The Lincoln times., 1955-03-21
The Little
Place With
The Big Voice

ASHEVILLE - High UP among
the peaks of the Blue Ridge Range
of Eastern America. tiny build
the highest points. Exposed to the
; winter winds and the summer suns
alike, this unaSSuming little build
ing houses one of the most fa-
nous radio stations in the world.
WHIT, located on a neighbor-
ing summit across the way from
Mount Mitchell, is the world S
strongest F'M voice 1t reaches all
the way from Athens in Georgia
to Bluefield. Virginia and from
Athens in Tennessee to Green's
boro, North Carolina.
At the frequency at which WHIT
operates, the propagation charac-
teriStics begin to approach those
of light. BY having great height
above surrounding terrain, the ra-
dio signals may be beamed along
the horizon eliminating those parts
which would normally fly off into
useless space This beaming, to-
gether with high power. results in
extremely strong signals. FIN is
not affected by interference, as is
AM, therefore. it is much easier
to pick up the signals and these
are always crystal clear with full
deep tones.
From its point of 6.700 above sea
level on Clingman's Peak. the
programs of WHIT are beamed to
over 100000 people in seven
states. 1t operates on power of
325.000 watts. The use of so much
power at so great height is un-
precedented in the annals of COM
mercial radio. The stations oper
alton has been closely studied by
the entire radio industry as an un-
usual experiment.
When the spring winds blow
warm over the Mount Mitchell
section. visitors flock to the sta
ton. the announcerS and engi-
neerS are used to having a live
audience and are briefed ON how
to answer the many questions on
UllelI operation.
WHIT is set up in small white
stucco building. studios and con-
troll rooms on the first level, and
the chief engineers apartment
and room for the announcerS and
engineers on the lower level. A
large deck juts out on the upper
story and one has the feeling OF
sitting on the housetop of the
world. Layer after layer of pale
blue and purple mountains fade
off into the distance. AS far as the
eye can see is virgin timberland.
The station operates from two
high red and white towers. The
largest of these is l61 feet. stand
inc "a feet taller than Mount
Mitchell across the ridge. This is
the powerful sending tower" with
which WHIT broadcasts its beam
of music and words out over all
the Eastern United States. The
weather can be rugged on this
giant of a mountain in winter
time and wind and rime ice have
/
smaller tower is the receiving tow
er over which the station picks up,
by direct radio beam. the broad
casts made from their auxiliary
studios in Charlotte, North Caro-
lima.
Life is quite different for the
staff announcerS and engineers
who maintain WHIT than it is
! for their city cousins. For one
thing. Mount Mitchell is a DR.,
Jekvell. Mr.. Hyde sort of place.
With the first warm breeze that
sweeps up from the valleys below.
every spring. Mitchell becomes
calm and peaceful, flowers shoot
out and visitors flock to the re-
sion. But in winter the mountain
assumes its Dr.. Jekyell personality.
and no one doubts the seriousness
of winter weather atop tall Mitch
ell.
A two weeks supply of food is
kept at the station all winter. A
ieep is used to negotiate the short
unpaved road which leads up to
the building. (The highway to the
top of Mount Mitchell is paved all
the way). Snowshoes hang in
readiness by the door, the only
snowshoes in all of Western North
Carolina. The boys stay on the
mountain 81 days out of every %
and seem to like the unique life
they lead. During the summer,
it's like staying at an exclusive
summer resort, one of them re-
marked.
WHIT has been called the Hill
top Megaphone - but most folks
around North Carolina refer to it
simply as THE station atop THE
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