1490 Carolina Country - WSTP - AM 1490 - Salisbury, NC

WSTP has a rich history and has been a part of Salisbury going all the way back to it's first broadcast on January 1, 1939. ... See more This page is one of my favorites, being somewhat of a history buff and as time and research permits I hope to bring much of that history to these pages. In the last 73 years I can think of no place where technology has changed as fast it happened at WSTP and radio stations across the country. We have quite a lot of information on the early days of the station and through its evolution from live performances during the broadcast day, then the DJ years when there were on air personalties, to now when satellite automation allows stations (not WSTP) to operate daily without anyone being on the premises. In fact large corporations now operate several stations with just one studio that may be hundreds of miles away and small sales offices are based in the cities the station serves. The technology changed. There were wire recorders, 78's, 45's and of course the 33&1/2 albums. Later came the mylar tape used in reel to reel tape recorders/players, There were micro cassettes, portable reel to reels that looked like suit cases and the old "Ampex's" that were in a sloped front cabinet on wheels and was close to the size of a washing machine. The 8 track tapes, and it's professional cousin; "cart machines", then came cassette recorders/players, and lastly the digital tape players/recorders..... There's much more to be written, both words and pictures so keep an eye on this page and if you like history, especially broadcast history you won't be disappointed! A Mystery! What significance does the WSTP call letters have? We have heard several possible answers but we would like to know if anyone has the answer. We have a few hints. If you look at the list of stockholders that put WSTP on the air you will notice some familiar names that are still living in this area. Some of the major stockholders also were connected with the ownership of the Salisbury Post. The "W" has been used for radio stations east of the Mississippi River from the early days of radio. the "S" most likely has something to do with Salisbury but the other two letters aren't so obvious. If anyone has the answer, more clues, theories, or want to take a guess we'll publish the most plausable replies. Send replies to: tim.coates@1490wstp.com This is a transmitter to tower switch. We have two transmitters; one for primary use and another for a back up. From time to time we run the backup transmitter and this is how we switch it to the tower. The switch is actually in the steel box in the center with the porcelin shaft and chrome knob. It pushes in for the main transmitter and pulls out for our backup. Notice the copper strap in the back. Here it is used as the outer "shield" between the cables that go to the tower. The outside of antenna cable must stay connected or the 1000 watts won't make it to the tower. The copper actually connects every piece of equipment the station has to the station's ground system that eventually connects to the tower legs. It provides lightning protection, and a common ground so any stray electrical energy will follow the copper into the earth. ------ Shows: Coast to Coast AM, Laura Ingraham Show, The Savage Nation, Coast to Coast AM, The Jim Bohannon Show, The Jerry Doyle Show, The Rusty Humphries Show, Dr. Laura Schlessinger Show, The G. Gordon Liddy Show, Curtis Sliwa Live, Beyond the Beltway, The O'Reilly Factor, The Morning Show, WTAP News Simulcast ----- Hosts: Curtis Sliwa