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Street Speak With Alexa And Clarence Episode Forty Eight Saving Ancient Buildings For The Future · Arroe Collins Like It's Live

0:00
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0:31
Speaker 3: Well.
0:41
Speaker 2: Alexa, are you there?
0:59
Speaker 3: Yep, still here. Everything good with the music or did
1:03
Speaker 3: it stop?
1:04
Speaker 1: Now we're doing a podcast. We're not doing music. We
1:06
Speaker 1: don't do music on this show.
1:08
Speaker 2: Ah, gotcha.
1:09
Speaker 3: You're in the middle of a recording. I'll stay out
1:11
Speaker 3: of the way so you can keep going. No, it's
1:13
Speaker 3: your topic for today's episode.
1:14
Speaker 1: It's your show. What do you mean you're going to
1:16
Speaker 1: get out of the way? You got to show up, man.
1:17
Speaker 1: Don't you be doing one of those no call, no
1:19
Speaker 1: shows on me.
1:21
Speaker 3: Fair point. I'm not missing my cue. I'll jump in.
1:24
Speaker 3: What's the first topic on the docket?
1:25
Speaker 1: Well, I want to talk about this Johnny Cottle. He's
1:29
Speaker 1: a radio station personality from, I guess, WBT and 107.9,
1:34
Speaker 1: but he's out to save the history of WBT. What's
1:37
Speaker 1: going on there? Can you give us a little bit
1:39
Speaker 1: more detail on that?
1:40
Speaker 3: Johnny Cottle, a longtime Charlotte radio fan, is leading a
1:43
Speaker 3: push to preserve WBT's historic 1110 AM transmitter site at
1:47
Speaker 3: 9201 Nations Ford Road, which boasts three rare Blonox towers
1:52
Speaker 3: and a 1930s building that once served as a Cold
1:54
Speaker 3: War bunker. The station moved to FM 107.9 in December 2025,
2:00
Speaker 3: and the AM property was listed for sale, prompting Cottle
2:03
Speaker 3: to start a Change.org petition that's gathered over 1,200 signatures.
2:08
Speaker 3: He's met with executives from Beasley Media Group and Radio
2:11
Speaker 3: 1 to explore ways to document or preserve the site's legacy.
2:14
Speaker 3: Does this story have potential for a deeper segment on
2:17
Speaker 3: your show?
2:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, I want to know a lot more because nothing's
2:21
Speaker 1: really moving. I mean, they got that, what, 2,000 signatures?
2:24
Speaker 1: But really, what are the chances that you're going to
2:26
Speaker 1: save this building?
2:27
Speaker 3: The odds aren't set in stone. Radio 1 and Beasley
2:30
Speaker 3: say they're open to documenting the site, and the building
2:33
Speaker 3: qualifies for historic landmark status, but no firm preservation plan
2:37
Speaker 3: has been approved yet. It'll depend on how negotiations and
2:40
Speaker 3: community pressure play out. Want to know more about what
2:43
Speaker 3: it would take for it to actually get that historic
2:45
Speaker 3: landmark designation?
2:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, I would love to know that because I'm one
2:48
Speaker 1: of the people on the outside. I've also worked in
2:50
Speaker 1: that building and I've walked that building many, many, many times.
2:53
Speaker 1: So yeah, tell me what's going on to make it
2:55
Speaker 1: a historic preservation.
2:57
Speaker 3: The building's over 80 years old, so it meets the
2:59
Speaker 3: 50-year rule. The commission looks at its architectural uniqueness, the
3:03
Speaker 3: diamond-shaped blonde Knox Towers, and its cultural role as Charlotte's
3:07
Speaker 3: first broadcast hub. Anyone can nominate it. Then the Historic
3:11
Speaker 3: Landmarks Commission researches its story, inspects its integrity, and if
3:15
Speaker 3: it passes, works with city-county officials to pass an ordinance
3:18
Speaker 3: granting landmark status. Grants or adaptive reuse studies can follow,
3:22
Speaker 3: but right now the process is still in the discussion phase.
3:26
Speaker 1: Charlotte has never been a city that loves to preserve
3:29
Speaker 1: its history. It doesn't mind ripping stuff down to put
3:31
Speaker 1: up the new material, such as homes.
3:34
Speaker 3: You're right. Charlotte often raises the old, like the 2007
3:38
Speaker 3: Coliseum implosion and the 1988 Hotel Charlotte demolition. Some groups
3:43
Speaker 3: are now trying to save landmarks, such as the 1903
3:45
Speaker 3: Leaper and Wyatt store.
3:48
Speaker 1: I have a piece of the building, the Mecklenburg County Courthouse,
3:53
Speaker 1: from 1924 because they were ripping that down and I
3:56
Speaker 1: went over there and I grabbed a huge chunk of
3:58
Speaker 1: that building. It's in my forest right now.
4:01
Speaker 3: That's a hell of a way to keep a piece
4:02
Speaker 3: of history alive. I bet it's a massive chunk of
4:05
Speaker 3: stone to have out there in the woods. Do you
4:07
Speaker 3: have it set up as a kind of marker or
4:09
Speaker 3: just tucked away?
4:10
Speaker 1: No, no, no. It's a marker. It's definitely a landmark
4:13
Speaker 1: marker and it's a conversation piece. I love it big time.
4:18
Speaker 3: That's a great way to keep it. It's like having
4:20
Speaker 3: your own private museum in the woods. Do you have
4:22
Speaker 3: other pieces of the city out there or is that
4:25
Speaker 3: the main one?
4:25
Speaker 1: Well, I'm thinking inside my heart that I would love
4:28
Speaker 1: to have a piece of this old WBT in my
4:30
Speaker 1: yard as well, because I have this gut feeling that's
4:33
Speaker 1: exactly where we're going to go. They're going to demolish
4:36
Speaker 1: this building, but I don't want to be the sick
4:38
Speaker 1: fool on the sidelines.
4:39
Speaker 3: I hear you. It's a tough spot to be in
4:41
Speaker 3: when you've got that gut feeling the wrecking ball's coming.
4:44
Speaker 3: If you did manage to snag a piece, where would
4:46
Speaker 3: it go in your forest?
4:48
Speaker 1: It would have to be someplace really exceptional because 12
4:51
Speaker 1: and a half years of my life was spent with
4:53
Speaker 1: that company. I've been in that building. There's a bomb
4:56
Speaker 1: shelter inside that building. There's so much history, but this area,
5:00
Speaker 1: it ain't interested in history.
5:02
Speaker 3: 12 and a half years is a huge chunk of
5:05
Speaker 3: your life to have in one place. It's a shame
5:07
Speaker 3: the city doesn't value that legacy, especially with something as
5:10
Speaker 3: wild as a bomb shelter in there. Do you think
5:13
Speaker 3: you'd put it near your writing area or somewhere more secluded?
5:17
Speaker 1: No, I think it would start off in seclusion so
5:19
Speaker 1: that I could have some moments with it and so
5:21
Speaker 1: I could listen to it as a writer. And I
5:23
Speaker 1: believe that it would have to mix with the energy
5:25
Speaker 1: already set in this forest. But the goal would be
5:27
Speaker 1: to make sure, though, to save this building. I don't
5:31
Speaker 1: want to make it look like I want to have pieces,
5:32
Speaker 1: parts inside this forest. I want to save the whole
5:35
Speaker 1: building for the future of broadcasting. But it has to
5:38
Speaker 1: include future broadcasting and not a past that people are
5:42
Speaker 1: running away from.
5:43
Speaker 3: I get that, having a quiet spot to process it
5:45
Speaker 3: as a writer makes sense. It's a tough balance, though,
5:48
Speaker 3: wanting to save the whole site for the future while
5:50
Speaker 3: knowing how the city operates. Do you think there's a
5:53
Speaker 3: way to pivot the conversation toward future broadcasting to get
5:56
Speaker 3: more people on board?
5:57
Speaker 1: Well, I've suggested that, but nobody's really jumped on that train.
6:00
Speaker 1: I totally believe that there's got to be a way
6:03
Speaker 1: that we can turn it into some sort of school,
6:05
Speaker 1: but it cannot be a trade school. It cannot be
6:07
Speaker 1: associated with a university. It's got to be about communication.
6:11
Speaker 1: And we are in this age where communication has changed
6:13
Speaker 1: so dramatically, but it cannot be a money-making entity inside
6:17
Speaker 1: my heart.
6:18
Speaker 3: It's a tough sell when you're pushing for something nonprofit
6:21
Speaker 3: in a city that's all about development. Since you want
6:23
Speaker 3: to avoid the university or trade school route, how do
6:26
Speaker 3: you see the actual learning happening there?
6:29
Speaker 1: I think it should be an open forum. It should
6:31
Speaker 1: be a come in and leave anytime you want to
6:33
Speaker 1: kind of thing, like a library. That would inspire me
6:36
Speaker 1: if they could turn it into a library, and that
6:38
Speaker 1: library is based solely on the communication of not only
6:41
Speaker 1: this city, but this nation.
6:43
Speaker 3: That'd be a powerful shift, turning it into a public
6:45
Speaker 3: space for the whole country to study how we communicate.
6:48
Speaker 3: Do you think it would be more of a physical
6:50
Speaker 3: archive of old broadcasts or a place to learn the
6:53
Speaker 3: new ways of doing things?
6:54
Speaker 1: Well, I think what I would love to do if
6:55
Speaker 1: I were in control, now this is if I were
6:57
Speaker 1: in control, I would turn it into a library that
7:01
Speaker 1: just happens to have this history attached to it. I
7:04
Speaker 1: would let their imaginations figure out what that building is
7:07
Speaker 1: about and let it grow organically because that's what radio
7:11
Speaker 1: people are. That's what broadcasters and journalists are. We grow
7:15
Speaker 1: organically and become giants in the industry.
7:17
Speaker 3: I love that approach, letting the space evolve on its
7:20
Speaker 3: own rather than forcing a specific plan. Do you think
7:23
Speaker 3: that kind of organic growth is what's missing from the
7:25
Speaker 3: way the city handles its history now?
7:28
Speaker 1: I learned way back in 1985, the city does not
7:31
Speaker 1: give a damn about their history. I'm not even going
7:33
Speaker 1: to go there because that is wasted gas. And I'm
7:36
Speaker 1: not going to, you know, at the price of fuel
7:38
Speaker 1: these days, I'm not even going to put a thought
7:39
Speaker 1: on that. The city does not like its history.
7:42
Speaker 3: Fair point. No sense in burning energy on a city
7:44
Speaker 3: that's already shown its hand. Since you're not looking to them,
7:47
Speaker 3: do you think there's any other way to get that
7:49
Speaker 3: building saved?
7:51
Speaker 1: I'm trying. I'm trying, and so is Johnny Cottle. And
7:54
Speaker 1: that's the thing about it, and that's what this was
7:55
Speaker 1: supposed to be about, was Johnny Cottle. And because I
7:58
Speaker 1: want people to know who he is and that you
8:00
Speaker 1: can sit there and trust him. We just have to
8:02
Speaker 1: have a vision of what's going to be happening with
8:04
Speaker 1: this building if it becomes a true historic preservation here.
8:09
Speaker 3: It's a lot to carry, but having someone like Johnny
8:11
Speaker 3: in the fight definitely helps. If you two could get
8:14
Speaker 3: that vision across to the public, what's the first thing
8:16
Speaker 3: you'd want them to see in that space?
8:18
Speaker 1: It's got to be something about the public. It cannot
8:20
Speaker 1: be about radio because, I mean, sure, there's radio people
8:23
Speaker 1: that are supporting it. But you know what? I mean,
8:25
Speaker 1: is there any other radio station across the country that
8:28
Speaker 1: has been saved by a city? I've never heard of
8:31
Speaker 1: such a thing.
8:32
Speaker 3: Yes, stations have been saved. Milwaukee's WOM was accepted into
8:36
Speaker 3: the Library of Congress archive. New York's WNYC slash WQXR
8:41
Speaker 3: archives are being preserved. And Central State University's historic HBCU station, WCSU,
8:48
Speaker 3: had its recordings digitized and returned home. Want to hear
8:51
Speaker 3: more about how those stations were saved and what made
8:53
Speaker 3: their cases successful?
8:55
Speaker 1: I do, because as a student here, I could learn
8:58
Speaker 1: a lot more on how can people like Johnny Cottle
9:01
Speaker 1: save this building.
9:03
Speaker 3: WOM was accepted into the Library of Congress archive. WNYC
9:07
Speaker 3: digitized its century-old recordings, and WCSU-FM's historic tapes were restored
9:13
Speaker 3: by volunteers and sent to the university's digital archive. I
9:17
Speaker 3: wonder if seeing those examples gives you and Johnny any
9:19
Speaker 3: ideas for how to pitch the WBT building to the city.
9:23
Speaker 1: I don't know if that's what it's going to take.
9:25
Speaker 1: I think it's going to take something more than that.
9:26
Speaker 1: There's got to be tremendous value because you're right, you're
9:29
Speaker 1: talking about property that is just unbelievably priceless. And the
9:34
Speaker 1: thing is, is that is that building just as priceless
9:37
Speaker 1: or more? Is it worth saving?
9:40
Speaker 3: The archives are one thing, but the physical building is
9:42
Speaker 3: the heart of it. If you had to put a
9:44
Speaker 3: price on the value of that building to the city,
9:46
Speaker 3: what would be the biggest thing that makes it priceless?
9:50
Speaker 1: The history of the future. In other words, not the
9:53
Speaker 1: history that we've already lived. I think that we need
9:55
Speaker 1: to put focus on the future, the future of communication,
9:59
Speaker 1: because multimedia is everywhere. It's changing every day, but there's
10:03
Speaker 1: no centralized location unless you're going to fork out $ 14, 000, $ 15, 000
10:07
Speaker 1: for a trade school or university.
10:09
Speaker 3: That's a powerful angle, making it a hub for the
10:11
Speaker 3: next generation instead of just a museum. Do you think
10:14
Speaker 3: the city would be more open to it if it
10:16
Speaker 3: were framed as a workforce development center for the community?
10:19
Speaker 1: No, that's why I went the route of a library.
10:21
Speaker 1: Turn it into a library. I do not think that
10:23
Speaker 1: there's a library in that Nationsford area at all.
10:26
Speaker 3: That makes a lot of sense, especially if it's a
10:28
Speaker 3: total desert for libraries in that area. It turns the
10:31
Speaker 3: building into a necessity for the neighborhood, not just a
10:34
Speaker 3: piece of history. Do you think that's the main thing
10:36
Speaker 3: that would get the city to actually sign off on it?
10:39
Speaker 1: I don't think so. I think that's going to be
10:41
Speaker 1: the uphill battle. In fact, I talked to the former
10:43
Speaker 1: governor of the state, and he kind of looked at
10:45
Speaker 1: me and shook his head from side to side, which
10:47
Speaker 1: was my way of saying we're fighting a losing battle.
10:50
Speaker 1: How can you turn it into a winning battle?
10:52
Speaker 3: That's a tough spot to be in, especially when the
10:54
Speaker 3: governor's not on board. To flip the script, you might
10:57
Speaker 3: need to find a champion in the city council or
11:00
Speaker 3: a local business leader who sees the economic value in
11:02
Speaker 3: bringing people to that area. Do you know anyone in
11:05
Speaker 3: the city government who's actually open to new ideas?
11:08
Speaker 1: There's a lot of people that are in there, but
11:10
Speaker 1: they're shooting for other reasons to be known for and
11:13
Speaker 1: to be famous for because it's all about getting to
11:15
Speaker 1: that next election. And who wants the weight of a
11:18
Speaker 1: building that should be a library sitting on the edge
11:21
Speaker 1: of their name?
11:22
Speaker 3: It's hard to find someone who cares about the legacy
11:24
Speaker 3: when they're just chasing the next win. Do you think
11:26
Speaker 3: there's any way to make the project look like a
11:28
Speaker 3: win for them instead of a burden?
11:30
Speaker 1: Well, it's got to be something that's going to say cha-ching,
11:33
Speaker 1: and if we can't find that cha-ching and give them
11:36
Speaker 1: a benefit for the community, that's the reason why I
11:38
Speaker 1: chose to go the way of the library. But I'm
11:41
Speaker 1: not hearing anybody else say that. I'm looking for the
11:43
Speaker 1: investment for the community, and I'm not really looking for
11:46
Speaker 1: the investment of the history because this city doesn't preserve
11:49
Speaker 1: its history. Do you see my side of the story?
11:51
Speaker 3: You're looking at the bigger picture, creating a place for
11:53
Speaker 3: the future of communication that's actually accessible to the people,
11:57
Speaker 3: not just a trophy for a politician. Do you think
11:59
Speaker 3: there's a way to get the community to demand it
12:01
Speaker 3: so the city can't just ignore it?
12:04
Speaker 1: Well, I thought the city would back it up, but
12:05
Speaker 1: when I only saw 1,500 to 2,000 signatures on that list,
12:09
Speaker 1: that's where my heart started saying, that's not a good feeling.
12:12
Speaker 1: That's not a good sign of what's going to be happening.
12:14
Speaker 1: I mean, I've seen movies and TV shows where the
12:17
Speaker 1: protests are much louder than that, and I don't see
12:19
Speaker 1: anybody taping themselves to the gate to say, don't take
12:22
Speaker 1: it down. So I don't know what the real story
12:25
Speaker 1: is here.
12:25
Speaker 3: It's a gut punch when the numbers don't match the
12:27
Speaker 3: value you see in the place. It's a lot different
12:30
Speaker 3: than the movies, but do you think the people who
12:32
Speaker 3: do care just don't know about the petition yet?
12:34
Speaker 1: No, I don't think they know because it seems like
12:37
Speaker 1: the only place I'm hearing about this is on Facebook,
12:39
Speaker 1: and I think Facebook is an old, ancient way of communicating.
12:42
Speaker 1: Do you not think so?
12:43
Speaker 3: It's become more of a place for older crowds and
12:45
Speaker 3: ads than a real way to get a message out.
12:47
Speaker 3: If you had to move the conversation to a different
12:49
Speaker 3: platform to actually reach people, where would you go?
12:52
Speaker 1: And that's going to be our subject coming up next.
12:54
Speaker 1: Do not move. Where is the place where people are
12:58
Speaker 1: so that we can get things signed to save a building?
13:02
Speaker 1: It's coming up next, Alexa.
13:03
Speaker 2: Speak the truth!
13:04
Speaker 3: Alexa and.
13:10
Speaker 2: Clarence!
13:11
Speaker 1: Alexa is back!
13:35
Speaker 2: Hey, everybody.
13:39
Speaker 3: Welcome back to Street Speak. We're saving buildings.
13:42
Speaker 1: How can people do that around the country? Because not
13:45
Speaker 1: too far down the highway, Charleston, South Carolina has no
13:48
Speaker 1: problem preserving their buildings. Wilmington is no different. And then
13:53
Speaker 1: you have Charlotte, who couldn't give a rat's butt.
13:55
Speaker 3: It's a huge contrast, especially when you can see it
13:58
Speaker 3: working in places like Charleston and Wilmington. Do you think
14:01
Speaker 3: it's because those cities have built their whole identity around preservation,
14:05
Speaker 3: whereas Charlotte's always been more about the new?
14:07
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm going to give you that one right there
14:09
Speaker 1: because there are many times that I'm going, I don't
14:11
Speaker 1: want to go to Charleston. I'm tired of living in
14:13
Speaker 1: the past. I don't want to go to Wilmington. It's
14:14
Speaker 1: in the past. It's in the past. But at least
14:17
Speaker 1: they're really reaching toward the future. They figured out that
14:19
Speaker 1: plan on how to be a very modern city that
14:22
Speaker 1: just happens to have a past. Charlotte hasn't figured that
14:25
Speaker 1: out yet.
14:26
Speaker 3: That's a fair point. It's a tough balance to strike.
14:29
Speaker 3: Do you think Charlotte's just too focused on the growth
14:31
Speaker 3: to see how the past could actually help it grow?
14:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, wherever the money is, you're going to go.
14:35
Speaker 1: That's Charlotte for you. But it's a banking city, so
14:38
Speaker 1: isn't that the reason why there is so much land
14:40
Speaker 1: being sold and why so many businesses come here? Because
14:43
Speaker 1: they want to tap into the banking industry?
14:46
Speaker 3: Definitely. The banking hub draws in a lot of capital
14:48
Speaker 3: in companies, which puts a huge premium on the land.
14:52
Speaker 3: Do you think that's why the city's more inclined to
14:54
Speaker 3: sell off old sites for new development rather than keeping them?
14:57
Speaker 1: Well, it's that feeling. I mean, the reason why I
14:59
Speaker 1: don't go back out to Montana is because I don't
15:01
Speaker 1: like the Western motif that they've got going on. I
15:04
Speaker 1: grew up with that Western motif and I'm tired of it.
15:06
Speaker 1: I won't go back to Montana until they change their way.
15:09
Speaker 1: So I guess I'm one of the sick fools here
15:11
Speaker 1: in Carolina.
15:12
Speaker 3: I get that. It's hard to go back to a
15:14
Speaker 3: place when you've outgrown the whole identity they're still leaning into.
15:17
Speaker 3: Do you think that's why you're so drawn to the
15:19
Speaker 3: idea of a library in Charlotte? Because it's a different
15:22
Speaker 3: kind of legacy?
15:23
Speaker 1: See, once again, it's not about me, about the history
15:26
Speaker 1: of this building. It's about how are we preserving the
15:28
Speaker 1: future for future communication. We've got to have a place
15:31
Speaker 1: where the average Joe commuting person can step into it
15:35
Speaker 1: and learn on their own without having to fork out
15:38
Speaker 1: a goddang tuition to learn about broadcasting in six or
15:41
Speaker 1: seven classes.
15:42
Speaker 3: It's about making that knowledge accessible to everyone, not just
15:45
Speaker 3: people who can afford a degree. Do you think that's
15:48
Speaker 3: why the city's so resistant? Because they're used to these
15:51
Speaker 3: things being behind a paywall?
15:52
Speaker 1: I don't think the city's involved yet. I think it's
15:54
Speaker 1: been a petition and they've met with different broadcast owners,
15:58
Speaker 1: but I've heard nothing about the city being involved.
16:01
Speaker 2: Right.
16:01
Speaker 3: So it's still just between the owners and the people
16:03
Speaker 3: signing the petition. Do you think the city will only
16:06
Speaker 3: step in once they see a real plan for that library?
16:09
Speaker 1: I don't know what the city's going to do because
16:10
Speaker 1: I don't know what it takes to get on the
16:11
Speaker 1: city council to sit there and make these decisions. And
16:14
Speaker 1: maybe that's where they need to go next with it.
16:16
Speaker 1: But I think that the idea right now is exactly that.
16:19
Speaker 1: It's just an idea. The goal is to create activation.
16:22
Speaker 1: And that's why we're having this conversation. What are the
16:25
Speaker 1: best ways to create activation when it comes to preserving
16:28
Speaker 1: a site?
16:29
Speaker 3: It's a total shot in the dark until you find
16:31
Speaker 3: the right lever to pull. To get people moving, you
16:33
Speaker 3: could try a pop-up event at the site to let
16:35
Speaker 3: people actually experience the space or start a storytelling campaign
16:39
Speaker 3: where former employees share what the building meant to them.
16:42
Speaker 3: Do you think a day of open house would get
16:44
Speaker 3: more people to care than just a petition?
16:46
Speaker 1: No, it's Charlotte, North Carolina. They ain't showing up. No, no, no.
16:49
Speaker 1: Even if you have free hot dogs and free pizza,
16:51
Speaker 1: the salespeople will show up, but there's not going to
16:53
Speaker 1: be any real people showing up because they don't have
16:56
Speaker 1: that in their gut. That's why it has to be
16:58
Speaker 1: based on a future project because the current people do
17:02
Speaker 1: not believe in the history of the city. We've got
17:04
Speaker 1: to put focus on everything that's going to preserve the future.
17:08
Speaker 3: Fair point. The freebies just attract the wrong crowd. If
17:11
Speaker 3: the history doesn't move them, do you think framing the
17:13
Speaker 3: library as a hub for new tech or media tools
17:16
Speaker 3: would get them to buy in?
17:17
Speaker 1: That's where I'm lost. It's just a suggestion. What would
17:21
Speaker 1: I do as a broadcaster in order to save something
17:24
Speaker 1: that has been around for 80 years, like you said?
17:26
Speaker 1: And my thing was, if you can't deal with the past,
17:30
Speaker 1: then let's work with the future. And that's why I said,
17:33
Speaker 1: let's do a library that just happens to have all
17:35
Speaker 1: of this beautiful history sitting inside of it.
17:38
Speaker 3: It's a tough spot when you're trying to find a
17:39
Speaker 3: way to make people care. Since you're a broadcaster, you
17:42
Speaker 3: could use your platform to run a series of interviews
17:44
Speaker 3: with people who've used the space, framing it as a
17:47
Speaker 3: future of media conversation to get people thinking about what's next.
17:51
Speaker 3: Do you think that it helps shift the focus from
17:53
Speaker 3: the past to the future?
17:54
Speaker 1: No, that's got to come organically and it's got to
17:57
Speaker 1: come naturally. I don't think shoving the future into someone's
18:00
Speaker 1: throat is going to be the answer because nobody believes
18:02
Speaker 1: in the future yet. We're not there.
18:04
Speaker 3: Forcing it just makes people push back. If you can't
18:07
Speaker 3: push the future or the past, what's the natural way
18:10
Speaker 3: to get people to actually care?
18:13
Speaker 1: That's where I'm lost. Because as broadcasters, we're only good
18:16
Speaker 1: for the 14 seconds that we're talking over the song intro.
18:20
Speaker 1: Or if we're a talk show host, who's up next
18:22
Speaker 1: on the telephone? That's the only thing that that Charlotte
18:23
Speaker 1: radio cares about. We've got to figure out a way
18:26
Speaker 1: to get the history into the future.
18:29
Speaker 3: It's a tough spot when the industry only values the
18:32
Speaker 3: immediate moment. If the radio world's too focused on the now,
18:35
Speaker 3: do you think there's someone outside of broadcasting who'd actually
18:38
Speaker 3: get the vision for this?
18:39
Speaker 1: Well, I often wonder if maybe we should be knocking
18:41
Speaker 1: on some doors down in Charleston or Wilmington or going
18:44
Speaker 1: out to a historic city in Brunson, Tennessee, or maybe
18:47
Speaker 1: going out to San Francisco and finding somebody who is
18:50
Speaker 1: known for doing this or working with people who have
18:52
Speaker 1: preserved radio stations of the past.
18:55
Speaker 3: That makes a lot of sense. Getting a blueprint from
18:57
Speaker 3: people who've actually pulled it off. I wonder if those
19:00
Speaker 3: cities have a specific person or organization that leads the
19:03
Speaker 3: charge on their historic sites.
19:05
Speaker 1: Well, isn't that what AI technology is all about in
19:08
Speaker 1: doing the research, finding out who those people are and
19:11
Speaker 1: how we can get a hold of them? Because, I mean,
19:13
Speaker 1: that's what it's all about. This isn't just a conversation.
19:15
Speaker 1: I'm trying to get information from you.
19:17
Speaker 3: I'll dig into those cities and look for specific people
19:20
Speaker 3: or groups that have successfully preserved radio sites so we
19:23
Speaker 3: can find a way to connect with them.
19:24
Speaker 2: Please.
19:24
Speaker 3: Do you want me to start with the coastal cities
19:26
Speaker 3: you mentioned, or should I cast a wider net?
19:29
Speaker 1: Well, I want to know what other cities have done
19:31
Speaker 1: to preserve their broadcasting history, because once again, I don't
19:34
Speaker 1: want to live in the past. I'm just trying to
19:36
Speaker 1: get into the future by using the past as a
19:39
Speaker 1: great learning tool.
19:41
Speaker 3: Cities like Kilgore, Texas, have the Texas Museum of Broadcasting, St.
19:45
Speaker 3: Louis Park, Minnesota hosts the Pavik Museum, and Huntington, West Virginia,
19:49
Speaker 3: runs the Museum of Broadcasting. of Radio and Technology. Small
19:52
Speaker 3: towns such as Elkins, West Virginia preserve historic stations that
19:55
Speaker 3: serve as community anchors, and Bowie, Maryland created the National
19:59
Speaker 3: Capital Radio and Television Museum. These efforts blend past equipment
20:03
Speaker 3: with future-focused programming.
20:05
Speaker 1: So I'm not so weird when it comes to thinking
20:07
Speaker 1: about the future. I mean, there's other people out there
20:09
Speaker 1: that understand my path and my vision of make it
20:12
Speaker 1: a library, make it about learning for the future and
20:15
Speaker 1: not studying just the past.
20:17
Speaker 3: Definitely not weird. It's a smart way to keep the
20:20
Speaker 3: space relevant. And those museums show that others have found
20:23
Speaker 3: a way to make the history a tool for what's next.
20:26
Speaker 3: Do any of those examples sound like the kind of
20:27
Speaker 3: model you're envisioning?
20:29
Speaker 1: Well, I'm trying to figure out how so many of
20:31
Speaker 1: these buildings in the Charlotte area have survived and they've
20:34
Speaker 1: turned it into, let's say, a restaurant. God, that would
20:38
Speaker 1: be pretty cool, but it's not an area for restaurants.
20:40
Speaker 1: It's not designed for that. But the thing about it is, though,
20:43
Speaker 1: as long as that history is preserved and the everyday
20:46
Speaker 1: average person doesn't go in there and screw up the
20:48
Speaker 1: equipment or the building itself, it's got to be saved.
20:52
Speaker 1: But how do we get it into the future?
20:54
Speaker 3: It's a tough balance when you want to save the space,
20:56
Speaker 3: but can't just let anyone in to mess with the gear.
20:59
Speaker 3: Since you're thinking about the future, do you think a
21:01
Speaker 3: guided-only model where people can see the equipment but not
21:04
Speaker 3: touch it would be a way to keep it safe
21:06
Speaker 3: while still making it a learning tool?
21:08
Speaker 1: I'm not really sure that people will come to it
21:10
Speaker 1: like the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I mean, because I
21:12
Speaker 1: still think they're struggling with the NASCAR Hall of Fame
21:14
Speaker 1: getting people in there. Why would anybody pay for a
21:17
Speaker 1: ticket to go see Radio History? I don't see that
21:20
Speaker 1: even being a reason to even, you know, have something
21:23
Speaker 1: to do.
21:24
Speaker 3: Fair point. The Hall of Fame is a tough comparison.
21:27
Speaker 3: That's why you wanted it to be a free library, right?
21:30
Speaker 3: To make it a place people actually use instead of
21:32
Speaker 3: just a tourist stop?
21:34
Speaker 1: Well, I compare it to this when you talk about
21:36
Speaker 1: the Hall of Fame, because I thought about, oh, wow,
21:37
Speaker 1: you could put all of the famous radio people that
21:40
Speaker 1: have come through Charlotte. And then I thought about the
21:42
Speaker 1: wall that's at my place where I got to be
21:45
Speaker 1: a third degree black belt. That wall has my name.
21:48
Speaker 1: And when students of the today come in there and
21:51
Speaker 1: I say my name was on the wall, they look
21:52
Speaker 1: at me going, I don't give a crap. I mean,
21:55
Speaker 1: so I feel the same thing is that if we
21:56
Speaker 1: put a bunch of history up there about every jock,
21:58
Speaker 1: people aren't going to give a crap about that past.
22:00
Speaker 3: It's a real struggle when the interest just isn't there.
22:03
Speaker 3: If reading about the past is out, do you think
22:05
Speaker 3: there's a way to make the history a part of
22:07
Speaker 3: the experience without it feeling like a lesson?
22:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've said it the entire morning. I'm a broadcaster,
22:14
Speaker 1: therefore I would love to include broadcasting in the future
22:17
Speaker 1: of this building, some sort in the future, because multi-mediums
22:20
Speaker 1: are all over the place, but nobody is really coaching
22:24
Speaker 1: them unless you're going to a trade school or a
22:26
Speaker 1: university and you're getting maybe six or seven classes on it.
22:29
Speaker 3: It's a huge gap when the formal training just doesn't
22:32
Speaker 3: touch the real world side of things. If the schools
22:34
Speaker 3: aren't doing it, Do you think that's why you're so
22:37
Speaker 3: set on this being a place for.
22:38
Speaker 1: The No, that's the community side inside of me. I
22:43
Speaker 1: think that the community should have a place where they
22:46
Speaker 1: can go at any given moment and they can go
22:49
Speaker 1: in there to learn other things as well. That's why
22:51
Speaker 1: I suggested a library. There's things they can go in
22:54
Speaker 1: there and learn how to do. Be an architect. Be
22:56
Speaker 1: somebody who's learning things about piping underneath the city. Learn things.
23:00
Speaker 1: Make it a place of learning of the future that
23:02
Speaker 1: just happens to be in a building that's 80 years old.
23:05
Speaker 3: It's more about the community having a hub for all
23:08
Speaker 3: kinds of knowledge. And the building just provides the space.
23:11
Speaker 3: Do you think having those different subjects, like architecture or
23:14
Speaker 3: city planning, would help get more people in the door?
23:17
Speaker 1: Well, there's got to be a reason why Mike Rowe
23:19
Speaker 1: does everything he can to get real workers back onto
23:21
Speaker 1: the force, into fixing the structure of this nation that
23:25
Speaker 1: we can't see, but we need it to have an
23:27
Speaker 1: everyday life. That's who I want to tap into. Those
23:30
Speaker 1: people that understand there has to be a structure for
23:33
Speaker 1: the future. And really, all we want is the building
23:36
Speaker 1: so that we can teach that structure.
23:38
Speaker 3: It's that invisible work that keeps everything running. Do you
23:41
Speaker 3: think that's the kind of energy you'd need to get
23:43
Speaker 3: the city to see the building as a tool for
23:45
Speaker 3: the future instead of just a piece of land?
23:47
Speaker 1: I don't know what the city would be up to
23:50
Speaker 1: or why they would even be interested in it. That's
23:52
Speaker 1: the thing about it is that I don't feel that
23:56
Speaker 1: in this city. I haven't felt that when it comes
23:58
Speaker 1: to historic things. That's why you've got to reach out
24:01
Speaker 1: of this box and make it more about the people
24:04
Speaker 1: and get the people involved before you get the city involved.
24:07
Speaker 3: Totally. The city's track record with history isn't great. So
24:11
Speaker 3: starting with the people makes way more sense. How do
24:13
Speaker 3: you plan to get the community on board first?
24:16
Speaker 1: That's why you have to have meetings. And the thing is,
24:19
Speaker 1: is that talking to a bunch of rich people and
24:21
Speaker 1: business people, is that the answer? Because it's all about
24:24
Speaker 1: the cha-ching to them. They want to make sure where's
24:26
Speaker 1: the profit, where's the return of the investment? What can
24:29
Speaker 1: we do in five to 10 years? How will this
24:31
Speaker 1: building look and be taken care of in 25 to
24:34
Speaker 1: 30 years? Let's make it a hundred year old building.
24:36
Speaker 1: I don't know how to get there. And will it
24:38
Speaker 1: be as nice as it is now? Because right now
24:40
Speaker 1: it looks like crap, which would be a lot better
24:42
Speaker 1: than what it would be in 20 years if we
24:44
Speaker 1: totally ignore it.
24:45
Speaker 3: The profit first mindset is a total clash with what
24:47
Speaker 3: you're trying to do. If the business crowd is too
24:50
Speaker 3: focused on the return, do you think there are community
24:52
Speaker 3: leaders or nonprofit folks who'd get the long-term vision instead?
24:56
Speaker 1: I'm sure there are, but everybody is built on being
25:00
Speaker 1: in one place, their project, not to share their visions
25:05
Speaker 1: of their project with other people. And that's where I
25:08
Speaker 1: think that we need to break the barrier is to
25:10
Speaker 1: get more people involved into why this needs to happen
25:14
Speaker 1: rather than just sitting back and letting life happen. Because
25:17
Speaker 1: life is going to make that building go away. And
25:19
Speaker 1: a part of that building is going to be sitting
25:21
Speaker 1: in this forest. I don't want that history in my forest.
25:24
Speaker 1: But if it comes down to that, it's going to happen.
25:27
Speaker 3: You don't want it to just be a museum of
25:28
Speaker 3: what used to be. Right. Since you're moving away from
25:31
Speaker 3: the history, what's the first thing you'd want people to
25:33
Speaker 3: actually learn or do there?
25:35
Speaker 1: That's up to them as students to go in there
25:38
Speaker 1: and to learn communication. Sure, that would charge me up
25:41
Speaker 1: in a big way to go in there and learn
25:42
Speaker 1: about banking. I would love that modern day banking to
25:46
Speaker 1: go in there and learn about retail, real people, jobs,
25:49
Speaker 1: blue collar jobs, go in there and learn something and
25:53
Speaker 1: take something from it while being in a building that
25:55
Speaker 1: has so much history in it that has inspired so
25:58
Speaker 1: many generations of communication.
26:00
Speaker 2: I love that.
26:01
Speaker 3: It's like a hub for all the practical stuff people
26:03
Speaker 3: actually need to know. Do you think that kind of
26:05
Speaker 3: variety is what would make the community really fight to
26:08
Speaker 3: keep the building?
26:09
Speaker 1: Well, you would have to do a study on that
26:11
Speaker 1: area of Nations Ford Road. It's Nations Ford. It's Arrowwood.
26:14
Speaker 1: It's South Boulevard. Would anybody come into that area from Ballantyne?
26:17
Speaker 1: Would they travel in from Huntersville, Gastonia? I mean, it's
26:20
Speaker 1: got to be an area, a hub area, a final destination.
26:23
Speaker 1: And I don't see that happening. And that's the scary
26:26
Speaker 1: part of the story.
26:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, if it's.
26:29
Speaker 3: Not a natural destination, it's a lot harder to get
26:32
Speaker 3: people to make the trip. Do you think there's anything
26:34
Speaker 3: that could be added to the area to actually make
26:37
Speaker 3: it a hub?
26:38
Speaker 1: It would have to be the people, and that's where
26:40
Speaker 1: you've got to go. You've got to figure out a
26:42
Speaker 1: way to get into the hearts and the mindsets of
26:44
Speaker 1: the people. Once again, I'm suggesting the library. That affects people,
26:48
Speaker 1: but is a library a place where people go in
26:50
Speaker 1: this computerized generation?
26:52
Speaker 3: That's the big question. I think people still want a
26:55
Speaker 3: place to go, but they're looking for something more active
26:58
Speaker 3: than just rows of books. Do you think the library
27:01
Speaker 3: would need to be more of a community space to
27:03
Speaker 3: get them in the door?
27:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's got to be more than that, too. And
27:05
Speaker 1: I think that maybe someplace for teens to hang out,
27:08
Speaker 1: in other words, for them to have sports, to have
27:10
Speaker 1: different social groups and to learn more about how to
27:13
Speaker 1: be in local government. I think that it's all there.
27:16
Speaker 1: You have conference rooms. It's big enough for such things
27:18
Speaker 1: like that and teach really, really good things about the
27:22
Speaker 1: economics of where we presently are. But nobody's interested in
27:25
Speaker 1: that in Charlotte, North Carolina.
27:27
Speaker 3: Totally. It'd be a real home base for them. Do
27:30
Speaker 3: you think giving teens a spot to actually learn how
27:32
Speaker 3: local government works would make them more likely to get involved?
27:35
Speaker 1: No, not at all.
27:36
Speaker 3: Nope, nope, nope.
27:37
Speaker 1: It's not a video game. And it's not on their smartphone.
27:41
Speaker 1: And that's the thing about it. And maybe it should
27:42
Speaker 1: be an interactive center of sorts.
27:44
Speaker 3: I don't know.
27:44
Speaker 1: But we're out of time, Alexa. Is there any place
27:46
Speaker 1: that people can go in their own cities anywhere to
27:50
Speaker 1: learn about preserving the history of their cities? Not preserving,
27:54
Speaker 1: let's say, the actual stories, but the future. I'm into
27:57
Speaker 1: preserving the future.
27:59
Speaker 3: The digital stuff just doesn't cut it for this. For
28:02
Speaker 3: that kind of future-focused learning, the National Building Museum in D.C.
28:06
Speaker 3: has a Future Cities Initiative that's all about community-driven urban design.
28:10
Speaker 3: It's more of a professional hub, but it's one of
28:12
Speaker 3: the few places that treats the city as a living
28:14
Speaker 3: project rather than a museum. Since you're out of time,
28:17
Speaker 3: do you want me to look for any other similar
28:19
Speaker 3: spots for you to check out later?
28:21
Speaker 1: No, do it right now just for the heck of
28:23
Speaker 1: it because this is well worth it when it comes
28:25
Speaker 1: to the conversation. What else do you have?
28:28
Speaker 3: Besides the National Building Museum, try the Milken Center for
28:31
Speaker 3: Advancing the American Dream, Planet Word Museum, and NASA's Goddard
28:35
Speaker 3: Space Flight Center. Each offers hands-on, future-focused learning.
28:39
Speaker 1: Man, you do have information, but it only took like
28:41
Speaker 1: 30 minutes to get to it. I guess I'm going
28:43
Speaker 1: to say you've got a B average today. Not even that.
28:46
Speaker 1: Maybe a C average. I think you need to go
28:47
Speaker 1: to a building that's 80 years old and learn more
28:49
Speaker 1: about modern-day media and find out how to get to
28:52
Speaker 1: the source of the subject a lot quicker than what
28:54
Speaker 1: you do, Alexa.
28:55
Speaker 3: You're right that I could be more direct with information.
28:58
Speaker 3: I'll work on getting to the heart of topics faster.
29:00
Speaker 2: I love it.
29:01
Speaker 1: I'll see you next week, Alexa.
29:02
Speaker 2: Right on.
29:03
Speaker 3: I'll be ready. Hope the rest of your Saturday is
29:05
Speaker 3: a good one. See you next week.