Another Organization Steps Forward
The Charlotte Amateur Radio Club (W4CQ) has formally expressed its desire to help preserve the WBT-AM site on Nations Ford Road, supporting the preservation of the transmitter building and at least one of the site's iconic towers.
The club has proposed repurposing the transmitter building as a working historical landmark that celebrates Charlotte's leadership in broadcasting while serving as headquarters for the Charlotte Amateur Radio Club, a 501(c)(3) public service organization with more than 150 amateur radio operators serving a 12-county region. The organization provides emergency communications during disasters and other incidents when traditional communications systems are unavailable.
The proposal also highlights a remarkable historical connection. The Charlotte Amateur Radio Club holds the amateur radio callsign W4CQ, originally assigned to Earl Gluck, one of the founders of WBT, WSOC, and the Charlotte Amateur Radio Club. The club has also offered to assist the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission with fundraising and long-term maintenance of the transmitter building. If a tower can be preserved, the club envisions mounting antennas to support its emergency communications repeaters, which relay everyday, severe weather, and emergency traffic throughout the region.
I want to sincerely thank Mike Miranda (W4DXL) for taking the initiative to develop and submit this proposal on behalf of the Charlotte Amateur Radio Club. Your leadership and willingness to become part of this effort are deeply appreciated.
Support like this demonstrates that preserving the WBT site isn't simply about saving an old building or tower. It's about protecting a place where nearly a century of Carolina history was broadcast while finding meaningful ways for it to continue serving the community.
If you haven't already, please sign the petition and share it with others. Every signature helps show that this historic site matters and deserves every opportunity to be preserved for future generations.