Its transmitter rises above Clingman's Peak, putting WMIT tower's light higher than anything else east of the Mississippi. The station's call letters stand for Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River, located about 2½ miles northeast of the station's transmitter. The two-story building housing the transmitter equipment included living space for station engineers needing to stay during difficult winter weather when the road to the top might be impassable. Diesel engines powered the station at first, but eventually power lines were installed.