Pine Mountain is one of the last areas in the Appalachian Highlands that is much like it was when Daniel Boone first crossed it near Pound, Virginia in the mid-1800's. The steep ridges on the north face made crossing the mountain impossible, except for a few "gaps" and low spots, from Elkhorn City to West of Cumberland Gap, a distance of over 150 miles. Early pioneers had a difficult time getting from one side to the other, and things have not changed much in the area where the WMMT transmitter and tower have come to reside.
First established as a television translator site in the early 1960's, Appalshop began the process of moving it's radio equipment to the isolated spot in early 1985. For 10 months, concrete, rebar, 50 gallon drums of water, steel doors, lumber and electrical supplies were dragged up the steep trail on the south side of the mountain from the community of Flat gap, Virginia. In October, after many hard months of labor, and more than a few destroyed trucks, the transmitter and antenna system was hauled up to the top of Mayking Peak and installed.
The WMMT signal was first tested on November 24, 1985. The equipment was paid for with funding from the Ford Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Much help in the construction came from community members and local businesses, who all believed that a community radio station would go far in helping all the citizens of the Appalachian Coalfields feel a common heritage and voice.
In October of 1993, Appalshop applied for permission to increase the power of WMMT's old transmitter. We had been broadcasting with 1,000 watts from that November day in 1985, and the opportunity became available to increase the station coverage to the maximum allowed in the United States. A little over a year later, both the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Commerce (and the N.T.I.A.) said yes, and we set about to put the project together.
This time, we did not have any road left to work with. And, with a 1,200 pound transmitter and 800 pound antenna system, we had to try another method to move things to the top of Pine Mountain. Enter St. Louis Helicopters, who happened to have one of their machines parked at the Lexington, Kentucky airport (some 4 hours away by car, but a short 30 minutes by air). For a large sum, they agreed to lift our equipment up to the top. On September 25, 1995, in a short 4 hours, it was all up there, waiting to be moved the last 50 feet into the transmitter building. That turned out to be the most difficult task of the day.
The next week brought some very pleasant weather to Southeast Kentucky, and the perfect time to put the new antenna in place. But, the actual antennas had to be hauled up the north face of the mountain and carried the mile across the ridge to the transmitter site. Then, the antennas had to be assembled and hung on the 100 foot tall transmission tower. That took another 5 long days. Finally, on Monday, October 2, 1995, at 7:45 PM, the switch was made to the new transmitter and antenna. WMMT grew by 150% in a single moment!
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