Family-owned WMNC entertaining Burke County for 77 years

They called themselves the 1490 Club. Some would squeeze into the small soundstage inside WMNC-AM 1490 but many would park in the lot and listen through outdoor speakers to the live performances broadcast from the Art Deco building on the hill. 

The dark days of World War II were finally behind them and what is now Burke County’s oldest radio station was new on the scene, providing a much-needed dose of entertainment in the region. The idea of such a gathering seems quite quaint in today’s digital streaming world.

“Everything was live back then,” said Joe Cooper, president of Cooper Broadcasting Co. “The station offered something for everyone.”

Well, almost everything was live. There were a few syndicated shows that arrived at the station on an electrical transcription, something that looks like a particularly large album. Back in those early days, the radio station was part of the Mutual Radio Network, which was the original home of radio dramas such as “The Lone Ranger” and “The Shadow.”

Regular segments featured gospel and traditional musical performances and talk shows such as Mary Kistler Craven’s “Listen Ladies” popular in the late 1940s. Craven was definitely unusual for the time. Most announcers and other employees were men. 

Plenty has changed since Drexel native Nathan Cooper, Joe’s father, applied for the radio license in 1946 shortly after returning from duty in World War II. Local newspaper pioneer Beatrice Cobb also wanted a radio and competed with Nathan, who won in the end.

“They had a bit of a rivalry,” Joe said of his father and the female pioneer in newspaper publishing. From the look on Joe’s face, one might surmise he was understating the “bit of a rivalry.”

Once the license was secured, construction began on the modern structure and the station signed on the air over its 250 watts of power on Sept. 23, 1947. WMNC-AM was later granted a power increase to 5000 watts and moved to its current AM frequency at 1430. The higher watts necessitated the move to lower on the dial. Progress was what Nathan was all about.

“He (Nathan) was always a modern thinker,” said Elizabeth Cooper, who helps run the station with her husband, Joe.

What began as a family operation remains so today. Joe has worked in the station since he was a kid. His father served as president of the business until his unexpected death at the age of 60 in 1977. His mother, Josie, stepped in and remained at the helm until she died at 98 in 2019. Joe has been president since 2019. He has two brothers with an ownership stake but they are not involved in the day-to-day operations.

ADDING FM

FM radio had been around since before Nathan put WMNC on the airwaves. The frequency modulation offered better sound quality, but there was little FM programming and most homes only had an AM radio.

That began to shift in the 1960s, and never wanting to be behind the curve, Nathan also became licensed for 92.1 FM in 1962.

“Everyone thought FM would be the death of AM, but look – it’s still around,” Joe said.

Cooper Broadcasting continues to operate stations on both dials, including a 250-watt FM repeater of the AM station on 106.3 FM. 

Programming on the stations has changed over the decades. 1430-AM is “Classic Hit Country” -- think George Jones and Alabama – but used to play gospel. The FM station is “Hot New Country” – think Lainey Wilson and Luke Combs – but used to play oldies rock.

“We’ve been country since the late ’90s,” Joe said. “Advertisers didn’t want oldie rock. It was the time of Garth Brooks and a resurgence of country music.”

The move to the country format coincided with rebranding the station to Big Dawg in 1998. The station got another literal boost in 2009 when the antenna went from 200 to 400 feet, giving the station 25,000 watts to reach up to 2.3 million in 22 counties over three states. 

A LOVE CONNECTION

In the mid-1970s, Elizabeth recently graduated from college and was looking for a teaching job in the Charlotte area. That’s when she got a call from an old college friend who told her she was leaving her radio job in Morganton for a larger station elsewhere. Would Elizabeth be interested in being a news reporter at WMNC?

The idea was not far-fetched. Elizabeth had been the editor of the college newspaper and helped start UNC-Charlotte’s radio station. Not having other employment opportunities at the time, Elizabeth decided to interview. She was hired. 

“I never thought this would be permanent,” Elizabeth said. 

She became the news reporter during the height of the station. There were about 30 employees, most of which were on-air personalities. Today’s employee total is about 10.  

When she started in 1976, she would get up well before dawn, go to the police stations to check the arrest blotters and be prepared for her first broadcast at 6 a.m.

A listening audience wasn’t the only thing she cultivated.

She caught the eye of Joe and the two began dating. 

“I want to make it clear his dad was president,” she said, clarifying she wasn’t dating her boss.

The couple made it official when they swapped vows in 1978. Two years later, Elizabeth left news and moved into sales for the station. 

LOCAL IS BEST

“... and that’s your weather forecast from raysweather.com. Local news is coming up. Keep it on the Big Dawg.”

Bob Clark finished his 8:20 a.m. break without missing a beat as visitors walked into the control booth. He took off his headphones and glanced at the computer, making sure the song showing on his computer screen was playing as scheduled.

He’d been at the station since 5 a.m. and was in the homestretch. His on-air shift would end at 9.

“It’s funny because 99% of my jobs have been morning shifts … and I’m a night owl,” Bob laughed. 

The Ohio native has been in radio since 1997 and appreciates the atmosphere at Big Dawg. And despite what some might think, the subscription programming still allows local control. His breaks can be as long as he needs (“Though I’d never go more than five minutes because our listeners don’t want that”) and he can pull a song in favor of another.

“I’m a Brad Paisley fan,” he said. “So I sometimes throw in one of his songs.”

This flexibility means Clark takes requests, just like the good old days.

“Being a local station, we can connect with our listeners. We take requests. We do giveaways. We have our Game of the Week (high school football will kick off soon), the Swap Shop,” he elaborated. “And just this morning -- Someone called in to alert people to an accident on I-40. You won’t find that on (satellite radio). Best of all? It’s free.”