WWNC – The Highest Station on the East Coast

When mass communication happened to the world in the early 1920s, radio programs were transmitted out of  WWNC, the highest radio station on the East Coast, broadcasting local music that was heard in near and far away places. With the addition of 100-foot towers above the Flatiron building, the signal could hit the ionosphere and was heard as far away as Australia. In the days before FM became widespread, WWNC AM was sometimes one of the most popular stations in the United States, with an Arbitron share of over 40 percent of the listening audience, sometimes as high as 50 percent.

In the late 1920s, both Jimmie Rodgers and Doc Watson had live shows on the station, helping cement their vernacular music into the listener’s understanding and appreciation of the music of the region.  Folk, Bluegrass, Americana, and Country music are deeply influenced and derived from the music of this region.

WWNC announced Asheville’s arrival on the national stage. Now, their own stories, music, and heritage could ring out to living rooms across America. Asheville was ready for its closeup!

Ever wonder how this wireless transmission of audio happened?  We did too, and that wondering began a fascinating adventure to find out when and who did it and how did they figure it all out???

Broadcast radio was 100 years old in November of 2020, the very first commercial radio broadcast was the Harding-Cox Presidential election, and since that early technology has evolved into radar, GPS, and wifi, which is vital to us today.

Asheville’s oldest community radio station (WPVM), produced a short documentary “Asheville World of Radio”—featuring our mini-museum of vintage radios and radio history memorabilia. If you would like to visit the station send us a text message at 828 335 4343 or use the contact form at the bottom of this page. We will be happy to give you a personal tour. Give us a few hours notice and we will meet you at the station located conveniently on Wall St. in downtown Asheville.

The video is just under 18 minutes and gives you a whirlwind tour of major events in world history, the arts, music, and radio in the times of the internet, coupled with the vintage to modern radios of each time period.