJS was authorized to establish its own FM station, WSJS-FM. Contemporary FCC rules disallowed more than one station on a given band from operating in a common studio site, so WMIT's studios were relocated from Winston-Salem to Charlotte, 90 miles (140 km) away. Much of the music was classical or beautiful music, though three hours a day of local, regional music was played due to listener interest. In 1948, WMIT was issued a Construction Permit to change its transmitting frequency to 106.9 MHz. The station eventually increased its ERP power to 75 kw.

In April 1950, WMIT ceased broadcasting. In a letter to the FCC, Gordon Gray wrote: "With considerable regret I have decided to discontinue the operation of WMIT after April 13, 1950. After that date any outstanding licenses will be returned to the Commission for cancellation. I had hoped that we might be able to find a purchaser who would take over and continue the operation but we have not been successful along that line." The license for WMIT was deleted on April 26.

In December 1950, an application was filed by Mount Mitchell Broadcasters, Inc., headed by Charlotte investment banker W. Olin Nisbet, Jr., for use of the "former facilities of Gordon Gray - WMIT", specifying operation with 325 kw on 106.9 MHz. This was approved early the next year. Although technically this was a new station, because it revived the WMIT call letters and operated on the same frequency from the same transmitter site, it has generally been considered to be a continuation of the original WMIT authorized in 1941. The new studio location was in Black Mountain.

WMIT returned to the air on July 1, 1951. WMIT could be picked up in Atlanta, Georgia, 190 miles (310 km) away. Six and a half million potential listeners could receive the signal.

In 1955, the station was issued a Construction Permit that reduced its power to 36 kw. Billy Graham's ministry purchased WMIT in 1962. At first Graham used the station to broadcast Christian instructional and preaching programs, hosted by Graham and other religious leaders, but around 2000, shifted its focus to airing a music-oriented Christian contemporary format, with some instructional and preaching programs during the day.

On October 12, 2023, the station's transmitter site at Clingmans Peak was designated the "'Munn Communications Facility", in memory of the late E. Harold Munn, Jr., who had served as a long-time member and officer of the Blue Ridge Broadcasting board of directors.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WMIT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. TheLightFM.org/on-air-schedule
3. "The Most Powerful FM Stations" by Jeff Miller. Retrieved August 8, 2020
4. "Nielsen Audio Ratings".
5. WMIT (advertisement), Broadcasting, December 25, 1944, page 40.
6. "Directory of U. S. Commercial FM Stations", Broadcasting Yearbook (1942 edition), page 326.
7. "FCC Order No. 67" Federal Register, May 25, 1940, page 2011.
8. The initial call sign policy for commercial FM stations was a "W" for stations east of the Mississippi River, followed by the last two digits of the station frequency, "41" in this case, and closing with a one or two letter community identifier, which was "MM" for "Mount Mitchell".
9. "Actions of the Federal Communications Commission: Decisions: August 25", Broadcasting, September 1, 1941, page 52.
10. "We Pay Our Respects to — Gordon Gray", Broadcasting, April 20, 1942, page 33.
11. "W41MM Delayed By War Shortages", Broadcasting, March 23, 1942, page 18.
12. "'FM' Station Begins Regular Schedule Today", Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal, July 26, 1942, page 9.
13. ^ "Asheville and Western North Carolina". fybush.com. June 12–26, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
14. Young, Wesley (June 30, 2016). "Arts move: Black theater hall of fame could come downtown". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
15. "Standard Broadcast Station Call Letters for All Outlets Starting Nov. 1, FCC Rule", The Billboard, September 4, 1943, page 7.
16. "WMIT to Move Studios", Broadcasting, November 10, 1947, page 77.
17. "FM Station WMIT Is Back Again" (PDF). FM-TV Radio Communication. August 1951. pp. 11–15. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
18. "October 18 Decisions . . .", Broadcasting, October 25, 1948, page 73.
19. "WMIT(FM) Closes", Broadcasting, April 10, 1950, page 29.
20. "FCC Roundup Deletions . . .", Broadcasting, May 8, 1950, page 76.
21. "WMIT(FM) Sold", Broadcasting, January 1, 1951, page 63.
22. "North Carolina Radio: Black Mountain: WMIT (FM): Establishment Year", Broadcasting Yearbook (1990 edition), page B-222.
23. "WMIT Reopened", Broadcasting, July 2, 1951, page 36.
24. "Billy Graham's Radio Station Will Observe 10th Anniversary". Asheville Citizen-Times. May 21, 1972. p. 49. Retrieved June 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
25. "The Light FM dedicates WMIT's Mt. Mitchell transmitter facility to broadcasting legend, E. Harold Munn, Jr" by Taylor Koziarz, October 19, 2023. (media.billygraham.org)

External links

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 5970 (WMIT) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WMIT in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
• ‹ The template below (FCC letter) is being considered for deletion. See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus. ›

FCC History Cards for WMIT (covering 1950 (reactivation)–1978)

• HD Radio stations
• Billy Graham
• Radio stations established in 1941
• Radio stations in Asheville, North Carolina