The century-old radio site that houses WBT’s three diamond-shaped towers on Nations Ford Road is officially for sale, and neighbors and broadcasters are scrambling to keep what they see as a piece of Charlotte history from getting scraped. A petition and early outreach are urging the station’s owners, county preservation officials and city leaders to find a way to retain or commemorate the transmitter building and at least one of the familiar towers before redevelopment moves in.
Local coverage first highlighted the listing and community response on July 8, noting that the parcel holding WBT’s AM transmitters could be demolished if it lands in a developer’s hands. As reported by WCNC, preservation advocates are asking for a plan that acknowledges the site’s broadcasting legacy.
Historic signal, rare towers
WBT traces its roots to the early 1920s and is widely recognized as one of the Carolinas’ earliest commercial broadcasters, according to the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The transmitter site’s three Blaw-Knox diamond towers are unusually rare survivors that radio historians and engineers describe as among the few of their kind still standing in the United States, per radio reference guides. The site sits on Nations Ford Road southeast of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where the towers have served as a quiet set of local landmarks for generations of drivers and flyers.
Community push to preserve
A petition launched July 1 by broadcaster Johnny Caudle calls on Urban One, Mecklenburg County and Mayor Vi Lyles to preserve, honor or permanently commemorate the WBT transmitter site, and it drew hundreds of signatures within days. The petition names longtime Charlotte voices John Hancock, Sheri Lynch and Arroe Collins as supporters and urges local leaders to consider landmark designation or weaving historic elements into any redevelopment, according to Change.org.
Two transmitter parcels on the market
Industry reporting earlier this spring flagged listings tied to multiple Charlotte AM sites, saying the land that hosts WBT’s towers and another AM parcel are being floated for housing. Media Confidential identified the parcels by location, and commercial materials show a formal offering for 400 Radio Road, a roughly 56-acre tract pitched for residential development. JLL's listing also points to a nearby Nations Ford parcel associated with the transmitter site.
What a sale could mean
Beyond the heritage questions, demolishing an AM transmitter site can shrink a station’s over-the-air footprint. For a 50,000-watt clear-channel signal like WBT, the towers and their ground system are what give the station its long-distance reach, according to station histories and technical references. Industry observers say the broader pattern is familiar: valuable land gets monetized while service leans more on FM and digital platforms, and lenders and brokers increasingly treat transmitter acreage as development inventory. James Cridland notes both the commercial pressure and the technical importance of long-standing AM sites like WBT’s.
Next steps and local options
The petition urges owners and officials to explore preservation paths, from saving the transmitter building to incorporating a tower or an interpretive marker into future development, and points to the Mecklenburg County Historic Landmarks program as a potential partner. For now, the listings and public appeals leave the next move with property owners and would-be buyers, and preservation backers argue there is still time to hammer out a compromise that leaves a visible piece of Charlotte radio history in place. Change.org.
