Skip to main content
NC DNCR logo NC DNCR

Topical Navigation

  • Home
  • Places to Go
  • Things to Do
    Things to Do
    • Field Trips, Group Visits & CAVS
    • Archives
    • Aquariums
    • Libraries
    • Museums
    • State Parks
    • State Historic Sites
    • North Carolina Symphony
    • Zoo
    • Events and Programs
    • Trips/Travel Ideas
    • Sightseeing Tours in North Carolina
    • African American Experience
    • America 250 NC
  • Things to Know
    Things to Know
    • Artist Opportunities
    • Traveling Exhibits
    • Conservation Assistance
    • Digital Collections & Online Exhibits
    • Family History & Genealogy
    • Mapping Resources
    • Publications
    • Records Management
    • Search Our Collections
    • American Indian Programs and Resources
    • Blogs
    • Grants Opportunities
    • Moonshine and Motorsports Trail
    • NCCulture Kids Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Advisory Council on Film, Television, and Digital Streaming
  • News
    News
    • Contacts for the Press
    • Press Releases
    • DNCR Marketing & Communications Team
    • Legislative Reports
  • About
    About
    • Arts
    • History
    • Libraries
    • Nature
    • Support Us
    • Employment
    • Special Programs
    • DNCR Strategic Plan 2021 - 2023
    • Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion
    • Featured Programs
    • Leadership
  • NCLearn
  • Contact Us
  • NC.GOV
  • AGENCIES
  • JOBS
  • SERVICES
NC DNCR »   Home »   blog

Radio Broadcasting Began in North Carolina

April 10, 2016

O. Max Gardner giving a radio address at WBT circa 1929-1933. This image is now held by the N.C. Museum of HistoryOn April 10, 1922, WBT in Charlotte received a broadcast license, becoming the first commercial radio station in North Carolina. Advances in radio took place in three North Carolina cities in 1922. In Raleigh, on the campus of what is now N.C. State University, engineers installed a transmitter and initiated experimental broadcasts in March 1922. Regular transmission began on October 16, the day before the State Fair. Later that year the campus registered the call letters WLAC, but the following year the station left the air after campus funds were no longer available.

In Charlotte initial broadcasts began on March 25, in the kitchen of radio enthusiast Fred Laxton. Within weeks WBT had set up a studio in the Independence Building downtown. In Asheville, WFAJ, owned by the local newspaper, began broadcasts on May 4 but failed the following year. WBT was thus the only startup that prospered.

WPTF in Raleigh originated as WFBQ in October 1924. Later known as WRCO, that station adopted its present call letters in November 1927. FM radio broadcasts in North Carolina began in 1942.

Other related resources:

  • Radio broadcasting on NCpedia
  • Democracy and the Media, an online exhibit from the State Archives
  • Information on Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, a radio pioneer, from the Highway Historical Markers Program and the State Archives

For more about North Carolina’s history, arts and culture, visit Cultural Resources online. To receive these updates automatically each day, make sure you subscribe by email using the box on the right, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Related Articles

  • Spring 2022 Music Festival Preview
  • Celebrate Black History Month in NC
  • Tales from the Road with Doug MacMillan of The Connells
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Keenan Jenkins of XOXOK
  • Artist Feature: Charles Chace of Speed Stick
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Tumbao's Diego Avilez
  • Behind the Boards: Highlighting North Carolina Hip-Hop Producers
  • "Scatter and Gather" with Shay Martin Lovette
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Charlie Smarts
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Lakota John
  • WWNC, Citizen Vinyl, and a Building's Legacy
  • Bringing Back the Funk
  • Stray Local Explores Solitude
  • Rissi Palmer and Color Me Country Artist Fund Provides "Postcards from God"
  • Tracks Music Library Builds a Musical Ecosystem

Share this page:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

How can we make this page better for you?

Back to top

Contact Information

North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

109 E. Jones Street
Mail Service Center 4601

Raleigh, NC 27601
 

(919) 814-6800

Recent Tweets

Tweets by@ncculture

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Flickr
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Employee Directory
  • Translation Disclaimer
  • TRAVEL POLICY
  • Accessibility
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Open Budget
NC DNCR
https://www.ncdcr.gov/blog/2013/04/10/radio-broadcasting-began-in-north-carolina