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WMIT (106.9
MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...
, "106.9 The Light") is a non-profit
FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...
station
licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...
to
Black Mountain, North Carolina Black Mountain is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,426 at the 2020 United States census. It is part of the Asheville metropolitan area. The town is named for the old train stop at the Black Mountai ...
, United States and serving
Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populous city in Western North Carolina a ...
. WMIT is a listener-supported ministry of the
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is a non-profit Christian outreach organization that promotes multimedia evangelism, conducts evangelistic crusades, and engages in disaster response. The BGEA operates the Billy Graham Train ...
. It airs a mix of
Contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...
with some
Christian talk and teaching Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...
programs, including national religious leaders Jim Daly, John MacArthur,
David Jeremiah David Jeremiah (born February 13, 1941) is an American evangelical Christian author, founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, a Southern Baptist megachurch in El Cajon, Ca ...
,
Chuck Swindoll Charles Rozell Swindoll (born October 18, 1934) is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living, headquartered in Frisco, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2 ...
and
Charles Stanley Charles Frazier Stanley Jr. (September 25, 1932 – April 18, 2023) was an American Southern Baptist pastor and writer. He was senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta for 49 years and took on ''emeritus'' status in 2020. He founded a ...
. Its studios and offices are on Porters Cove Road in Asheville. Programming is
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
in the Charlotte area on full-power
WAVO WAVO (1150 AM) is a non-profit radio station licensed to Rock Hill, South Carolina and serving the Charlotte metropolitan area. Programming is simulcast from 106.9 WMIT Black Mountain, North Carolina, a listener-supported ministry of the Billy ...
(1150 AM) in
Rock Hill, South Carolina Rock Hill is the most populous city in York County, South Carolina, United States, and the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 5th-most populous city in the state. It is also the 4th-most populous city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, be ...
, and low-powered
FM translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...
s W282BP (104.3 MHz) in
Matthews, North Carolina Matthews is a town in southeastern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte. The population was 29,435 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
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 Boone is a town in and the county seat of Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Boone is the home of Appalachian State University and the headquarters of the disaster and me ...
. Most of WMIT's schedule is also simulcast on 106.7 WFGW in the
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
radio market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
. In 2007, WMIT began broadcasting in the
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
format, adding "theEdge 106.9" on the HD2
digital subchannel In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compress ...
. It features
Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. This music is typically performed by Christians, Christian individuals. The extent to whi ...
music for teenagers and young adults, which is also heard on
translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
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 North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
,
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
and
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. This is because its
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
is located on Clingmans Peak, with the combined mountain and transmitter tower elevation at over above sea level, with the highest transmitter site east of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
. Its transmitter rises above on Clingmans Peak, putting WMIT tower's light higher than anything else east of the Mississippi. Its
effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...
(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 Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...
(HAAT), WMIT is grandfathered with a "superpower" signal. In addition to its home market of Asheville, WMIT provides at least secondary coverage to large portions of the Greenville/Spartanburg, Charlotte, and Tri-Cities markets. Long before the installation of the translators and the WAVO simulcast, WMIT had a particularly large following in the Charlotte area, garnering a 1.4 rating in the Charlotte market in January 2014. Since 2014, WMIT has identified as "Black Mountain/Charlotte/Asheville" to acknowledge its large listenership in the Charlotte area, which has as many people as the rest of its coverage area combined. However, 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 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(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 A studio transmitter link (STL) sends a radio station's or television station's audio and video from the broadcast studio or origination facility to a radio transmitter, television transmitter or uplink facility in another location. This is accom ...
(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 above sea level. Originally licensed to
Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...
, 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 The ''Winston-Salem Journal'' is an American, English language daily newspaper primarily serving Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by Lee Enterprises. ''The Journ ...
'' and '' The Twin City Sentinel'' for their AM station
WSJS WSJS (600 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station City of license, licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and broadcasting to the Greensboro, North Carolina, Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, North Carolina, H ...
. 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 Mount Mitchell (''Attakulla'' in Cherokee) is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in mainland North America east of the Mississippi River. It is located near Burnsville in Yancey County, North Carolina in the B ...
, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River, located about 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, 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 Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia, 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."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)


References


External links

* * * ( Guide to reading History Cards) (covering 1950 (reactivation)–1978) {{Religious Radio Stations in North Carolina Billy Graham Radio stations established in 1941
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...